BA now tweeting 08:00 AEST, which matches the Rio official site. I reckon that's the one.

(Can a mod please delete my incorrect post above)

I know I am being 'Captain Obvious' here, but it is a danger game, the thing is so was the Lithuania QF and we toasted them.

This Boomers team, as I have posted before, has something previous teams have lacked and it is our confidence that is giving us the capability to play at our best.

We go into this SF game and play the way we have been, agree, we should be looking at gold/silver play off.

We somehow do what the Opals did and play below par and it would be such a huge opportunity missed that I don't even want to think about it...

Lemonass is a quality coach in these situations and the team has a great resolve, as well as better depth than a lot of us (myself included) thought they would have at this level.

Martin and Lisch have both been solid, and Goulding showed he has the offensive game to be a threat if needed (hopefully not!). Does anyone know what Bairstow's situation is at the moment? Motum is definitely our weakest link, and keeping him off the floor for as much of the game as possible is important for us.

I can't see the Boomers having the type of shocker that the Opals had. Serbia didn't look convincing in the game against Croatia, and scraped through by the skin of their teeth. I doubt Teodosic will have another game as bad as this one, but they don't appear to go deep enough to beat the Boomers over 40 minutes.

There is no comparison between the Opals and Boomers. There are reasons we can lose this, sure, but we've got a group here that is well-drilled, very well coached, and consistently playing an elite standard of basketball.

Agree, we play at our best and it matters little what the Serbs do...

Apparently Bairstow is officially ruled out for the rest of the Olympics, read in an article earlier I can't be bothered finding anymore.

I'm predicting a foul heavy slug fest with the officials having a big influence on the outcome.

I think the officials need to be forgotten about, hopefully we are focused on scoring and defending and they have no say in the game whatsoever.

That said, they will probably have a significant moment or three during the game as they always do, I just hope it doesn't influence the result, especially near the end of the game if it is close.

Hoping for a big lead going into the final quarter!

Everyone is in fine form and healthy / rested (apart from Bairstow).. Aus by 10+

"Can't see us beating Serbia twice in the same tournament"

People couldn't see us beating France. They couldn't see us beating Serbia. They couldn't see us getting within 30 of the USA. They couldn't see us beating (let alone SMASHING) Lithuania.

Nothing that I have seen from today's Serbia game strikes fear in my heart. I don't think they have answers to us inside, and I don't think their guards have the footspeed to get infront of our guards.

Serbia, indeed, could beat us. But after the way we've been playing I'd have us as clear favorites right now.

Serbia will make adjustments and so should we. Bogut got killed early by Raduljica in their first meeting. Might have to try Baynes on him for a little while.

If we can slow Teodosic and Bogdanovic that will get us a long way.

They have plenty of weapons though!

Well that's a fair point but both teams will make adjustments. Australia will come into the game still relatively well rested and Serbia will be on the back of the battle with Croatia and the rest of their games where they haven't had the luxury of resting key players too much. Bookies have Australia as favorites, and it is a danger game, but so do I. I think we will get them by 10 points in a game that may be a bit messier than our last.

Early market
AUS $1.53
SRB $2.37

Early market on the gold medal game (* bets voided if this combination is not the one that competes in this game)
AUS $10.00
USA $1.04

Damn, I would take that $10:00 right now if I could...

^ You can. That's a real market. Your money will be refunded if Aus & USA aren't the 2 teams that make it through.

USA $1.05
Spain $8.00
in the other semi final btw.

I kinda think a few bucks on Spain at those odds isn't the worst idea in the world.....

Hmmm... Just put $10 @ $9.00 on Boomers to win the Gold, then looked up what bets I had outstanding and realised I already backed them a month ago. At $26.00.

GO BOOMERS!

:)

D martin tagging Serbs point guard is what i would like to see

Teodosic is a gun.

Obviously anything can happen in a sudden death final.

But why wouldn't our guys be confident?
Maybe this Boomers team really is this good?

Amusing article about the attitude of Australians in the NBA from The Wall Street Journal:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/rio-2016-australian-basketball-gets-more-australian-1471388161?mod=e2tw

"The Spurs benefited from Patty Mills tearing around on offense faster than almost anyone in the league. The Warriors had Andrew Bogut setting the vicious screens that were necessary for open 3-pointers. The Cavaliers were at their best with Matthew Dellavedova acting as the NBA's foremost pest. Their play and personalities have shown it’s no coincidence that the best rosters, coaching staffs and front offices have at least some Australians.

But what if there were a basketball team made up of only Australians? It turns out there is one: the Australian basketball team."

