‘It’s not a secret’: Team USA have the most talent – but the Boomers have something they don’t
By Tom Decent
The Boomers can win an Olympic basketball gold medal in Paris and have assembled a squad strong enough to challenge and beat the United States.
That’s the view of NBA star and Australian sensation Josh Giddey, who is supremely confident the men in gold can better their bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympics three years.
“This is probably the realest chance we’ve ever had to win a gold medal in Australian basketball,” Giddey said at a press conference in Paris on Monday. “We’ve got the pieces to do it. We back ourselves against anybody in the world. We’re not worried about who we’ve got to face.
“The guys, long before I was here, have been banging on the door for a while to get up on that podium, with the gold medal around the neck. You get that sense that these guys have that burning passion inside and want to take that next step forward.”
The Boomers finished their Olympic preparation on Sunday evening with an impressive 83-82 victory over hosts France in an exhibition match at the Co’Met Arena in Orleans.
Australia trailed for the majority of the match but scored a two-pointer in the final seconds, courtesy of Dyson Daniels, to silence a vociferous home crowd waving French flags at every opportunity.
Australian basketballer Josh Giddey speaks at a press conference on Monday in Paris. Credit: Getty Images
Captain Patty Mills top-scored with 24 points, while Giddey was just as excellent with 20 points in an all-round performance that bodes well for Australia’s first match on Saturday against Spain at 11am local time (7pm AEST).
“As an Australian kid, I think representing your country in an Olympics is probably the pinnacle of basketball,” said Giddey, who missed out on selection for the Tokyo Games. “Obviously everyone wants to play in the NBA, but it’s a different feeling when you get to come here and wear the green and gold and do it with your mates.
“You only get to go once every four years, so it’s a pretty rare opportunity to be here. The talent level, obviously, is world class.”
Giddey said Australia, ranked fifth in the world, had found themselves in a “pool of death” featuring Spain (2nd), Canada (7th) and Greece (14th) but he isn’t worried about their draw.
“I think we’ve had a great preparation,” Giddey said. “We’ve had great momentum going forward into Paris and we’re excited to hit the ground running in Lille.
“I think it kind of speaks volumes of how good basketball’s got in Australia that we have NBA talent and elite players from around the world missing out on this team.
“The talent that we’ve had in Australian basketball is, in my opinion, as good as it’s ever been.”
The rock stars of the Olympics, as always, will be the United States team, which features the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
NBA legend LeBron James looks for a way past the Boomers’ Josh Giddey during a warm-up match earlier this month. Credit: AP
James has been named the USA’s flag bearer at Friday’s opening ceremony on the river Seine, making him the first American male basketball player to be given the honour.
Australia won’t play the USA until the knockout stages if they qualify but Giddey believes cohesion could be a problem for the 2024 incarnation of the “Dream Team”.
“On paper, obviously they’re the most talented team. It’s not a secret to anybody,” Giddey said. “I think the difference is these guys have never played together. A lot of these other countries have had a core that’s been together for years. They’re also very talented.
“They’re going to be tough to beat for anybody. But as I said, we’re confident with the guys that we have, the group that we have, how together we are as a unit, that we can go against anybody in the world.”
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