Aussie Boomers Get Chance Of A Life Time Against USA

Andrew Bogut has slam dunked his critics by leading the Boomers on a three game win streak. Next up, TEAM USA.

While Boomers Coach Brian Goorjian will fill newspaper columns with comparisons of this matchup to the likes of Hoosiers, Rocky and the Miracle on Ice, I think the Aussies can just flat out beat the US come Wednesday.

Sure they have to play a hell of a game, but they have the tools to create some problems for the "Redeem Team".

First at the point guard spot CJ Bruton and Jason Kidd match up well. Both like to play bum ball if pressure is applied in the backcourt but neither will trouble the other with this. But if the USA decide to put Kobe Bryant on Bruton this may disrupt the Boomers offensive flow.

When the USA sub at this position (Chris Paul or Deron Williams) and try to take the tempo up a level, Australia can counter with its own superjet in Pat Mills.

Mills showed in the pre Olympic matchup that he can blow by CP3 at any time.

It is important that Mills plays within himself and does not let the occasion get to him as he could be the difference maker in this game. His speed will be crucial to create easy baskets against this team.

At the shooting guard spot Brad Newley has improved greatly as the tournament has progressed. Another good performance against the Americans might just see the Houston Rockets take a closer look at their 2007 second round pick.

Newley will feel confident going against Bryant as he handled himself well in their warm up game. It is key that Newley drains is open looks from the perimeter as he has shown he too can get to the "rack" on anyone. If his perimeter game is "on" he becomes a tough cover.

Is Newley the guy to tame the "Black Mamba"?

The small forward match up between David Barlow and LeBron James is something I have no feel for right now. LeBron has been in everything for the USA, but Barlow is a guy that can come out of nowhere and put together a stellar performance.

If Barlow can get some open looks early LeBron will have to respect his game. This will take away from what he does best, hawking the lanes and blocking shots from the weak side. I would love to know how many easy buckets LeBron has created for his team through his defense.

Matt Neilsen and Carmelo Anthony is a great matchup as Neilsen has the speed and size to match Melo, whether it is down low or on the perimeter. I also feel Neilsen will be confident going at Anthony at the offensive end causing some problems for Melo on "D".

The centre position is the one that could become the difference maker in this game. Andrew Bogut has been playing fantastic for his country during these Games, but early foul trouble is what we do not want to see.

The same goes for the USA and Dwight Howard. No doubting Chris Bosh has been great but Coach K would prefer Howard to bang with Bogut for as long as possible.

If one of these guys have to leave the game early due to foul trouble, it could spell trouble as size and strength become an issue for both teams at the centre position.

The benches will have an impact in this game. Dwayne Wade looks to be moving like he was while winning a championship with Miami Heat a few years ago, so his presences needs to be addressed once he is one the floor.

Australia hasn't had a wing come off the bench and have the consistent impact Wade has had, but the Aussies only need someone to step up with a career game on this one night.

I like the "bigs" rotation for the Boomers. David Andersen comes in and gives the Aussies a low post scorer. Melo does not want to be "bangin" in the post all night. While Chris Anstey can cause problems by spreading the floor with his perimeter game and allowing the guards to slash to the basket.

There is no doubting that the USA team has the superior talent from top to bottom but this is a one off game so the Australian team needs to only put it together for 40 minutes.

If the Aussie starters can get the team off to a flier it is "game on" and some self doubt might start to creep into the Americans game. Remember they have not really been tested at the Olympics as they have jumped out on teams early and maintained a handy buffer the rest of the way.

On the other hand, if the Americans continue with their fast starts, it will become a long night and a disappointing way to end their (Australia) Olympic campaign.

If the Green and Gold handle the pressure defense of the Red, White and Blue, I can see an upset for the ages in the making.

I think I'm going to go and watch Hoosiers, just to get me ready.

Side Note: I believe Patrick Mills' St Mary's College coach will be in the stands watching. Randy Bennett better sit on his hands while watching his second year point guard go to work on his native USA. I would hate for his family to go LeRoy Kaman on him when he returns home.

The Australian Opals take on the Czech Republic tomorrow in their quarter final matchup. The game is at 6.45pm AEST.

While on the women, check out this good read I come across via bleacherreport. It talks about the possibility of this USA basketball star named Candice Parker becoming the next female sports icon.

