The Boomers had their Paris Olympics fate in their hands and stumbled at the final hurdle, ruing a sluggish second quarter in a 77-71 loss to Greece on Friday night. Australia just had to win against Greece, who dropped its first two games of the group stage, to book a quarter-final berth. Instead, the Boomers will now be waiting for the result of the Spain and Canada game to see if their hopes of another podium finish stay alive. The equation is simple: if Canada wins, the Boomers are in. If not, they go home. If the latter ends up happening though, the Boomers have no one to blame but themselves.
Greece’s Crucial Win
Greece secured a crucial victory over Australia during group play of the 2024 Paris Olympic, defeating Australia on Friday. Led by two-time NBA MVP and former NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, he led either team in scoring finishing with a game-high 20 points (8-of-11 FG) during the contest. He also added 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
Greece’s Comeback
Greece’s win, however, doesn't mean Greece automatically advances to the next round of knockout play, and it will need a couple outcomes to go in its favor. But Greece staved off the surefire elimination that would have come with a loss to Australia, pulling out a victory despite watching a 53-36 lead whittle down to just two points with 3:18 to play. Australia had multiple possessions to tie and take the lead, but Vasilis Toliopoulos made a three-pointer with 2:11 left off an Antetokounmpo assist, and Thomas Walkup's triple with 1:06 left made it 77-70 in favor of Greece.
Greece’s Path Forward
Greece will wait for Serbia's win now. If Serbia wins by 3 points over South Sudan, Greece will be in. Australia, meanwhile, will finish second in Group A if Canada beats Spain. The Boomers will be out of the playoff picture if Spain beats Canada. Now, the Greeks must wait to see if they advance to the next round, which remains a little complicated. In summary, the Greeks need Serbia to win by more than a basket.
Greece’s Game-Changing Performance
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in Greece's 77-71 win over the Boomers. This result paved the way for Brazil to the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed teams. In a do-or-die game for Greece, Giannis Antetokounmpo led his country to the first and crucial win in the Paris 2024 Olympics over Australia 77-71. The Milwaukee Bucks star had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in almost 33 minutes on the court. Now, Hellas and Boomers await the final Group A result between Spain and Canada. Still, Greece clinched 3rd place. However, they are not one of the two best 3rd-placed teams. This means Brazil has already qualified for the Olympic playoffs, because their point difference is better than Greece's.
Australia’s Disappointing Loss
The Boomers were largely able to keep the game close in the first quarter thanks to Landale’s work on the inside, while Patty Mills and Jack McVeigh were both feeling it from deep with a few 3-pointers at critical moments. When that outside shooting dried up, however, and turnovers started to pile up, the Boomers began to unravel while a professional Greece side only pushed further ahead. The Boomers started to rally home in the fourth quarter and got within two points of Greece but left themselves too much of a hole to dig their way out of in the end. Joe Ingles was the only Boomer not to see any playing time while Josh Green was given just four minutes, having struggled all tournament to get into his usual rhythm. Greece led by as many as 19 points (55-36) at the start of the third quarter against Australia, but the Boomers came back into the game with a defensive-oriented lineup, led by veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova. Australia was down two (69-71) with 2 minutes to go, but Vasilis Toliopoulos converted a three-pointer, and Greece held the Boomers to just two points over the last two minutes. Besides Giannis, Thomas Walkup was another go-to guy for Greece, as he had 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists over 30 minutes. He also nailed four threes in seven attempts. Dinos Mitoglou and Vasilis Toliopoulos were other Hellas players in double digits with 13 points apiece. Jock Landale recorded 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Boomers, while Patty Mills added 13 points, and Dyson Daniels had 11.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Performance
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Greece with 20 points and 7 rebounds in its Olympic group play win over Australia. Greece entered the day 0-2 in Group A play, needing to beat the Aussies by 10 or more points and for Canada to defeat Spain to advance to next week’s knockout stage in Paris. Greece’s six-point victory and a Canada win will still give Greece a third-place group finish, though advancing isn’t guaranteed. Canada and Spain meet later in the day.
