China face Jordan in Asian basketball championships final

China go into Sunday's Asian basketball championships final as firm favourites after thrashing their opponents Jordan 93-60 in the preliminary round.But Jordan have hit form at just the right time, eliminating reigning champions Iran 88-84 in a shock quarter-final upset, then winning their semi-final against the Philippines 75-61 on Saturday.Team China coach Bob Donewald said that even after the two teams' first match in Wuhan he had told his counterpart Tab Baldwin he expected to see him in the tournament decider. "After our last game with them, I told coach Baldwin 'I will see you in the finals'," Donewald told reporters.Jordan lost to Japan, China and the Philippines in the preliminary rounds but entered the knockout stage with a renewed focus, and their quarter-final win ended the possibility of a repeat of the 2009 final, when the Iranians whipped China 70-52 before a Chinese home crowd in Tianjin."I didn't think they (Iran) were going to beat Jordan anyway," said Donewald. "I'm serious, it was you people (the media) that kept talking about Iran not me, our scouts have been saying Jordan is going to beat them. "We look forward to a very difficult game against Jordan, they are on a roll. Jordan plays hard, they have good players, we have a lot of respect for that team." Jordan's key assets are captain Sam Daghles, American import Rasheim Wright and feisty forward Zaid Abbas. Both Daghles and Abbas play in China's professional league and the team has enjoyed avid support from fans in Wuhan."Most of the credit should go to Sam who came up with an inspired speech before (the Iran) game," the American Baldwin said of his star guard. "I’ve been in more than 100 locker rooms in my life. I haven’t come across many locker-room player pep talks like that. There is something to be said about guys who get their heads right and stay focused. "China is the class of this tournament and so far they have not been beaten, but no team is unbeatable."Jordan's run in Wuhan is not entirely surprising -- despite lacking a big centre, they came third in the 2009 championships and represented Asia in the 2010 World Basketball Championships, along with China and Iran. But with eight wins and no defeats so far, and NBA-experienced big men such as Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi, it will be a surprise if China do not win and secure Asia's only automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics. But Daghles, 32, told AFP Jordan should not be counted out. "When you see the five rings, when we you have a chance to play in the Olympic Games, you have to fight with everything that you have," he said.