Ever wondered what happened to former NBL basketballer Neil Mottram (far left). He hangs out at the Heineken House and does interviews from Beijing. Check out D.C. Sports Bog to find out what him and his mates are teaching those Americans at the Olympics.

Other News

Former Sydney King BJ Carter has turned into a "tuff guy".

Adelaide 36ers new import Mark Tyndale to practice with the Miami Heat.

Dragons beat the Wildcats in a preseason clash.

The Spirit get by the Hawks.

If you missed some of the Boomers action during the Olympics, click here and catch highlights from all games.

You Tube can make anyone look good. Jason Eversteyn's highlights.

Olympic Men's Hoops Preview, Opals Win and More

AK47 has no answer to some Bogey Man treatment.

Iran vs Croatia (11am AEST)

Iran(0-3) was a surprise to make it this far so they are happy that only five games interrupt their two week party in Beijing.

Although they have a long way to go to be a force on the world stage, Iran has a player by the name of Hamed Ehadadi that will make his way onto many NBA scouts notes, eventually.

As for Croatia(2-2) they will want to finish pool play off strong. They have lost their last two games after getting out of the blocks fast.

The extent of Marko Popovic's injury could determine how far this team goes. He sat out the last game.

Winning this game will see them finish third in Group A. The reward for this is a matchup with Spain to make it to the Final Four.

Australia vs Lithuania (1.15pm AEST)

Australia (2-2) have hit form at the right time of the tournament. They need to keep the momentum going against the undefeated Litho's (4-0).

The Aussies form has turned 180 degrees since the Beijing Games tipped off. Coming of a great win over Russia, the Boomers need a victory here if they wish to sneak into the third seed position.

A loss in this game will see them remain in fourth which means a quarter final match up against the "Seppos" (USA).

Lithuania on the other hand has been steady as she goes. They have been rock solid throughout the tournament so far. Behind the solid play of Sarunas Jasikevicius and Linas Kleiza they should find themselves go through group play undefeated.

Finishing first in Group A will see them more than likely play China in a quarter final matchup. A scary game for Lithuania if you ask me. Simply be having Yao in the middle in a one off game spells trouble on the wrong night for any opposition.

Greece vs China (4.30pm AEST)

Could be the game of the day. Before the Olympic Games started I would of said Greece (2-2) in a canter but China (2-2) has some good momentum at present and Yao is improving with his health.

Having watched Greece over the past few games, something is just missing from what they had in 2006 at the World Championships.

I still think Greece will win this game due to their superior depth in the guards but they better contain Yao early. If this doesn't happen they will be forced to trap and scramble on defense which will allow the Chinese shooters to have an impact on the game.

In saying this, it will be China's guards that become its downfall. The Greek guards pride themselves on defense so they will disrupt and make life though for Liu Wei.

A Greece win will see them face Argentina in the quarter finals.

Angola vs Spain (18.45pm AEST)

Angola's (0-4) free flowing style will see them win zero games at this Olympics. Once considered a danger team at world competitions, I think all teams respect their play now, so there is no sneaking up on anyone anymore..

They just do not have the depth or size to play teams when they cannot catch them off guard.

Spain (3-1) will be looking to put this one to bed early so the can get to the quarter finals with players healthy and in rhythm. I'm sure they are already looking for a rematch with the USA team in the Final Four.

USA vs Germany (10.00pm AEST)

A disappointing tournament for the Germans (1-3) but it just goes to show how losing your point guard before the Games can really hurt your team.

Although loaded up front with NBAers Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman they struggled to play consistent ball through the tournament. Losing to China was the final nail in the coffin for this team.

Does this just add to the stigma of Dirk not being able to lead his team to glory?

Meanwhile the USA has slowly been building throughout the tournament. After good wins against Greece and Spain, Coach K will be hoping his troops do not take a step backwards against Germany.

The USA will get a quarter final match up against Australia. I'm looking forward to a little Chris Paul/Pat Mills action in this game. Mills blew by Paul several times in a Pre Olympic game.

Argentina vs Russia (12.15am Tuesday AEST)

Argentina (3-1) have had only the one hiccup. That being against Lithuania. A star studded team lead by San Antonio Spur Manu Ginobili, I'm sure they are not that unhappy that they will end up meeting the USA in the final, if both teams keep winning.

