They are perhaps the most well equipped team in the comp to compete because they can probably match up a little better inside against Cousins with Bogut, Baynes etc. LTU with Jonas too. Other teams just get murdered on the boards.

But in saying that even being the most well equipped team to beat a team like the USA still puts you 20-25 points off the mark and even that's assuming you shoot a healthy %.

I leave you with a bit of wisdom from All Blacks coach Steve Hansen:

"You don't have to be the big dog, just the right dog".

Nice little article LC, always good to dream big and to be honest we go into this game with less pressure than they do, but the depth of talent in Team USA will be very, very difficult to keep in check.

That said, as long as we go out and play like dogs, not pussies, I am going to be happy.

We don't want to give away too many secrets or show our hand this early in a tournament like this, but I am sure we will have a crack and give them something to worry about if we get to play them again...

Boomers are playing brilliant but within 20-25 points against the USA is considered a win.

Not true anon, you are under-rating Bogut (still one of the NBA's best centres), Mills (can flat out shoot it at NBA level and has proven it), Dellevadova (distributes the ball, controls play and can defend a Steph Curray to the point of desperation), Baynes (has shown he can turn it on and when he plays physically can intimidate any big man in the NBA)...

Sure, we don't have 5 teams we can play in the Olympics, due to our low population base, but what we have playing can compete against the best and remember it is only five on five at any given time.

Not quite the 'Dream Team' but not 'Dad's Army' either!

And before you dissect my post, read it properly, I did not mention we will win, I said we can compete and that's what we should expect.

A win would be mind blowing and front page news all over the world so don't get carried away with yourself, I am not saying we will get the 'W', but it would be a 'WOW' if we did...

Australia's lack of options on the wing will hurt us vs USA. We only have Broekhoff and Ingles to throw at them - both good. This is where Newley would have helped perhaps.

Ben Simmons?

If it bleeds, you can kill it.

I guess you are missing part of my point anon, how would team USA go if they were only allowed to choose from a population base of about 10% of what they have?

It is obvious that they have talent to burn, tell us something no one knows, but someone could still have their 'Steve Bradbury' moment...

See the Delly bashed couldn't have a say on the game thread because Delly proven him wrong YET again do your here having another dig, seriously mate you need some help........
Anyone e ear to,d you ho.ding onto a grudge for so long will age you dramatically lol

If Puerto Rico can, then anyone can

Nope. I'd agree that 20-25 point loss would be a phenomenal achievement.

Irrespective of the result the fact that more than half the Boomers team are/were teammates with, or have played against, the players on the US team suggests the US players will have a much greater respect for the Boomers than at any point in their past encounters. That in itself speaks volumes.

There are some real idiots on this thread. Wow.

No reason the boomers based on how they are currently rolling, cant make a genuine contest of it.

Irrespective of the result the fact that more than half the Boomers team are/were teammates with, or have played against, the players on the US team suggests the US players will have a much greater respect for the Boomers than at any point in their past encounters. That in itself speaks volumes.

Remotely on topic: DAJ is an athlete, but not a smart one. I'd be interested to know who out of DAJ and Bogut NBA coaches would pick if both were in their prime and healthy. Steve Adams is very much in favour purely by playing smart D and not disrupting chemistry (like Cousins).

We are the form 'other team' right now which is great

Everyone knows the rest of the world is playing for silver - however, its an awesome achievement to be the team that might make them work for it. Even just a bit

Anon above wants to make useless individual comparisons. Based on that, the USA will always stand out. However, its a team game and we are playing it super well. If they have an off day and everything goes perfectly for us there is a tiny chance. That's the fun part. Stop being such a kiss ass to the USA. We all know how good they are ...

The USA a $1.01 to win it all. Not a lock because anything can happen. Its extremely unlikely but not impossible. Stranger things have happened

Where does Australia need to finish in the group stages to avoid the US until the final? Is it possible?

