Boomers Breakdown: Assessing Australia’s semi-final loss to USA

Friday, August 6, 2021

After a magical fifteen minutes to being the game, sports fans around the country began dreaming of a first-ever appearance for the Boomers in a gold medal match.But it wasn’t to be. Instead, Kevin Durant led the Stars and Stripes past the Boomers in dominant fashion.

By Liam Santamaria

Another chapter in the story of Aussie hoops heartbreak was written today as Team USA defeated the Boomers 97-78 in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics.

After a magical fifteen minutes to being the game, sports fans around the country began dreaming of a first-ever appearance for the Boomers in a gold medal match.

But it wasn’t to be. Instead, Kevin Durant led the Stars and Stripes past the Boomers in dominant fashion.

THE DREAM START

The Boomers did almost everything right across the first quarter and half.

Joe Ingles came out firing, they were everywhere defensively and their patient execution was consistently piercing USA’s D.

It was a brilliant start and after the Boomers notched up five consecutive defensive stops, Gregg Popovich had seen enough as he stormed the court for an early time-out.

It helped. Durant started to get busy and their offence improved. But the Boomers continued to flow and when Ingles found Chris Goulding for a three on the buzzer, the Aussies entered quarter-time leading by 6.

It was here when things started to get dreamlike.

Brian Goorjian inserted Nathan Sobey early in the second and the Brisbane Bullets guard pushed it in transition and kicked it out to Goulding who splashed another three.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Goulding knocks down another three! ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/cePLXXV0us">pic.twitter.com/cePLXXV0us</a></p>— 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1423142555198185474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

CG was feeling it and the next time down the floor the NBL star drew a foul on Khris Middleton on a three-point attempt.

A no-call for Nick Kay and a tech on the bench didn’t help but the Aussies kept rolling; scrambling on D and putting heat on the rim at the offensive end.

All of a sudden, the Boomers were up by 15. Time out Pop.

Realistically, they couldn’t have started any better.

USA’S RESPONSE

Then, of course, came USA’s response.

And… well…. it was emphatic.

Popovich’s group stepped out of that huddle with a renewed vigour defensively and it really was the moment that completely changed the game.

The Americans started face-guarding Australia’s primary play-makers – Patty Mills and Joe Ingles – off the ball and worked hard to keep the rock in other guys’ hands. At this point the Boomers’ offence completely broke down.

A tough, contested three from Mills was Australia’s only field goal across the final five minutes of the second quarter as they just couldn’t execute. And, as the USA’s schemes forced ‘others’ to make plays, a series of costly turnovers from the Boomers saw their lead dwindle away.

From 15 up a few minutes earlier, the Boomers went into half-time ahead by just three.

AUSTRALIA’S… WELL, LACK OF RESPONSE

If the end of the first half was bad, the start of the second was worse.

Jrue Holiday and Kevin Durant combined for 12 unanswered points over the first three and a bit minutes as everything went completely pear-shaped for the Boomers.

In total, it was a 20-0 run from Team USA either side of half time that turned an 11 point Aussie lead to a 9-point American advantage.

What was really strange throughout that period was the decision by Goorjian to not call a time-out.

The Boomers made some subs. Delly and Landale came in late in the second, Goulding was inserted early in the third and both Exum and Thybulle sat at the scorer’s table waiting to check in for a couple of minutes shortly thereafter.

However, for some reason, Goorj decided not to do what Pop did earlier and call a time-out to arrest the momentum. Not late in the second quarter nor early in the third.

In fact, it wasn’t until the Boomers trailed by 9 five and a half minutes into the second half (50-59) that they eventually called for time.

Don’t get me wrong: Goorj has done a marvellous job with this group over the course of this campaign. Absolutely marvellous.

But it was an odd decision to wait that long. I’m sure it will be one the legendary coach and his staff will regret as they reflect on where, when and how that crucial game slipped away.

KEVIN DURANT

KD was the man.

Devin Booker (20 points) and Jrue Holiday (11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists) were huge – especially Holiday at the defensive end – but Durant was the primary difference-maker when all was said and done.

The USA’s all-time leading Olympic scorer made big buckets in key moments throughout the first half and then put the foot down early in the second.

The Boomers just had no answer.

He struggled from deep, where he hit just one of his seven attempts, but his mid-range pull-up game was in full effect and completely unstoppable.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a> going to work ?<br><br>?? 45-48 ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/SrHuAbnKGu">pic.twitter.com/SrHuAbnKGu</a></p>— 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1423153099074678785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

OPPORTUNITY STILL AWAITS

As deflating as that loss was for the Boomers – and for all of their supporters back home – there is still an incredible opportunity that awaits them in the bronze medal match.

This team has been hunting gold, we know that. But no men’s national basketball team from Australia has ever – EVER – won a medal of any sort at a major international tournament.

The Boomers lost the bronze medal match at the Olympics in 1988, 1996, 2000, 2016 and, you don’t need reminding, at the FIBA World Cup two years ago.

Which means if they win on Saturday that would be the greatest victory in the long and storied history of Boomers basketball.

From here, I’ll leave it to the GOAT as he said it perfectly on ‘Talking Tokyo’ this afternoon.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Talking Tokyo ???<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewGaze10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewGaze10</a> on what he would say to the Boomers if he was invited into the locker room ahead of the bronze medal game on Saturday ???<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBoomers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBoomers</a> <a href="https://t.co/8tW4Q7VehA">pic.twitter.com/8tW4Q7VehA</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1423210615556874240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>