No one has mentioned that Spain blew away France in the quarters as well. We better beat Serbia because if not, we are facing the a very difficult team (whoever it is) for a bronze medal.

We are that good. I've covered a lot of international tournaments now and the only other teams I've seen function this well as a team are Argentina and New Zealand, but of course the Tall Blacks have never had the depth of talent this Boomers team has.

Serbia will be very tough, they were in the group game until the final stages, but this Aussie team is playing elite basketball at both ends. A bad shooting night or a really good night from Teodosic and Bogdanovic could do us in, but it won't be for lack of effort or execution.

It's been a joy to watch, and I just hope they've got two more nights of brilliance in them, because if we play to our best we are a legitimate gold chance. I never thought I'd be saying that about this team!

100%. With the money being invested in the NBL, the level of TV coverage and the level of talent, a great finish for the Boomers could make a perfect storm for getting people into watching hoops. Fingers crossed.

Agreed Paul.

While I have always held out hope of a gold, it is only now that I truly believe we have a realistic chance.

International basketball is tough and uncompromising. One bad night or one good night by the opposition can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Speaking with Aleks Maric and Chris Anstey yesterday, they both believe basketball is about to reach a 'perfect storm' and have the opportunity to potentially capture the imagination of Australian's - much in the same way that soccer did when the Socceroos made a run on the World Stage.

Exciting times both now, but for the next decade or more for Aussie Hoops.

But Paul, you said the Lithuania game was evenly matched, because after all they have a bunch of international super stars with 200 Eurobasket medals!

Now that this Aussie team has (at least) 12 top 4 Olympic finishes, it's great to see that you finally believe in them.

Anon #596092 - https://www.google.com/search?as_q=newley&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=m&as_sitesearch=hoops.com.au&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=

That'll do it for you and you're welcome.

Go the Boomers. I really want to see them challenge USA in the gold medal game.

LV, one day you'll get off google and actually watch some basketball. Spain v France was evenly matched, Australia v Slovenia in 2010 was evenly matched, sometimes good teams give other good teams a lesson.

That's what's so special about what this Boomers team is doing, the performance is superior to the sum of their parts, as they showed in the USA game.

It may surprise you to know this Paul but I watched all of the quarter finals yesterday, and I've watched a stack of games in this tournament not involving the Boomers.

If you read my posts fairly, you will notice I'm not some parochial Aussie, I actually said myself that the odds for the game were about where they deserved to be and an accurate reflection of each teams chances (Boomers were slight favourites at around $1.61 to about $2.30 ish I think, at the time I made that comment).

Totally agree that the Boomers are achieving something that's greater than the sum of their parts right now- it is great to watch! If they continue as they have in this tourny so far, they will beat Serbia and then give the USA another close match- and would be a legitimate chance of beating them. Even yesterday, USA was not super impressive- Argentina missed a LOT of open threes, and Argentina were outmuscled and over powered. That was a poor matchup for them. The Aussies are a better match up for the USA.

ie: of course, I agree that the Lithuania match was (fairly) evenly matched. I was just taking the piss out of you. (If that wasn't obvious by my reference to 200 Medals). Lighten up.

Actually- I'd say Spain are a good chance of beating USA too. It's not a foregone conclusion that we would face USA in the final.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves- Serbia is the task at hand. Offensively the Boomers just need to keep on keeping on with all the screens, unselfish mindset, back cuts, Patty letting it rain from outside.

Defensively Serbia runs so many players, it's like they have a 20 man roster, but having said that- they have three main guys and if we contain them, we've got this: Teosodic who motors their whole offense- give him the Kalneitis treatment! Raduljica who is a powerhouse big man, and Bogdanovic who plays off the wing and can drop those bombs from outside.

Absolutely, this thing is wide open. Australia and Serbia have already chased the US to the line and Spain certainly won't be afraid of them.

With the exception of some one-sided QF results, this has been easily my favourite international tournament. So many good teams and the added bonus of the Aussies being one of the best.

Serbia worry me the most. I think they're very good defensively and play with composure on offensive. I was certainly hoping for Croatia. In saying that, it is what it is, and there are no easy games either way. Go Boomers !

Apparently Pau Gasol is in doubt for the SF with a calf strain. I assume he will play, but if he is limited I don't think Spain don't have the frontcourt depth to cover.

This next game is such a great opportunity for us. Serbia are going to be very difficult but if you can't win these games you probably don't deserve to Medal.

I think anything from here will be a shot in the arm for Australian Basketball and the National League especially with a few guys in the team who are in the NBL and making a valuable contribution. That connection is important for it to translate.