$1.01 is a lock what are you on about? It's literally the shortest odds possible

Wouldn't even money be a lock ?

Does that even exist? For real, not having a go. I've never seen odds of an even $1 before

If Australia finish 2nd in their group they wont face USA until the gold medal game, should they make it through.

Still going on with the individual comparisons above... yawn.

Disappoints me when people blow hot air up USA backside on this forum. It's unAustralian. Go and have a sausage sandwich with a tin for lunch and get serious. USA doesn't need or want your unconditional loving. They will be happy for it to be a contest ...

There will never be odds of $1, they just suspend betting

If the Boomers can turn this into a competitive game and keep the margin under 20 points, I'll consider that a very impressive effort.

Having said that, anything is possible. For all the US’s brilliance, this is just one 40 minute game, it’s not a 7 game series.

I’m surprised the US opted to go for a line up with only two point men and two genuine bigs. If Cousins or Jordan get into foul trouble or get injured then the Aussies could use this to our advantage. In fact, either Baynes or Bogut will have a huge size advantage right from the tip off so I hope we pound the ball inside to the low post a bit more- along with the pick and rolls, baseline cuts and back cuts that have been working so well.

Delly, Lisch and Patty can scrap and hustle all day on D, with the aim of Irving and Lowry feeling uncomfortable out there. And if our guards can keep making plays like they have the first two games then you just never know. There is something to be said for form and chemistry, and we have both going for us right now.

Think you might be right re even money, probably can't offer that legally if you're tab etc

Irrespective of the result the fact that more than half the Boomers team are/were teammates with, or have played against, the players on the US team suggests the US players will have a much greater respect for the Boomers than at any point in their past encounters. That in itself speaks volumes.

LV? Are you friends/related to LC? or was it a typo? ha

To all the people saying the USA is unbeatable, blah blah blah, take a look at some history. Look at the world championships and Olympics results over the past 20 years. USA has actually been beaten plenty of times.

And when they've won, most of the time it's been fairly competitive in the Gold medal match- eg beating Spain by 7 and 11 in the past two Olympic finals.

The Boomers- over the past two games- have been playing at a level where, if they continue to bring their best form they can hopefully make it somewhat competitive. Throw in a below par game from the US and it's possible. Not likely, but definitely possible....

Not- not related To LC. I've been on this forum for a few years and other bball forums for almost 15! :-)

yes all good LV, just with the letters next to each other on the keyboard I couldn't resist :)

Dare to Dream is the thread, so in spite of some negativity from one poster in particular I will allude everyone to some history lessons in sporting miracles:

Buster Douglas - No one gave him a chance in hell of defeating Tyson, let alone knocking him out.

Miracle on Ice - The USSR Ice Hockey team in the 1980 Olympic games were raging favourites until the USA's college stars defeated them in a medal round.

Leicester City EPL - More recently who would have thought this team would have won the English Premier League, ever?

2004 Euro Cup - Greece of all teams defeat Europe's power teams to win the trophy no one thought they could.

UFC 193 in 2015 - We all saw what Holly Holm's self belief did to Ronda Rousey's over confidence.

2016 Euro Cup Soccer - Iceland's shocking win over England and knocking out France.

Boxing - The first time Ali was fighting as Cassius Clay when he stopped Sonny Liston in seven rounds and in his own words "shocked the world". Liston was a brute and few gave Clay a chance.

Ice Skating - My favourite has to be Steve Bradbury winning gold as all of his opponents crashed in front of him on the home turn.

And there you have it, some facts to ponder as we wait for our next Olympic miracle to happen and many reasons to dare to dream...

I would be happy with anything close to our performance in London against the US. We only really got blown out late in the game.

OMG, how could I forget this one:

1983 AMERICA'S CUP

The challengers just weren’t meant to win this Cup which the US had defended 25 times since its inception in 1851. But skipper John Bertrand and his Australia 11 crew didn’t worry about history as they came back from 1-3 down to win 4-3.

