How the Boomers Found Themselves on the Wrong Side of the Result
For the world no. 3 Boomers, losses are not taken lightly. Although Brazil is a formidable opponent, ranked 13th in the world, Australia was expected to dispatch of them with relative ease especially since the game took place in Melbourne in front of Boomer fans.
This of course is not what ended up happening as Brazil won the matchup 90-86. So, what went wrong for the Boomers? Can they fix these issues before the actual World Cup begins?
The short answer is yes.
The first issue that arose for the Boomers happened before tip-off even took place in the form of injuries.
Projected starting centre Jock Landale is nursing a rolled ankle and was kept out of the game for precautionary reasons. He is however fully expected to be healthy and fit by the time the team travels to Japan for the tournament.
Another key figure of this Boomer’s squad in Josh Green has a similar outlook with an elbow injury.
Meanwhile, three-point marksman Chris Goulding is expected to need a bit more time to recover from a knee-injury suffered against Venezuela.
All three men were cited by Boomer’s coach Brian Goorjian as being part of their eight-man rotation, so their absence was impactful.
The biggest in-game issue for the Boomers was their shooting struggles. As a team they shot just 9-34 from the three-point line. It’s unlikely that this will be a real problem in the World Cup given their players’ track records.
For starters, sharpshooter Patty Mills shot just 2-12 from beyond the arc which is almost certain not to happen again. Along with this Joe Ingles went just 1-5. The absences of Green and Goulding are also felt in the three-point shooting category as both are quality shooters who should provide a boost when they return.
Josh Giddey was once again a bright spot for the Boomers finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists as he tried to steal the game for Australia. Giddey is a rising star and one of Australia’s best talents.
Game Recap
The game itself was a back-and-forth affair with big momentum swings throughout.
The Boomer’s got off to a very slow start as the offense sputtered and Brazil was hot from the three-point line. By the end of the first quarter the Aussies were down 23-13.
They got back on track in the second quarter as Dante Exum made an impact off the bench and the defense started to show more life. At halftime they trailed by just two points at 43-41.
In the third quarter Australia flexed their muscle and began to find their rhythm offensively outscoring Brazil 30-21 to take a 71-64 lead. At this point it seemed like the Boomers had settled in and would go on to win the game but a disastrous fourth quarter changed that.
A Fourth Quarter to Forget
Up seven points going into the quarter, all the momentum was on the Boomers’ side. Suddenly, they had lost their offensive touch again and it was affecting their play defensively with a number of communication breakdowns leading to easy buckets for Brazil.
There seemed to be a lid on the rim for the Boomers as they struggled to get anything to fall as Brazil slowly ate into the Aussie lead then overtook them with six minutes to play and never looked back.
It was an ugly quarter for the Boomers scoring just 15 points and allowing 26 as they lost the game 90-86.
