Sport
2 August, 2024
Boomers face must-win game against Greece to preserve Delly’s Olympic run
Matthew Dellavedova and the Australian Boomers’ Olympic dream hinges on tonight’s final set of Group A games after losing to Canada on Tuesday night.
The equation for the Boomers isn’t as clear cut as it seems — they will need a victory, but a win could still mean they can miss out on point differential if Spain are able to defeat Canada by a sufficient margin.
Wins for Canada and Australia in their final group games means both teams come through the group to qualify for the knockout stages.
Tuesday night’s second-half fadeout against a strong Canada team didn’t help Australia’s cause, however, with the Canadians’ all-round excellence around the court and shooting prowess proving just too much for the Australians.
Dellavedova was not given any playing time for the night, with Dallas Mavericks point guard Dante Exum returning to the rotation after missing the opening game of the Olympics with a finger injury to be coach Brian Goorjian’s preferred back-up point guard option.
Australia made a strong start, with first-choice point guard Josh Giddey propelling the Boomers to an early lead with 10 points in the first quarter, which saw them lead 28-26 at the opening change.
The Boomers seemed to have all the answers to Canada’s challenges throughout the first half, with Giddey leading the charge, while Jock Landale (16 points), Exum (15 points) and Dyson Daniels (10 points) also providing good minutes, with the Boomers outscoring the Canadians by two points in the second term with a 21-point to 19 effort to lead by four points at half time, 49-45.
However, the reset at the break allowed Canada to adjust, and the offensive prowess of star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett, coupled with defensive hustle which led the Boomers to make mistakes with their ball handling allowed them to soon take control of the game, and Canada scored 27 points to 21 in the third quarter to assume a two-point lead into the last term, 72-70.
In what was an even game, Australia’s 18 turnovers, compared to Canada’s 11 was telling, particularly given Canada were able to score 28 points from the Boomers’ turnovers.
Giddey’s former teammate at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lu Dort, was crucial for Canada, switching onto the Boomers’ main man, while also stopping many Australian attacks on transition.
Needless offensive fouls and the ability of Canada to lock down Giddey, who scored four points in the second half, sealed the game for the Canadians, who scored 21 points to 13 in the final term to run away with a 10-point victory and essentially seal their berth in the knockout stages with a 93-83 win.
For Canada, Barrett was lethal from all areas of the court, finishing with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Gilgeous-Alexander had great ease in finding his mid-range shot in finishing with 16 points on 10 shots, which included eight-of-nine shooting inside the arc.
Dillon Brooks also finished with 16 points, while Dort’s elite two-way game stifled the Australians throughout the second half.
Dellavedova was one of just two Boomers not to receive any playing time on Tuesday night, with fellow veteran Joe Ingles also sitting out.
The Boomers’ chances of repeating their heroics in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where they scored a bronze medal, now rests on how they perform against Greece, particularly when it comes to stopping two-time NBA most valuable player Giannis Antetokoumpo.
Antetokoumpo set the Greek contingent alight in their seven-point loss to Spain, which has seen their own Olympic hopes hang by a thread, scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds, including two vicious dunks, and it will be a big task for Australian bigs including Landale and Nick Kay to stop him from turning the game in Greece’s favour.