Fun thread :)

But I'm not biting on this foolishness.
Give them a realistic fight in 3 of the 4 quarters and I'm happy.

And realistically, we are very dependent on a few players and this game is a chance to rest them.
Give Goulding a chance to impress some NBA scouts, let Damo loose to put the clamps on USA's backcourt, and give Motum 35 minutes because after sitting so much he must be in need of a good workout.

Miracles happen. Minor miracles happen every day. The Boomers are completely and utterly unlikely to win the game. But out of the teams in the tournament, I think one of the few teams that might cause them some troubles is the Boomers. The game will be a free swing at the best. We've done very well regardless to pretty much guarantee second in our pool. We're right where we want to be.

Argentina's basketball gold in Athens, 2004

The United States had taken home the gold medal in basketball every year since 1988, so it came as a big shock when Argentina beat them in 2004. After winning against the United States, the South American nation went on to play (and beat) Italy, taking home the gold.

Horse Racing:

Man O' War loses only race (19 letters)
The biggest upset in sports history was 100-to-1 underdog Upset beating heavily favored Man O' War in the Sanford Memorial.

Willie Knapp, who rode Upset, the horse whose name has come to mean "to defeat unexpectedly," described his victory best: "We'd passed the quarter pole and were going to the eighth pole, I guess it was, and I heard something right behind me and I knew it was Big Red (Man O' War) coming at me now. I looked back and there he was. Johnny Loftus was riding [him] like a crazy man and he yelled at me, 'Move out, Willie! I'm coming through!' So I yelled back at him, 'Take off! Take off me, bum, or I'll put you through the rail!' Then I set down to riding and we won."

Man O' War had 21 starts in his racing career and he won 20 of them, only being upset once. Thus his defeat in the Sanford Memorial by Upset must be considered the greatest upset of all time.

Rulon Gardner vs. Alexander Karelin (Sydney Olympic Games, 2000)

It must be pretty intimidating to go up against the best wrestler in the history of Greco-Roman wrestling, and a man who hadn't lost a match in 13 years, or even surrendered a point in six years. Additionally, with nicknames such as "Russian Bear," “Russian King Kong” and “The Experiment,” most would be shaking in their boots when set to face the legend that is Alexander Karelin.

This was what American Rulon Gardner was up against when he reached the super-heavyweight gold match in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, making him a massive underdog against the three-time defending Olympic champion. On the biggest international stage, Gardner did what was thought impossible and defeated Karelin for the gold.

He managed to score a point in the second round against the “Russian Bear,” and then was able to hold on for a famous and inspirational win and the gold medal.

"Ice Skating - My favourite has to be Steve Bradbury winning gold as all of his opponents crashed in front of him on the home turn."

^ Let's go with this one.
Team USA cruise ship gets commandeered the evening before the game. Everyone wakes up the next day in the middle of the South Atlantic, and are unable to make it back to Rio in time for the game.
Boomers win by forfeit.

Be serious man...

"The United States had taken home the gold medal in basketball every year since 1988, so it came as a big shock when Argentina beat them in 2004."

It didn't really, the US had already lost to Puerto Rico and Lithuania!!

True that, thanks Paul...

The Puerto Rico game was probably the biggest surprise in the history of basketball though!!

I hope they beat us like they beat China and Venuzuela just to shut some of you idiots up

The turkey needs some help with his issues for sure

Wonder if they would be so negative if Delly was not in the team ??

"I hope they beat us like they beat China and Venuzuela just to shut some of you idiots up


"Why's that? Do you stop to think about what that means about you as a person that you have that reaction?

What is so horrible to comprehend that people in a country might politely and optimistically hope their team only loses by 20-30 points? Baffles me that you spend so many hours on Hoops purely being negative. It's like Chris Nelson has a protege."

