Australia faces world super power the United States in both the men’s and women’s basketball competitions over the next 48 hours. Both are sudden death but at slightly different stages of the tournament.
Our men in the Boomers will be playing with nothing to lose, facing a hotter favourite than Usain Bolt was in the 100m.
Fresh from Paddy Mills buzzer beater over a higher ranked Russian outfit, the boomers should be up for the challenge early, but will need to rely on some kind of Olympic miracle to realise a win over the much fancied Team USA.
The Boomers have been far from poor in this Olympics, considering their key man Andrew Bogut is back home still suffering the effects of a painful elbow injury and the national league is less popular than Julia Gillard’s carbon tax.
One would expect a quarter final loss to be admiral at this level to Team USA, a team that boast the likes of Durant, James, Kobe and Anthony but not this team, over the years the Boomers have learnt to become fighters and scrappers, and don’t expect them to leave anything out on the court against any opponent, no matter what their reputation.
To put the match in perspective, we are playing against the second best team ever assembled on an Olympic basketball court (Yes, 1992 Dream team were better). Our players have come from leagues in various parts of the world (Spain, Australia, USA, Greece, Russia & Serbia) and will be relying on that famous Aussie spirit and grit to even come close to the far superior US team.
The Opals (Women) have a far more realistic shot when they play their semi final against the heavily favoured US team. A shock loss against France bought this game forward by a couple of days but after a dominant fourth quarter performance over China, the Opals should be ready for the challenge.
Much of our hopes will be pinned on the performances of flag bearer Lauren Jackson and young star Liz Cambage. Both have been in foul trouble at various stages of the tournament, and the US will be looking to exploit this. The Opals know they can match the US in different aspects on the court, but their depth is far superior to ours.
We will need to keep out best line up on the court for the majority of the game to match it with the US. We have beaten them in the past, but not on the Olympic stage.
The pre tournament loss of playmaker Penny Taylor through injury is a significant loss, and one I don’t think we can cover.
The Opals don’t seem to have the same spark as previous years, but I think they can come away from London with a bronze medal.
Both games will be watched with anticipation both here and the United States, but I’m afraid both may have the same result.
The Opals should run with the US for much of the 40 minute contest, while I’m afraid as soon as the US put their game faces on, the Boomers will only see dust in their rear view mirror.
Whilst I’m predicting disappointing results for both Australian teams, it is an opportunity to see our teams matched up with the best in the world, isn’t that what the Olympics are about.
hardsy
Roar Pro
Brett Brown will be using all his tactical nous to upset the superstars of the US, The only problem is anyone of them could catch fire at ant stage of the game
hardsy
Roar Pro
Hopefully the men's game against the USA is the shot in the arm basketball needs in this country. We will never get back to the glory days of the early 90's but. The last few years have been a step in the right direction. The demise of the Gold Coast isnt great for the league but the other teams will continue to develop. The move of Perth to a larger stadium and the Tigers playing a few games at Vodaphone look to be good moves,hopefully the general public will support them. Seeing Australia against the worlds best is a chance to engage those fans who used to enjoy some live NBL action. My 'carbon tax' comment was merely a reflection of the publicity the game receives from mainstream media.
ChrisCantatore
Roar Rookie
“Our players have come from leagues in various parts of the world (Spain, Australia, USA, Greece, Russia & Serbia) and will be relying on that famous Aussie spirit and grit to even come close to the far superior US team." Forget the Aussie spirit and grit, play some decent defense. Clog up the key and don't let Durant have a field day on the perimeter. Every nation competing at this level shows grit and spirit (maybe not the Nigerians the other night). Personally, I get a bit tired of it being used as a substitute for talent when it comes to Australians in sport.
ChrisCantatore
Roar Rookie
Well said! The league is improving year by year and has come a long way from a couple of seasons ago when they talked about putting it on hold for a year. I'm a regular attendee of Wildcat games and the passion and atmosphere in that building is extraordinary- the stadium is also always at capacity. I'm not suggesting the writer has implied this; however it seems that most people look at the NBL as dismal when compared to the NBA. The two can't be compared for a million different reasons, but how many times have you heard "Compared to the NBA the NBL is awful"? The NBL is different and one of the fastest leagues in the world!
tonysalerno
Roar Guru
To say the Australian teams are the underdogs is a major understatement. Hopefully if one of our sides spring an upset, we will have enough momentum to challenge for the medals.
Albo
Guest
The Men are no chance ! They cannot match the USA physicallly or mentally. The Women are a serious chance if they can get their heads right ! They can match the USA physically but mentally they have been all over place throughout this whole tournament ! Should have wiped the floor with every one of their opponents thus far, not just struggled to get there in every game, except for France ! Fingers crossed it comes together right now ! So far Suzie Batkovic has held this team together as they have fumbled around squandering good leads. Time for the world's best player to stand up and really prove it now !
TonyM
Guest
So less than 1% of the population attend NBL games regularly? I think you will find the carbon tax is more popular than that (in fact more popular than NRL and AFL too). Over 10% of Australians vote Green for starters.
Catherine
Guest
Well I don't see the U.S coming up with a three pointer in the last 2 seconds! Hardsy, 'it ain't over til the fat lady sings'. This is the Olympics where miracles can and do happen daily!
Jarrad
Guest
Excuse me? our national league is less popular then carbon tax? i find that pretty offensive seeing as the NBL has made massive gains in the past few years... crowds are up 30% as are season memberships. Perth Wildcats have just upgraded to a 12 thousand seat stadium, and by the amount of people trying to get ticklets for the last grand final it ;looks like theyll fill thta more often then not. Also, the last NBL finals were the most watched and most talked about in well over a decade... NBL and Basketball in Australia is growing and you need to show some respect or you will just look ignorant. Less popular then Carbon Tax what a cop out!!!
MelbCro
Guest
"To put the match in perspective, we are playing against the second best team ever assembled on an Olympic basketball court (Yes, 1992 Dream team were better). " No it isn't. The US side at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was better