Advance Australia: Why these Boomers are only just getting started

There’s something strange about watching this iteration of the Boomers. Not in any kind of negative way, the polar opposite actually.

Make no mistake, these aren’t your grizzled father’s or even your snarky older brother’s Boomers.

In almost every previous Olympiad, the Australian men’s basketball team has best been described as ‘honest battlers’.

No more. And perhaps never again.

Instead of relying on legendary individual performances from Andrew Gaze or, um, Gaze, these Boomers are not only greater than the sum of their parts as in previous years, the parts are pretty damn talented in their own right.

There can be no greater example than Thursday’s quarter-final obliteration of Lithuania, a perennial Olympic contender and a historical thorn in the side of Australia’s own medal hopes.

A win, any win, would have been exemplary.

But a wire-to-wire 90-64 mauling of the third-ranked team in the world? Thoroughly beyond all expectations, save perhaps the Boomers’ own self-assurances.

A starting backcourt of Patrick Mills and Matthew Dellavedova that would be regarded as not even average in NBA circles has been incandescent this tournament, outscoring the shell-shocked Lithuanians 31-30 in the first half.

Mills was relentless in his movement, running tirelessly to get open and then nailing shot after shot from international waters.

The Spurs’ bench spark-plug would finish with a game-high 24 points, his perpetual motion a joy to watch.

Meanwhile, Dellavedova started like he meant to go on, doing a fair impersonation of his backcourt running mate on his way to three first-quarter triples and an eventual 15-point, three-assist performance. It added to a tournament CV that has been as impressive as it has been surprising.

Indeed, it has been the Boomers’ ability to protect the ball, the absolute nadir of the Opals’ meltdown the previous day as they crashed out before the medal round, that has been an underrated highlight of the campaign.

Mills and Dellavedova coughed up the ball just twice between them as the Australians posted just nine turnovers – a number of those occurring late when the game was over – while forcing the Lithuanians into 17 errors. You’ll win more games than not when you strangle the opposition offence like that.

If anything, it was this hellacious commitment to the defensive side of the ball that won the game. Australia harassed the Lithuanians from the get-go, playing a physical brand of defence that frustrated the Europeans to the point of distraction.

It is etched in NBA playoff lore that rebounds win rings and while the Boomers don’t have a glass-eater deluxe, they don’t need one, getting the job done almost by committee.

The starting frontcourt of Andrew Bogut, Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles once again played its part to perfection, providing a heady mix of rebounding, defence and tremendous inside passing to combine for 32 points and 14 rebounds.

Baynes, in particular, has been a revelation this tournament, displaying more of an offensive repertoire than his previous NBA role-playing suggested he was capable of.

And Bogut again looked downright sprightly. While foul trouble limited his minutes, he still managed a well-rounded stat line of six points, seven boards and, impressively, six assists, as he picked apart the Lithuanian defence with dead-eyed skill and daring.

He also brooked about as much dissent as he allows on social media, giving Jonas Valanciunas the same treatment as anyone who opposes his anti-PC worldview.

In previous years, a Boomers bench that was more honest than it was talented (when compared to its global opponents) would struggle to hold leads, let alone extend an advantage.

Not now.

David Andersen might be 36 years old, but he remains a canny and effective international player. Having him come off the bench is almost a luxury, such is his ability to provide a steady presence at both ends of the floor.

Damian Martin might have been previously best known for startling Kevin Durant with a steal in the narrow loss to the US during the pool play, but he more than paid his way against Lithuania, tormenting their guards from baseline to baseline as he racked up four steals and four rebounds in just 16 minutes of high-octane court time before fouling out late.

The Boomers will play Serbia for a place in the gold medal game, a team that holds approximately zero fears for this Boomers squad, given a commanding win in the group stage and just as crucially, such is the confidence in their own abilities.

Win that and either the might of the US or Spain awaits, and having already pushed the Americans to the very limit in pool play, Australia’s self-belief is not misplaced now.

It has been a coming-out party for the ages, Australia’s talent finally matching its intensity and grit.

Cynics – including this correspondent – keep waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the starched-crisp ball movement to stop, for the white-hot shooting to go ice-cold, for the persecuting, smothering defence to abate.

We might be waiting for a while yet.