I know you have spoken to Aleks Maric and Chris Anstey LC and I think everyone in the basketball community is enthused by the achievement of the Boomers. It would be great to hear from people who have only a passing interest in basketball and the effect the coverage of has had on them. Are they more interested now? How many players can you name now and how many could you name before the Olympics? Do you know the players from this team who play in the NBL? Would you be more likely to attend a game? etc.

The big question is does this mean more funding for basketball from the Government. Basketball has been the poor relation to soccer for years. Does this make a difference to politicians making decisions on where the money goes?

I bloody hope so!!!!

I'm not sure how much it will help funding as the Boomers and Opals have pretty much traded places!

Good point but I think the coverage that the Boomers have already received and again tomorrow morning has far exceeded anything the Opals have been able to attract before. Obviously with the 3 channels this year this has enabled full games to be shown, one or two at a decent time, with multiple replays.

Ratings may play an important role. There is also the fact that there has been very little else to cheer for, from an Aus perspective, at these Olympic games.

Sorry, I was just thinking of government funding, but certainly from a private sector perspective this could give a real boost.

Boomers success so far, has raised the profile of basketball as a sport in Australia and added credibility to Australis top basketballers as being world class. Unforetunately the success of the Opals over the previous games hasn't had that effect. I seriously doubt Basketball Australia will be able to capitalise on the success although the will no doubt be trying to get more government funding I doubt that that will translate into anything significant.
What most of us are hoping is that the NBL itself ( and the WNBL for that matter) will be seen as more credible by the private sector and that these organisation might eb able to attract significan private sponsorship to strengthen these flagships of the sport in our country.

I'm predicting Croatia and Australia to challenge as contenders to U.S. for 2020.

Pretty sure U.S. will send a better team next time round without the threat of Zika and the promise of better facilities like toilet bum cleaning sprayers and anything else the Japanese will invent in between now and then.

Aleks Maric, the last man cut for Rio 2016 who was the Boomers' insurance policy in case Bogut did not get up in time, gives some insights into the mindset of the side ahead of their semifinal clash with Serbia.

"Honestly, it was like being part of a pack of wolves," outlined Maric. The desire and the hunger within the group is insatiable."

Full Interview: Aleks Maric: On Boomers gold and becoming a King

If we make gold medal game i couldnt see why sponsors wouldnt be jumping on the NBL, The buzz in public is crazy people love the Boomers!

Maybe even more important is the media exposure and promotion the game can get from success at Olympic level.

Basketball needs the exposure and with the NBL season approaching this is a huge opportunity for Aussie basketball.

The Australia v USA game was the most streamed sports event in Australian history and it got more than a million views on channel seven. It is fair to say that basketball is as popular as it has ever been in this country and a medal would blow the floodgates wide open.

The ball is in the NBL's court now. If Australia does medal it would be wise to promote players as Boomers as well as being a Brisbane Bullet or part of Melbourne United. They could really leverage off of this, and lets hope they do.

The Boomers are a single win from history and two wins away from infamy. The glory days are right now, people.

Imagine if Boomers makes Gold medal game 7 sign on for NBL season

Yeah, there has been some great buzz generated by the Boomers' success. It has already gone a level about just the basketball fans and is truly mainstream when it comes to awareness factor.

This game is the one, though.
Everyone has now heard that this team is doing damage, and now, this game, we've got one on a non-work day that everyone can tune into live.
The audience for this game will be massive. A win here will have the whole country talking about basketball.

Yes, can smell the new glory days baking away and almost ready to feast on..

So much to look forward to in the new season already, I'd expect it to get better each year..

It will definitely be interesting to see the viewing numbers for tomorrow's game in comparison to the USA vs AUS game.

There is a massive following for the NBA in Australia that doesn't usually show up as interest in the NBL/Australian Basketball.

A huge viewing audience tomorrow will possibly demonstrate an interest beyond watching the "dream team".

To put this in perspective you would have to put it up against how many would watch a hockey game if Australia were playing for gold and we are not able to do that this year. i.e. If anywhere near the same number of people were watching such a hockey final as the basketball it would mean nothing other than Aussie fans were hoping for a medal and don't really care what sport it is in.

^ Ha! Oh I suppose being born here means nothing. Australia sucks heaps. I guess that accounts for how we beat Serbia by 15 and the bookies have us picked to do it again tomorrow.

Sit down Serbian twat, you're drunk.

I hope we don't get into the usual Euro slow physical stuff with cheap and often cynical fouls to stop momentum.
While I think we can handle it mentally, I can still see frustration as the only thing which will stop us winning.

Hook, line....