Finishing second in Group A will see them not crossing over with the USA until the Gold Medal game. A promoters dream. "Redeem Team" vs the current Olympic champions.

That is actually how I see it panning out.

Russia have been disappointing. Winning the European Championship last year no one would have thought this would be one of the four teams to not advance after group play.

It just goes to show how close and fickle the competition can be at an Olympic Games. Loss at the wrong time and you are done.

My prediction for how this tournament will end is: Gold - USA, Silver - Argentina, Bronze - Spain.

We will see if I'm on the money in a week.

Other News

Brad Newley: "Aussie heart - that's what it was. We really fought" - courtesy of Fiba.com

"When you are 20 (actually 16) points down and suddenly look up there and you see your dream slipping away, something clicks in,” Australian Opal Lauren Jackson said. - courtesy of Fiba.com boxscore vs russia

"A guy that can make plays and can handle the ball -- that takes a lot of pressure off me handling the ball a whole lot," Mo Williams said. "I'm more than comfortable playing off the ball. That's one of my strengths, and I really get to use that strength now." - courtesy of espn.com

Sounds like Mo Williams is trying to say all the right things right now. There is no doubting that Williams is an upgrade from what the Cavs have previously had at the point guard spot. However I will be watching to see how he and LeBron co-exist as they are both used to handling the ball a lot.

Mo may be good "off the ball" but his strength is with the ball. If they can get along together the Cavs might want to add a spot up shooter as they pursue a championship. I happen to know a guy that would fit this role well.

Chicago Bull Ben Gordon believes he has played his last game in his Bulls uniform.

Mike Finley to stay with the San Antonio Spurs.

While Gonzaga's senior point guard Jermey Pargo returned to Spokane to enhance his NBA stock, his brother (Jannero) on the other hand has decided to flea to Europe. Read here to see how 3500000 reasons made his decision easy.

Check out this blog, The Painted Area. It has some good bites and pieces from hoops at the Olympics.

I just put this Channing Frye footage here to keep A Stern Warning happy.

I received an e-mail asking me to post this link. Please go and sign up (no matter where you live) as the basketball community in Australia desperately needs and wants free to air TV. I need J.E. Skeets and his Ball Don't Lie team to flex their muscle to the masses so free to air TV Down Under can once again become a reality.

The Courier Mail's Bernie Pramberg talks with former Brisbane Bullet Andre Moore. Good to see that "Andre the Giant" is helping the kids have fun.

Anthony Stewart and his Hobart Chargers are champs. Is this the same guy that could not help us win a game while he was in Crocs colours?

LeBron interview pre Olympics with Time Magazine

Question Of The Day

"Goorj, we found our games, they are that way."

Text messages, e-mails and general conversation centred around one thing today, "What is wrong with the Boomers, JR?"

There is no doubting the Australian Boomers (0-2) are struggling to find any type of team cohesion right now, but their Olympic campaign is not over yet. Lets allow the next three games to play out before we pass judgement on their performance at Beijing.

Cast your mind back to the Sydney Games of 2000 . The Boomers got out of the blocks very slow during that tournament but managed to win the games that were necessary to win to advance to the medal rounds. They ended up playing in the bronze medal game.

Fast forward to 2008 and the same situation has been presented. The Boomers have looked down right dreadful during their first two games (Croatia and Argentina) but they will see there next game against Iran as a momentum builder. Iran are considered to be the easy beats of this pool so if the Boomers are to get on track, they need to win this one.

Confidence is a wonderful thing and it is only one game away. If they get past Iran, Russia is the next hurdle. Russia is 1-1 at the time of this blog so the game against Australia will be key to advancing for both teams.

That game right there might be the grand final for both teams as far as advancing to the next round.

Australia finishes pool play with Lithuania (2-0). Not exactly a team you want to be playing in a must win situation. Depending on the results of the other games played, it might just come down to that.

How will the Boomers be able to turn their fortunes around?

Start to get some production out of our big men. The quartet of Andrew Bogut, Matt Nielsen, David Andersen and Chris Anstey were suppose to be one of the team's strengths. None of these guys have been heavily involved in anything. Sure they have themselves to blame to some degree, but has anyone created and easy dunk or layup to get something happening for these guys? No!