An Epic Showdown
The Boomers shot just 48 per cent from the free throw line on Friday night, going 10 for 21 from the charity stripe. Turnovers (16) were also an issue, while the 3-point shooting was inconsistent once more as the Boomers went 9-for-26 from deep. Jock Landale (17 point and eight rebounds) led the scoring for the Boomers but had already picked up three fouls by halftime, which forced Brian Goorjian to play Will Magnay and Duop Reath more than he may have hoped. Goorjian already had to call on Magnay earlier than anticipated after the Boomers struggled to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the Milwaukee Bucks star finishing on 20 points. The bigger problem for the Boomers, however, was the fact Antetokounmpo’s teammates were making plays too, proving Greece was far from the one-man wrecking crew some made them out to be. Thomas Walkup and Nick Calathes were both heavily involved early and executed to perfection in the backcourt. Walkup had 18 points while Calathes had eight assists. Dinos Mitoglou and Vasilis Toliopoulos, meanwhile, combined for 26 points. In reality, it could have been far worse for the Boomers given it looked like Daniels was unlikely to return after going down clutching at his left knee in the second quarter. Daniels had been the Boomers’ breakout player at the Olympics, further establishing himself as one of basketball’s best perimeter defenders while showcasing serious growth on the offensive end. Thankfully for the Boomers, Daniels returned to the court soon after heading to the locker room. But there was little Daniels alone could do to save the Boomers, who were out-scored 28-12 in the second quarter to find themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided scoreboard at halftime. Australia erased what had been a 19-point deficit, getting within 71-69 with less than three minutes remaining on a pull-up jumper by Patty Mills. Mills drew an offensive foul on Antetokounmpo, but Australia turned it over on its next possession. Antetokounmpo found Vasilis Toliopoulos, who knocked down a 3-pointer to put Greece back up by five. It later grew to 77-70 on a 3 by Walkup with 1:04 left.
A Game of Two Halves
The opening quarter was a rock fight in this pivotal matchup for both teams. Giannis began proceedings with his patented push-shot from the paint, followed by a Nick Calathes three, and then a Giannis euro-step to the rim for two free throws. The Bucks superstar then began finding his teammates as Australia swarmed to him, whipping it over to Konstantinos Mitoglou for three. The broadcast showed the Boomers’ huddle, with players shouting “keep making him work!” Greece led 25-24 after one. The second frame was where Greece put its foot to Australia’s throat, leading 53-36 by halftime. Giannis was attracting multiple Boomers with every touch. That, and his willingness to sprint in and out of pick and rolls, requiring Australian defenders to tag him as he bounded to the rim, created gorgeous open looks for his teammates. Additionally, Greece’s defence was key to their dominance, forcing multiple live-ball turnovers as Giannis scored explosively in transition, giving his signature “mean mug” as the Hellas bench went wild. Greece ended the half forcing nine Australia turnovers while winning the rebounding battle seventeen to seven. Australia did its best to claw back Greece’s seventeen-point lead but was largely ineffective in the third period as well, only reducing the deficit by five at quarter’s end. Giannis kept drawing attention and spraying the ball out, but Greece failed to make shots, shooting just 28 percent in the third. The Boomers tried some two big lineups to combat the Antetokounmpo and Mitoglou/Georgios Papagiannis combinations, subbing the rarely used Duop Reath into the game. Australia threatened, but for the most part, the Hellas came out unscathed, leading 62-50 going into the final frame. The fourth quarter, however, was a much different story, with the Boomers fighting back. Dyson Daniels powered the Aussies in the opening minutes, reducing the deficit to seven with a nice pass to Jock Landale for the dunk, along with his own catch-and-shoot three. Giannis responded with the typical theatrics, nailing a dribble-up three and following that up with a spinning and-one finish. But the Boomers kept pushing, narrowing the Hellas’ lead to just two points late into the contest. In the end, Australia’s strategy was very clear; like Greece’s other opponents, they were going to live and die with the Hellas guards making wide-open threes. This strategy, by and large, worked well throughout the game, with the boys in blue shooting just 28 percent from three. But it proved costly in the final minutes, with Giannis zipping it out to Vassilis Toliopoulos for a dagger triple. Thomas Walkup then followed up with a back-breaking three of his own to give the Greeks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, winning 77-71 against the dejected Australians. Greece will await other results to see if they advance to the knockout round. I’ll leave the particulars of that up to people smarter than me! Regardless, they needed to get this win to put themselves in the mix, and that part of the mission is now complete.
