Australia is in my opinion in the worst group, especially now that Noccioni is out for the Argies, while NZ is in the toughest group.

Boomers form looks great going into this, with Bogut we'd be almost unstoppable on paper.

im gonna be ptimisitic and predict a top 8 finnish!

@Curtley

Australia is in my opinion in the worst group, especially now that Noccioni is out for the Argies, while NZ is in the toughest group.

Boomers form looks great going into this, with Bogut we'd be almost unstoppable on paper.

------------

I agree mate. We got a really easy group. It could almost play against us. If we finish second, we will likely have to play Spain in the quarter finals if we make it. If we finish third, we will probably have to play Greece in the quarter finals. I'd rather Greece than Spain.

In saying that, I think we'll finish second in Group A. Even with Manu and Nocioni missing, I think Argentina will be too good.

I think Australia without Bogut are better than Germany without Dirk and Kaman.

I think it will be close but I'll give Australia a slight edge over Serbia.

I'm going with

1. Argentina (5-0)
2. Australia (4-1)
3. Serbia (3-2)
4. Germany (2-3)
5. Angola (1-4)
6. Jordan (0-5)

I am really looking forward to the WC's and believe Australia has a great chance at finishing top 8.

We could finish as high as 1st in our group if things go our way as anything can happen in a tournament situation. But realistically I think we are battling for 2nd and 3rd place. Argentina and Serbia are the two strongest teams in our group, with australia and Germany next in line.

There is no doubt that Jordan will go winless as they have struggled big time in the lead in.

Here is how I predict our group will finish if form holds true:

1. Argentina
2. Serbia
3. Australia
4. Germany
5. Angola
6. Jordan

In any case, I'm still hoping for the Aussies to top their group and give themselves every shot at reaching the medal round.

Go Boomers!

Percentage likelihood of Australia finishing in the following positions in the group stage:

1st: 5%
2nd: 25%
3rd: 40%
4th: 25%
5th: 4.99999%
6th: 0.00001%

I think we will go third.

Krstic only suspecended for 3 games...he will play versus Australia. Check out the Serbia vs Greece Brawl thread.

Does anyone know when the first game is on and what channel? I am in Singapore on holidays but will hopefully catch it at sports bar.

Boomers to finish 2nd in pool!!

@bball fan

Boomers 1st game is vs Jordan on Saturday 28th Aug at 11.30pm AEST. Foxsports has the coverage in Australia but isn't showing this game until Sunday 29th Aug at 8am on replay.

The FIBA website has a list of offical broadcasters but there doesn't seem to be one for Singapore.

Maybe try watching online if you have acecss... FIBA TV has live streaming but you have to purchase a pass to watch (should be 9.30pm Singapore time I think!).

Hope this helps.

I can't help thinking everyone is being a little optimistic. So I won't be. I have been burnt too many times by the Boomers in the past. Like the time we lost to Canada at the 2000 Olympics, or the loss whilst in the unloseable position to Greece at the WC's in Japan, or our recent series loss to NZ. Or, while we are on the subject, our loss to the USA at the 1990 WC's in Argentina, a game described as Australia's best chance to have beaten the US...ever,

" 4 August, 1990
Quarter-Final Round 2: Boomers vs.United States of America
Final score: U.S.A. 79-Boomers 78
This was the game that got away. For 36 minutes, the Boomers had the U.S. team on toast. Two of the U.S.' stars, Billy Owens and Kenny Anderson had been forced off through injury. Luc Longley, who had been carpeted for his poor form in the tournament to date, came off the bench and 'left the crowd gasping’ with his best performance in an Australian jersey. His 15 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and six blocks put the Boomers in an apparently winning position. With four minutes remaining to play, the Boomers led by 10 and a first-ever victory against the United States looked assured.