Self pride will have to kick in you would think. The body language of many of the players is not positive. When times are tough you just need to go out there and let it "fly". What you have been doing previously has not been working so change your approach to the game.

Ball moment has been non existent and this had made all players look bad and the offense anemic. Besides Pat Mills, no player has found an offensive groove so it is imperative that the five on the court work together to create some easy opportunities for each other so team confidence can be found.

Last night against Argentina it looked like each player was trying to take it upon themselves to make it happen. It is a team sport so you need to have faith and use your teammates.

I will harp on it again, 9 assists last night. That is showing you how much team work is happening at the offensive end.

Although the Boomers have been disappointing to date, the final chapter in this story is still to come. Lets hold out judgement until the Olympic Games are over and the Boomers final result is known.

Side Note: Speaking from my own Olympic experience, I hope the players are taking in some of the other Olympic events. It is an amazing feeling when you watch a fellow countryman do something special and it takes your mind off of your own performance.

What Everyone Is Saying About The Boomers

Just In: Australain Opals continue to roll towards Olympic gold with defeat of Korea. boxscore

Boomers bounced by Argentina - Sydney Morning Herald

Boomers Stick with Losing Formula - livenews.com.au

Boomers Go Bust - sportal.com.au

Mills provides a spark for Australia - insidebayarea.com

Odds and Ends with Pat Mills - Slam Online

Fans left unhappy by Seven's coverage - Herald Sun

Bogut's Boomers a Bust - The Salt Lake Tribune

Mills plans three-flag party - smh.com.au

"He's going to be great" - Manu Ginobili on Pat Mills - insidebayarea.com

Who's Hot - Spanish 17 yo PG Ricky Rubio vs Russia

Day 2 From Olympic Men's Basketball - Aussies Slip To 0-2

This is the "Redeem Team" and not the Dream Team. There are spare seats everywhere. Are we at the Kingdome?

Men's basketball from the Olympic Games has been happening all day and the picture is getting a little clearer as to who will advance to the medal rounds. Sure it is early days, but teams that have secured 2-0 records can book their ticket to the next round, while the hole is getting a little too deep if you have fallen to 0-2.

Here is a look back at what happened.

Argentina 85 defeated Australia 68

The Boomers never troubled the South Americans and Luis Scola (17pts) continued to dine out on the Green and Gold defense and Manu Ginobili (21pts, 7ass) toyed with the Aussie defense as he penetrated and dished to his wide open teammates as well as knocking down key baskets.

As for the Aussies, they look lost and not assertive at all on offense. Patrick Mills (22pts) is being aggressive but when your point guard is dominating the shot total, this is not a good sign for team play.

The team had a total of nine assists on 29 made field goals for the game. This does not reflect to well on team basketball.

Meanwhile the oppositions in their two games against the Boomers have averaged 18.5 assists and have nailed a total of 23 three's. Most of these shots are wide open and have been created through good ball movement and the extra pass.

Brad Newley (although stat efficient) who is one of the few guys that can create his own shot is running around without any purpose to his movement. He needs to somehow find a way to become more involved at the offensive end. After all, he is there to score.

The big man rotations are not working out. This area is suppose to be the team's strength but there is no cohesion here. Andrew Bogut, Matt Nielsen, David Andersen and Chris Anstey have had not found any rhythm as a combination. They need to find it quickly and I hope this is achieved in the next game against Iran.

Is it time to panic for the Aussies. No, but we need to beat Iran in the next game or the players might as well get an Olympic schedule and start preparing what events they would like to see while in Beijing. (I highly recommend athletics, hockey, tennis.....)

If the team gets off to a slow start Coach Brian Goorjian is going to have to roll the dice on his rotations. Time is ticking and there are no "W's" in the most important column.

boxscore

Lithuania 99 defeated Iran 67

Lithuania (2-0) had to rise and shine (9am tipoff) to play Iran (0-2) today after having an emotional four point win over Argentina less than 48 hours ago.

They were up to the task and thanks to the stellar play from Euro great, Sarunas Jasikevicius, the Lithunanians cruised in the second half to an easy win.

Jasikevicius finished the game with 20 points but it was his 15 first half points that set the Eastern Euros up nicely.

I must say I thought this Lithuanian team was not as strong as their past few Olympic teams but I have been proved wrong so far.