A Look Back
The first quarter ended up with Greece leading by one (25-24) after a highly questionable foul call on Walkup which awarded Josh Giddey three free throws. However, that was the spark that fired a 14-0, with Walkup scoring his third three-pointer of the game and Greece jumping to a 39-24 lead. The Greek advantage went up to 17 points (50-33) with Giannis taking it all the way against three defenders and scoring on a trademark spin move, while the halftime score was 53-36 as Greece had already three scorers in double digits – Walkup, Giannis, Mitoglou – and Australia had none. With tension rising, Greece pushed the lead to 19 points (55-36) and Australia tried by tooth and claw to react. Thanks to a partial 11-4 score with Jock Landale getting the ball, the Boomers trimmed the lead to 12 (59-47). The game turned sloppy and finally, a big three by Vassilis Charalampoulos was the Greek answer (62-47). Mat Dellavedova responded with his own three (62-50) and that was the end of the third period. A dunk by Landale and a three by Daniels trimmed the lead to seven (62-55) to start the fourth and finally, there was a game. After a three by Patty Mills, Australia made a four-point game (69-65) with five minutes left and Mills again put the Boomers in shooting distance (71-69) two minutes later. Thomas Walkup came up clutch with a three-pointer and a steal down the line to keep Greece alive. Vassilis Spanoulis’ team stays alive at the Olympic Games by getting Australia out of contention. 16 years after their last victory in the Olympic Games, the Greek national team found success once again on the Olympic stage thanks to 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thomas Walkup added 18 points, while Dinos Mitoglou and Vasilis Toliopoulos shared 13 points. On the Australian side, Jock Landale was the highest scorer with 17 points and 8 rebounds, followed by captain Patty Mills with 13 points. Josh Giddey finished with 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in his team’s defeat.
A Great Win for Greece
Greece collects its 1st win of group play in the Olympics with a 77-71 win against Australia. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Greece with 20 points and 7 rebounds in its Olympic group play win over Australia. Greece’s win over Australia marked the first win for the Greek National Team in the Olympic Games in 16 years. The win was sparked by an amazing performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo who led all scorers with 20 points and added 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The win doesn’t guarantee Greece a spot in the quarterfinals, but it does keep their hopes alive. The Greeks need a couple of outcomes to go in their favor, including a Serbia win by more than a basket. If those things happen, then Greece will be moving on to the knockout rounds in Paris. The Boomers are now on the outside looking in and will be hoping for a Canada win over Spain in order to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. This was a great game to watch and it was a great win for Greece.
What’s Next
The Boomers now sit in a precarious position, with their fate hanging in the balance. Their hopes for another Olympic podium finish now hinge on the outcome of the Spain-Canada game. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Boomers in Paris, but they’ve shown flashes of brilliance and resilience. If they make it to the quarterfinals, they’ll be ready to take on the world’s best. Greece will be awaiting the results of other games with anticipation, hoping for a favorable outcome. They’ve fought hard to reach this point. As for the rest of the world, the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the Olympic basketball tournament in Paris. There’s no shortage of drama, and no shortage of talent, and no shortage of surprises. Stay tuned for what promises to be a thrilling finish.
