Iran unmasked Gilas Pilipinas in a truly bad way on Friday night and booked a return slot in the title game of the Fiba-Asia Cup.

With a center in Hamed Hadadi who was unstoppable and a young shooting forward who baffled the Filipinos no end, the Iranians tore Gilas Pilipinas apart with clinical precision for a 76-55 Final Four victory at the Wuhan Gymnasium in Wuhan, China.

Mohammad Jamshidi, a 6-foot-6 22-year-old forward who slices to the basket like a blur while having a lethal jump-shot, got the Iranian offense going early as the defending champions built sizeable leads right in the first half and never looked back.

Obviously, it was the worst loss for the Filipinos in the tournament, one which wasn’t aided one bit by Marcus Douthit committing two fouls in the first three minutes that left Hadadi alone to do his damage.

The 7-foot-2 former Memphis Grizzly in the National Basketball Association, Hadadi dominated when Douthit was recalled to the bench for the last 17 minutes of the first half as Iran scooted away.

“We went into the game wanting to win,” declared Iran coach Memi Becirovic, a Slovenian. “We did try a few new things in the second half involving our youngsters, but our focus was on winning this game.” Jamshidi scored 14 points in the first half alone, running rings around his defenders in an impressive effort that makes him a player to watch in the World Cup next month and the Asian Games in South Korea in September.

After watching the veterans like Hadadi and Nikka Bahrami lead Iran to the title against the Philippines in the World Cup Qualifying in Manila last August, Jamshidi has earned his chance to shine this year with Bahrami opting to not join the team in China.

He fired 26 points in a quarterfinal victory against arch-rival Jordan on Thursday to more than make up for the absence of the electrifying Bahrami.

And with Douthit riding the bench, Hadadi not only scored eight points in the first half but also had a number of assists to the inside, making PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo look lost in his time on the floor.

In fact, Fajardo wasn’t even able to take an attempt in the entire first half and the Iranian defense was so effective that the Filipinos didn’t have a free throw attempt until the final five minutes of the third period.

Paul Lee, who top-scored for the Philippines in its first four victories, was held down to just four points as Gilas, as a whole, shot just 3-for-21 from three-point range.

“We are here without four key players, so definitely, our outside shooting is not what it really is,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes as the Philippines dropped into a battle for third with either China or Chinese-Taipei on Saturday.

The Taiwanese and the Chinese were still disputing the second title game berth at press time.

“We were trying to win here without our mainstays,” Reyes said.

Reyes actually left behind six players: Marc Pingris, Jeff Chan, Larry Fonacier, Jimmy Alapag, Gabe Norwood and Jason Castro to try out some players in China – Lee included.

Also, Reyes gave newly-naturalized NBA veteran Andray Blatche a pass for the tournament as the 6-foot-11 center is still negotiating for a new contract. Blatche, though, is expected to be with the Filipinos in Spain next month.

Team Philippines comes home on Sunday to prepare for a two-game clash with an NBA Selection led by Blake Griffin, Kawhi Leonard, Demar Derozan, Damian Lillard and Paul Pierce, among others, in a charity event billed ‘Gilas Last Home Stand.”