That guy you're commenting to is the epitome of a hater - tall poppy syndrome at its shortest. The kind of guy who gets a bit outclassed in the shower room measurements so goes home and makes a voodoo doll wishing death on the more endowed. I can't imagine why he would continue to knock his countrymen as they're playing completely above most people's expectations. I can only think that Delly schooled him in juniors and his fragile ego never recovered.

I think the closest we've ever come to beating a US Dream Team was a 10 point loss I can't remember when that was Beijing maybe?

As long as we play hard and don't get intimidated I would expect a loss under 20 and hopefully less than 10.

They haven't played anyone half decent yet a 57 point win over China and a 43 point win over Venezuela both teams we should even beat by 30 so no reason we can't make a real game of it.

*They beat Venezuela today by 44

"I think the closest we've ever come to beating a US Dream Team was a 10 point loss I can't remember when that was Beijing maybe?

As long as we play hard and don't get intimidated I would expect a loss under 20 and hopefully less than 10.

They haven't played anyone half decent yet a 57 point win over China and a 43 point win over Venezuela both teams we should even beat by 30 so no reason we can't make a real game of it."

Agreed. It was a 10 point loss in Athens after having led most of the game and an 11 point loss in an exhibition game before Beijing.

I hope we beat them like we beat France and Spain just to shut some of you idiots up.

*Serbia

What separates Australia from other countries against the US is that our team strategy and team execution is higher.

While our individual talents are lower, they are much better than years gone by, but our team chemistry and togetherness is much more improved.

Watching these Boomers play, it doesn't look like a bunch of great players brought together to play. It looks more like a well function and cohesive team.

This is our biggest strength, and in intangible that will give us an outside shot.

I hope they go balls out tho. To me a win over the US is more meaningful than winning Gold.

I am so happy right now I don't really care how we go against the US. Just looking forward to the spectacle, even if it is a 40 point blowout.

I don't think it will be mind you, but 20-25 point final margin sounds about right, with us sticking around thereabouts for the first three quarters or so.

Bogut has been so influential in these games. GSW will miss him next year more than they may realise. Too bad he probably won't be around in 2020 with Simmons and Exum strengthening the core of the team.

The Boomers are getting some people to turn their heads at these Olympics. The Ringer for example cautioning Team USA not to take them lightly!

Oh dear....Australia has little or no chance of beating USA but i'm damn sure there is going to be a scrap.

I'm picking Bogut Vs DAJ

Anyone like a bet??

People come to the Aussie Hoops page and are surprised that people are talking up Australia's chances in a game?

I think a few of you went to the wrong place. We're talking about best possible scenarios here. If you don't like it, I am sure there are plenty of American sites where you can gloat over the might of Team USA.

I don't think they will win. I just don't rule out the possibility. No one should have ever beaten the USA in basketball in the entirety of human history but it has happened and one day it will happen again. It most likely will be a 20-30+ point loss, but I don't see the harm about theorizing ways that they might be able to do the almost unthinkable. And if you hate a team just because of their fans yet you insist upon having to rant onto them about it, it is you with the problem.

As satisfying in the short-term that an unlikely win over USA might be, it might actually not help us get a medal, especially the gold that they are aiming for.

I'm starting to think that Lemanis should expand his rotation for this game, to let our most important pieces have a bit more rest. This game is for first place in the group, but without knowing the rankings for the cross-over (which seems fairly evenly matched), it is difficult to see whether there is any advantage in being first in the group over second. The most important aspect is to stay healthy and guarantee a top 2 finish in order to avoid USA until as late as possible in the elimination rounds. That means having enough in the tank to appropriately deal with China and Venezuala to seal top 2, and keeping players like Bogut and Delly fresh for the all-important elimination games.

I'm not saying we should throw this game, but I am saying that perhaps we shouldn't go all out -- and reveal all our cards -- with a short rotation; play Mills, Delly, Bogut, Ingles less than 30 minutes, and give players like Goulding and Lisch a bit more court time.