I should not have underestimated the great PG play at this level by Jasikevicius. There is no doubting he could not find his feet in the NBA but I can tell you first hand, this guy can control and win games at the international level.

I first came across Sarunas in 1995 when I was a member of the Gonzaga Bulldogs first NCAA appearance. We played the Maryland Terrapins and Jasikevicius was a member of this team. He has not looked back from those days.

Since that day I have competed against this guy too many times for my liking at the international level. He is one of those players that has the ability to control and win a game by himself. He is that good. He is truly a European great.

Back to the game. Denver Nugget Linas Kleiza lead the Baltic team with 22, while Hamed Ehadadi once again led the Iran team with 21.

A side note on Ehahadi: I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we will see Hamed and his soft touch in some NBA camp come October.

boxscore

Croatia 85 defeated Russia 78

This game was about too much Zoran Planinic and the continued red hot three point shooting from the Croatians (2-0).

Planinic a NBA cast off played an efficient game today. Shooting 7/9 on his way to 20 points helped his team control the game from start to finish.

Croatia killed the Australian team the other night from deep (12-16 3's) and that story continued against the Russians. 8-15 was the damage today.

Marco Popovic led Croatia with 22.

Russia (1-1) was led by Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko who had team highs in points (18) and rebounds (6).

It doesn't get an easier for these teams as Russia plays Lithuania next and Croatia gets the defending gold medallists, Argentina.

boxscore

Greece 87 defeated Germany 64

This game was about a team of champions playing a champion team.

Germany's NBA pair of Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman could not match the team play of Greece.

Nowitzki and Kaman combined for 17 points on 4/11 shooting and 8 rebounds. I'm sure Greece would have taken that before the game.

On the other hand, Greece had 9 players trouble the scoreboard with one time NBAer Vassilis Spanoulis leading the scoring with 23.

It was the Greeks team defense that allowed them to get the easy win. They crowded and made it hard for Kaman to operate down low and double team Dirk at every opportunity.

In the end they restricted the German's to 36% from the field.

Side note: German great Detlef Schrempf has added pressure by saying a medal is needed now.

Germany plays Spain next, while Greece will play the USA.

boxscore

Spain 85 defeated China 75 (OT)

The game of the day. Spain had to fight back from being 14 points down in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

Spain's electric backup backcourt of Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio (17yo) ignited the Spanish fight back.

Fernandez who will play for the Portland Trailblazers this NBA season ended the game with a near triple double, 21pts, 8 ass, 9 rebs.

Rubio scored 1 point but it was his defense that sparked Spain into action. His game high 5 steals and 4 assists is what allowed them back into the game.

Knotted at 72's after regulation, Spain outscored the host nation 13-3 in the extra period.

LA Laker Pau Gasol lead Spain with 29pts and 8 rebs, while Houston Rocket Yao Ming had 11 pts and 9 rebs before fouling out.

Yi Jianlian still struggles through the Olympics. Playing 38 minutes the New Jersey Net produced 4 pts (2/4) and 9 rebs. i'm confident in saying they would be looking for a little more offensive punch from him.

Liu Wei led China with 19 points.

boxscore

USA 97 defeated Angola 76

The USA (2-0) "redeem team" played another solid and well rounded game against Angola (2-0).

Dwayne Wade continued his hot shooting (6/8) on the way to leading the Americans with 19 points. wade is leading the team in scoring @ 19 a game but the remarkable stat is he is shooting 87% from the field.

Meanwhile the Angolians played without their best player, Olimpio Cipriano, who will miss the rest of the Olympics due to a shoulder injury.

25 turnovers was the killer for the African champions and the USA converted many of these into easy fastbreak points.

The USA is now done with the easy part of their schedule. They now finish the remainder of pool play with Greece, Germany and Spain.

Angola takes on the host nation, China, next.

boxscore

GAME TIME: The Australian Opals play tomorrow night against Korea. Tipoff is 10pm Down Under time.

Blog of Note

Check out A Stern Warning. This Aussie blogger covers everything that I don't, so there is a lot to check out.

NBL News

Adelaide 36ers sign their second import, Temple grad Mark Tyndale.
Sydney Spirit hold onto nickname.
Taipans rookie Kerry Williams shines in first appearance.
Sydney Spirit down Purdue Boilermakers again. boxscore
Aaron Grabau continues to fight off injury.
Wade Helliwell to remain in Italy.