Then Larry Sengstock, the team’s ‘most steadying influence’, fouled out of the game. The following four minutes saw the Boomers choke on a chicken’s thigh bone. A series of bizarre turn-overs and missed shots allowed the United States to roar back into the contest. The nightmare was ended when an in-bound pass was stolen by Lee Mayberry, who made the ensuing lay-up with under a minute to play to steal the victory. Adrian Hurley, not usually prone to emotional outbursts, was seen to kick a chair in frustration as time expired. Damian Keogh, who went scoreless in the game, said that ‘For me, it was the worst loss I’ve suffered in 18 years of playing basketball.’ Hurley spoke for the Australian basketball community when he said ‘It’s not a matter of losing to the U.S. by one point...It was the way we lost. Australian basketball had worked for many years just for that moment and we had the game by the throat...to lose the game leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.’ He also said that he felt bitterer about this game than the disastrous loss to Angola at the previous World Championships in 1986."


or the loss in the Goodwill Games Gold Medal match to the US in New York in 1998:

http://www.goodwillgames.com/html/past_1998frame.html

There have been some great results also, beating a very good Croatia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, winning the Stankovic Cup, and the 1st Diamond Ball tournament....but I digress.

Australia's form leading up to this years incarnation of the World Championships has been patchy...yet full of courage. We squeaked past China, France and Brazil...possibly our best results on paper, destroyed a reprehensible Argentine selection, split games with an equally patchy Slovenia...and won a thoroughly worrying game against Iran (I watched this game, it was awful). It is our offence....seems to be full of turnovers, poor shot selection and finishing, and virtually no offensive rebounding. So it is our offence that makes me think every game will be a chore, both to watch and to win.

By the way NZ lost to Jordan in a warm up game, I wouldn't completely discount them. I believe Australia will come either 3rd or 4th in the group and probably 10th overall...seriously hope I'm wrong though. I just get the feeling that with Mills running the show our offence will continue to be inefficient and stuttering....our defence will be good though.

Great work there Adam. Many geat points, and even though I tipped Australia to come eighth in my preview on the tourny site, it is with no real confidence.

We should beat Germany and come third in the group, but that wont be easy. That will see us face Brazil or Croatia (or maybe Slovenia but they are not in great form) in the Eight Finals.

Winnable certainly, but our turnovers and poor decision making will cost us at important moments, this team was not quite ready for Bruton to retire.

Top 8 would be sensational though given how many good teams there are.

CJ in Beijing

Assists - 18
Turnovers - 4

Ass:TO - 4.5:1

Mills, with all his fine attributes, cannot even dream of figures like that. Not yet...

Adam: Some interesting points. A really good read. Im being totally lazy and going from memory, its Friday night, and Ive had a few, but here goes.

2000 vs Canadia :)
From memory, we went in thinking we should get this one comfortably, and a certain Steve Nash cut us a new one? In retrospect, not that big a suprise. I certainly thought it was a given at the time though.

Id add our luck with injuries to our key bigs at bad times of tournies. Longley when it counted in 2000. Boget when it counted at the last Olympics.

Worst loss for me was against Lithuania at an Olympics in the medal round? Bradtke vs Sabonis. It wasnt due to it being a bad loss....infact the opposite. The guys were that close.

I digress. Aussies to finish 9th....Id be happy to go injury free and get that little bit of luck we never seem to get when it counts to progress further.

This has become The WC of who isnt playing. So many big names missing from so many countries.....a shame really.

Anyone know anmy good (safe places to get hold of streams). No, i am not a cheapskate... The geniuses at FIBA sold the exclusive rights to broadcast the WCs in Japan (where i am) to a pack of amateurs by the name of J-Sports (a cable channel) - who are only showing the team USA-concerned matches from the prelims (I could care less). So, since said geniuses have exclusive rights to broadcast (but decide to only show select few matches) i am effectively left to scrounge for any streams i can find (was more than happy to pay money for the honor - [subscription is region-locked in Japan] online but FIBA dropped the ball)...

Thanks FIBA!

who gives a rats arse about the past....really,

1..for the first time for years the boomers look un-complicated and hungry.

2..coach brown has them playing for their lives

3..roll the dice and leave it all on the court....the boomers are ready to over achieve!!!

