After 13 years and 78 straight triumphs, the United States basketball team has finally suffered a loss. Team USA was defeated in Australia against the hosts, in one very exciting match 98-94.
In front of more than 52 thousand people, the Aussies have recorded their first win ever against the most successful basketball nation. They’ve scored 50 points in the second half, and managed to come back after trailing 10 points through the middle of the third.
All in all, it was a glorious night for the Boomers who are heading for China with high ambitions. They would like to win a medal, and after this win, the appetites will only be higher.
“This is just one step towards our progress and the ultimate goal of branding history and winning the medal,” said the hero of the Australian team, Patty Mills.
The San Antonio Spurs point guard scored 30 points, and was unstoppable for the Americans. Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Donovan Mitchell, nobody could guard this guy. Whether was that because he had a huge motive to play against his coach, or due to the enormous crowd and a fantastic atmosphere, Mills was superb.
Another NBA player was excellent. Veteran center Andrew Bogut played like in his best days. The Warriors big guy scored 16 points, shooting 7 of 8 from the field. But that wasn’t all from him. He also had 9 boards and 4 assists, making all sorts of troubles to the rivals. Without him on the court, Aron Baynes stepped in and continued to harass the American centers. Boston’s player scored 13 points, while Utah’s Joe Ingles had 15.
On the other side, Kemba Walker was once again the top scorer of the American team with 22 points. Harrison Barnes from Sacramento had 20 and 6 rebounds.
Walker said that his team will improve already against Canada and that they are still creating chemistry.
“This is a team that just got together. We gonna keep working, watch some film, and just get better from next game.”
The former Charlotte Hornets, and now Boston Celtics playmaker is certain that his team will be better as time goes by.
“We’ll going to learn from our mistakes. We gonna continue to get better,” said Walker.
It is very interesting to see the American team inferior in two important statistical categories, rebounding, and assists. Unlike in all the matches so far, they haven’t dominated in the air. Australia had 41 boards, and the USA 35. As for the assists, the difference was even higher, USA 11, Australia 22.
The last time Team USA lost was in the semifinals of the World Cup in Japan in 2006 against Greece. Since then they won 6 major tournaments without a single defeat. That streak has come to an end, and the way things look at the moment, the streak of big competitions won could also be endangered.
With all the big names canceling their participation in China, Popovich had to make the team from leftovers, and some additionally called up players.
The FIBA World Cup for the USA starts on September 1 against the Czech Republic.