Andrew Bogut talking Olympic Hoops

Boomers Disappointing...Day 1 of Men's Olympic Basketball

All eyes are on Aussie Andrew Bogut, but is he carrying an ankle injury still?

The Australian Boomers kicked off their Olympic campaign tonight against Croatia, and it was nothing but disappointing. Croatia ran out winners 97-82.

From start to finish the Europeans led. They won every quarter except the last, but the horse had bolted so they could afford to cruise to a first up win.
It was the hot three point shooting (12/16) that saw the Croatian team continue to built momentum throughout the game.

The "blink and you miss it" coverage from ch7 showed great ball movement from the Croatians that created wide open shots, while the Aussies struggled to generate any offense what so ever.

Not much else you can say about the game than it was a good old fashion butt kicking.

There is no time to dwell on this performance because Argentina is waiting for the Boomers next. They suffered a defeat at the hands of Lithuania today, so they will come out ready to get their medal chances back on track.

Whichever team slips to 0-2 after this game is going to find it hard to advance to the quarter final round.

boxscore recap Boomers a Bust Bogut's Boomers

Notes From the Game:

- Is Andrew Bogut's ankle anywhere close to 100%? I'm guessing no.

- Playing the USA team in a warm up game, followed by the Opening Ceremony, were the guys mentally done by the time tipoff for this one come around? The players would have expended a lot of mental energy for both these events. It is hard to be on that level three consecutive times.

- Croatia's biggest lead was 29.

- Coach Brian Goorjian is finding it hard to get enough minutes for both Matt Nielsen and David Andersen.

Lithuania's Linas Kleiza nailed a three with 2.1sec remaining to sink Argentina.

Today kicked off the start of Men's Basketball at the Beijing Games. Already there has been an upset of sorts with Lithuania sneaking past Argentina. Below are all the results to date.

Russia 71 defeated Iran 49 boxscore recap

Germany 95 defeated Angola 66 boxscore recap

Spain 81 defeated Greece 66 boxscore recap

Lithuania 79 defeated Argentina 75 boxscore recap



Other News

Sydney Spirit announce import signing.

Gaze on Sabonis.

Cairns defeat Perth.

Rogers goes under the knife.

Jawai's little helper.

NBA prospects at the Olympics.

NAsh Challenge Building Momentum & Beijing Hoops

All systems go for Men's Basketball.

While the world was talking about and celebrating the start of the Beijing Olympics, I had my own party as I celebrated my rookie appearance on Yahoo.com's - Ball Don't Lie.

I think the correct way of saying this is a huge hat tip to JE Skeets and his The 10-Man Rotation article.

Makes me start thinking of creating my own movement, Rod Benson style.

While I'm tipping my hat, I must include A Stern Warning. He is teaching me and looking out for me in this dangerous world of blogging. He pumps up my tyres via Ball Hype as well. Thanks.

I don't wish to keep harping on it but the free throw challenge started by Steve Nash is gaining momentum.

US hoop mag, Dime, has jumped on board as well.

World Hoops Blog is all over the contest as well. Cheers knackers.

Unbelievable what knocking down free throws can do!

Lets move on, shall we.

Today saw the women hit the hardwood (all scores here) at the Olympic Games and tomorrow will bring the first day of the men.

I take a look at all six games that will take place tomorrow.

Russia vs Iran (9am China)

Russia has slid under the radar leading into these Games. They won the European Championship last year but everyone seems to have forgotten this when they discuss medal possibilities.

This is a great warm up game for Russia.

Flag bearing Russian Andrei Kirilenko and Co will have too much for Iran's 7'2 Hamed Ehadadi and his teammates.

If there is heavy smog the Russians may break a sweat.

Germany vs Angola (11.15am China)

Germany's NBA pair of Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Chris Kaman (Clippers) should control the boards which will limit Angola's scoring opportunities.

If the Germans start out sloppy, look for Angola's trio of Olimpio Cipriano, Joaquim Gomez and Eduardo Mingas to cause some problems.

I'm predicting Angola to upset someone at these Games. If Germany takes them lightly, they could be the first victim.