I hope so Skull, I just worry about the turnovers. It's great to play aggressive, it is the way I think Australia should play, but the good teams will kill you if you turn the ball over.

the defense is fantastic however, offensively looks like we have to really eek every point out. no one has really hit there straps offemsively yet, i dont know whether that wil come or not, if some of our players start getting into form, we could be a very dangerous, unsuspecting team that could figure in the top 8 and put the world on notice foir the nehxt olympics. i think they need to free Neley/Ingles/barlow up to make plays for themselves.

Thanks Chewie, Paul. I have been passionate about the Boomers for longer than I care to remember (almost collapsed when we lost to Greece in 2006). I think there is a great deal of talent on this team, I think Newley is a very good player, reminds me a little of a poor mans Ginobili, I think Mills is incredible off the dribble and getting to the rack. The bigs are a solid dependable bunch, with Neilson being Australias Pero Cameron. I think it is a very 'solid' well balanced team that should stay close in most matches, but I get the impression we will have to overachieve against Serbia, Argentina, and possibly Germany in order to win those games, rather than simply play to our potential. I'm not sure what the popular opinion on this site is but I'm undecided about Joe Ingles, can be sloppy with the ball, and a poor finisher at times. Still, should be fun...I truly believe we will know the direction of this team as early as the first game against Jordan, if we toy with them like we did against Cote d'ivoire then it's game on, but if we struggle to put them away like we did against Iran at the Stankovic Cup then the 'end of the world is nigh'.

Oh one more thing Chewie I remember that it was Nash who handed it back to us on a plate in 2000. I also remember the following year after Nash was drafted fairly high into the NBA a couple of Aussies mentioned in an interview that they (can't remember who they were) were sceptical believing that Gaze and Heal were as good as him and therefore should have been taken more seriously by the NBA.

Adam - Nash was drafted in 96 and was stuck behind KJ and Kidd as a rookie.

Look forward to seeing Nitro play a key role. "Get him up here....."

Lets see how good coach Brown is....

I think Brown has to do something quite impressive to justify the change in coach. Goorjian's team was strong defensively and started to get their offense rolling. Goorj was getting a lot out of our wings, including both Newley and Barlow.

Compared to Beijing, we are without veterans Bruton and Anstey and without our marquee player, Bogut. In their place, we have Maric emerge (with limited preparations) and two years worth of experience. We may be 9-1 so far this year, but we haven't been tested against any of the strongest teams yet. We haven't played any top tier team yet (USA, Spain, Greece, Argentina's 1st team, Lithuania, Serbia, etc.), so it's hard to come to any conclusions about our ability to topple any of those teams, particularly when our offense is so obviously spluttering against lesser opposition.

Hopefully our D will keep us in the game and our perimeter shooting will be good throughout (as it was in our most impressive victories so far, especially the first game against Slovenia in the Stankovic tournament).

It's interesting to see more of the 2003 gold medal winning Emus team, led by Bogut, making their way into the team. Now we've got Martin, Newley, Markovic and Maric all from that team. Matt Knight next? Bruce the Trahair of that team?

Brazil ranked 14
Slovenia ranked 20

The teams rjd listed comprise FIBA's top 6.

INGLES is the starting 2/3 and will get more minutes than NEWLEY. do the math.

Newley is far better than Ingles - look at their club form, and look at Joe's turnovers. I prefer Brad as a defender too.

Joe is probably more important to this particular team though because our point guards arent playmakers, so Joe's creativity from the 2 or 3 is vital. If Joe proves me wrong and has a big tournament (please do mate!) that will go a long way to helping the Boomers make top 8.

If he is inconsistent as he has been his whole career, and prone to lapses, we are going to struggle to put enough points on the board.

On another note, Worthington needs to stop trying to do too much. I dont think he is as good a player as he was in 2008 (he certainly isnt in as good a shape), and he was great then just rebounding, defending and shooting open shots when they came. That's what we need from him again.

Only a few hours to go - very exciting.

KAB - Thanks for that. I checked out the FIBA website and the quality is pretty good. Gotta pay a little but hopefully it's worth it.