Australian Boomers locked in group of death for Paris Olympics

Australia’s hopes of emulating their Tokyo Olympic heroics have been dealt a crushing blow with their group locked in for Paris.

The Boomers hopes of getting out of the group stage at the Paris Olympics just got a lot tougher.

After claiming a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, hope had been high the Aussies could emulate or even go a step further this time around.

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On Monday Australa’s group for the upcoming games was locked in after NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo steered Greece to an Olympic berth.

The Milwaukee Bucks star scored 23 points as Greece defeated Croatia 80-69 in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus.

The game was one of four finals to determine the last qualifiers for the Paris men’s basketball tournament.

In Valencia, Spain edged the Bahamas 86-78 to lock in the final spot in Group A which will now consist of Australia, Canada, Greece and Spain.

Canada are stacked with NBA talent, headlined by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and OKC’s MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Two-time MVP winner Antetokounmpo will cause serious headaches for the Boomers while Spain are the second ranked nation in the world.

Giannis led Greece to the Olympics. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

The Boomers drew the group of death. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Group A is as tough as can be for the Boomers, who attracted widespread criticism after naming their 12-man squad for the Games.

In a move nobody saw coming, coach Brian Goorijan elected to leave out world class defender Matisse Thybulle from the team.

Shane Heal, writing exclusively for news.com.au, was left in shock over the decision to go without the man who led the 2022 FIBA World Cup in steals.

“I’m still in shock that Matisse Thybulle was left out of the final team,” Heal wrote.

“It is a decision that I think will be looked back on with regret from the Boomers coaching staff when the Games are finished.”

The Boomers are set to fly to Abu Dhabi on July 10 for a pair of exhibition games. They’ll take on Team USA on July 16 (AEST) before going up against Serbia on July 17.

Following those games they’ll fly to Paris to prepare for their Olympic campaign to officially get underway.

The top two teams in each group will advance along with the two best third-placed teams across the board, which will bring the total to eight nations in the quarter-finals.

BOOMERS’ PARIS OLYMPIC DRAW (Times AEST)

Group A:

Saturday, July 27: vs Spain from 7pm

Tuesday, July 30: vs Canada from 9.30pm

Friday, August 2: vs Greece from 9.30pm

Giannis wasn’t going to be denied. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Before the qualifying tournament started, Antetokounmpo had not played competitively since injuring a calf on April 9 playing for the Bucks.

He returned for the tournament opener in Piraeus on July 2 and, even though he was rested for Greece’s second game, ended up collecting the tournament’s most valuable player award.

Croatia, with 2.16-metre (7-foot-1) Los Angeles Clippers centre Ivica Zubac at the heart of their defence, packed the paint to deny Antetokounmpo.

Croatia led by as many as four points in the first quarter. As Antetokounmpo began to penetrate and Greece went 12-of-32 on three-point attempts, the hosts took control. Antetokounmpo finished as the top scorer and also grabbed eight rebounds to ensure his first Olympic appearance.

“It’s incredible. I don’t think the scenario could have been better. Being in your house, with people that support you. It’s an incredible feeling,” Antetokounmpo said.

Group B consists of Brazil, France, Germany and Japan while the final place in Group C was snapped up by Puerto Rico who upset Lithuania 79-68 in San Juan.

They’ll now go up against the United States, South Sudan and Serbia in Paris.

- with AFP

Originally published as Australian Boomers locked in group of death for Paris Olympics