If USA take a big lead early, then Lemanis may as well play the bench more.

I agree. It depends what the signs are. But for as long as the game is competitive it should be played to win. As for resting, that can be done against Venezuela and China. We're unlikely to need more than 15 minutes from a stars in those games.

As long as the US goes undefeated in pool play, we finish second even if we lose against either Venezuela or China, as we already own the two and three-way tiebreakers against France and Serbia. The only thing I can see that could disrupt that is if China or Venezuela sweep their remaining games (not happening).

I'd like to also see Broekhoff get more court time in this one. He has shot poorly from deep (1/7) in the first two games, so I'd like to see some more plays run for him to hopefully shoot himself back into form. Broekhoff's shooting might be crucial later in this tournament. It will also give him an opportunity to show off to a US audience as he is the most NBA-worthy player on this team that isn't on an NBA roster.

Hard to say what to do in the remaining games. We need to get some rest into the important players but also try to keep the roll we have going.

Our biggest threat is an injury to one our key players, Bogut, Delly or Mills so I am in favour of giving Bogut in particular as much rest as possible but keeping the intensity levels high with the full squad.

I would think we have second wrapped up even if we loose to either Venezuela or China would we not?

Play hard vs USA rest vs China and ven cause they are terrible.

I only wouldn't bother trying to hard to beat the US! Ibeiuld want them coming in undefeated and complacent in the semis onward! I'd go out, and play a balanced rotation, maybe using the full compliment a bit and give some rest to the starters before the last couple games!

Play USA pretty honest until it blows out - if it does - then run the bench. But don't take away a chance to make history if that chance does present itself. Beating the USA has to be a near equal to winning a medal.

You can rest Bogut, Mills and Delly for most of Venezuela and China games without being in much danger of dropping those matches. That should be the plan. Get another 20-25 out of Bogut on Thursday and then drop it to 10 for the last two games just to keep him in some form and fitness.

Anyway, judging by the comments being made by coaches and players, I think winning is going to be their first priority. Or, shall I say, at least putting their best possible effort in.

Reality is it will be a significant margin. Once it gets above 15 with a few minutes to spare, they'll run the benches. Our bench with no minutes so far against their bench of NBA starters....... just saying is all.

"Bet none of you have ever barracked against a footy team just because you don't like their fans. Full of angels this page.:

You are saying "Bet none of you have ever barracked against YOUR OWN footy team just because you don't like their fans."

No, I have never done that and would think you would struggle to find anyone on this forum (besides yourself by the sound of it) who has.

Cant believe anyone would pot someone from expecting their team (or worse country) to be competitive and hoping for a win, irrespective of the opposition. Thats what supporting a team is all about.

We may not beat the US, but Australia has always fought well above its weight range in life and sport, and from what the boomers have shown in the first 2 games, you can bet whoever is on the court will leave it all out on the court and do Australia proud.

Your sick & bitter attitude suggests you are not an Australian anyway or a few of the boomers have shagged your girlfriend.

I will be interested to see who the referees are. For some reason USA has always appeared to have a home town referee for their game with us, and subsequently getting some very suspicious calls their way.

Our biggest strength being our physical play may actually be our downfall this year.

Australia must be the team to have come the closest to USA over the past 8 years.

Think they only lost by 11 in the build-up to the 2008 Olympics.

Can't recall a team losing to the USA by less than that since. Spain lost by 17 in the 2008 Beijing final?

Spain lost by 11 in the 2008 final and seven in 2012. Lithuania lost by five in 2012, while Brazil lost by two in 2010. In major tournaments, we lost by 31 in 2008 and 33 in 2012, so we're not really even on the radar!

Just had a quick look, our best performance against the USA in the past eight years at majors ranks 22nd for getting closest to them.

USA has taken the day off training to go sight seeing...

Clearly they aren't phased by the Boomers