In the end the Germans will be too big, too strong for the African Champs.

Spain vs Greece (2.30pm China)

Game of the round. Both teams would be thinking they will be around the mark when the medals are being decided. Neither team will want to start their Olympic campaign with a loss.

Spain is star studded with NBAers Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and NBA castoffs Juan-Carlos "Nissan" Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa. Also they have talented youth on the roster (Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez) to give them depth.

Greece on the otherhand rely on great team play to get them the "W".

Sure Antonis Fotsis and Vassilis Spanoulis can light it up in a heart beat but it is the unselfish play of Dimitris Diamantidis and Theo Papaloukas that sets the tone for this team.

Greek centre Ionnis Bouroussis needs to stay out of foul trouble against the Gasols. Bouroussis is a player that can have an effect on the game at both the offensive and defensive ends, but foul trouble will hinder his ability to have an impact on the game.

In the end I feel the Spaniards have too much firepower for the Greek's sticky team defense.

Lithuania vs Argentina (4.45pm China)

If the previous game is not the game of the day, then this one is.

Lithuania is not as talented as they have been over the previous three Olympics, but while Saunas Jasikevkius is controlling the point guard position, the Lithos will be in any game.

Argentina on the other hand have all their studs in uniform. Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Luis Scola, Andreas Nocioni and Carlos Delfino are one hand but I feel the pressure to perform is on Pablo Prigioni.

The point guard spot has usually been controlled by Pepe Sanchez but he is no longer with the team. Sanchez was a great PG at the international level. He had the ability to control a game without scoring a point.

Now it is Prigioni's turn. They are the defending gold medallists so he needs to perform well if the South Americans are to repeat Athens effort.

Argentina to win this game because of their superior depth everywhere.

Australia vs Croatia (8.00pm China)

This could be the game that sees the winner advance through to the quarter final round.

The Boomers (Aussies) have been building nicely during their warm up games and look ready for a strong Olympic campaign.

Over the past month these two teams have met three times. Croatia won two games while Australia managed a solo win.

Should we read into these results? I don't think so. The health of Andrew Bogut's ankle should be more of an issue.

If Bogut is healthy we have a strong front line to compete with anyone, let alone Croatia.

I'll say it again though, CJ Bruton needs to control the situation for the Boomers to be at their best.

Croatia is another team that is not as strong as they once were but they still have enough to scare most.

NBAer Roko Ukic (Raptors) and former Net Zoran Planinic are talented enough to cause Aussie coach Brian Goorjian some headaches.

If the Boomers are to make some noise in Beijing they need to win this game.

Aussies to win for me.

USA vs China (10.15pm)

This game is going to be filled with emotion. For the host nation China, they have sat around all day waiting for their game to arrive.

Yao and Co have an expectation to live up to in their homeland. There is some pressure there for them to succeed. Don't forget, Dell Harris got this team to the quarter final in Athens. They are at home now.

The USA or should I say "redeem team" have made it know they are in Beijing to get back what they feel they deserve. The gold medal. They want to get the first game out of the way.

Yao will pose some problems for the USA as the red, blue and white lack size inside.

The trouble for the Chinese is point guard Liu Wei will struggle against the USA's pressure defense which will limit Yao's impact on this game.

I'll be keeping an eye on newly acquired New Jersey Net Yi Jianlian to see if him and the coach are getting along a little better than during their warm up games.

USA to win this very easily. Will China be able to bounce back though?

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Quote of the Day

"At the 1996 worlds, I got into it with Alonzo Mourning and Shawn Kemp, and I told them: 'If either of you want to fight me, one of you will never walk again." Words from former Australian Olympian Andrew Vlahov, courtesy of ESPN.

Group A Olympic team breakdown by ESPN's Chris Sheridan and here's Group B.

Five flag bearers are basketballers.

Carlos Boozer to Europe? Andrew Bogut is a Aussie at heart!

Boomers press conference before first game. (video footage)

Croatian game is all about credibility for Boomers.

Patrick Mills gets a wrap from NBA players.

Aussie players get mentioned in ESPN's Chad Ford article.

Josh Smith re-signed by the Hawks. He was a Grizz for a minute.

Kobe to test global market.

LeBron to test Europe waters as well.

Click here to see Pat Mills and Joe Ingles during the Opening Ceremony.