Boomers coach Brian Goorjian accuses stars of playing ‘hero ball’ – as Australia qualify for Olympic quarter-finals despite shock defeat to Greece
- Australia was defeated by Greece 77-71 in the group stage match
- Other results allowed them to avoid an early departure in Paris
- The Boomers’ quarterfinal opponent has yet to be determined
Furious Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has accused his failing team of “playing heroes” after Australia were lucky not to be sent off the Olympics following a shock defeat to Greece.
Goorjian hated the Boomers’ first half, and he was very candid when recalling the 77-71 defeat in Lille.
“There was a lot of heroic play, a lot of hanging heads and poor defending,” he fumed.
“That led to us not being able to play the defense that we know we can play. I thought we did a better job in the second half.
“We have young point guards in their first Olympics. Guys that are 20, 21, and I don’t know if they’ve ever played in a game of this magnitude.
‘But in the second half it was mainly a matter of teamwork, talking, perseverance and possession. And that is what we need to move forward.’
Australian basketball legend Andrew Bogut agreed with Goorjian’s scathing assessment, stressing that the Boomers were lucky not to be on the next plane out of Paris.
They needed Canada’s help and they got it with a three-point win over Spain in Group A.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has accused his team of playing ‘hero ball’ after Australia were lucky not to be sent off the Olympics following a shock defeat to Greece
Australia started slowly and although they improved in the second half, they were fortunate to progress to the quarter-finals after a six-point defeat (pictured left, Boomers star Patty Mills)
“In the first half we were kind of sleepwalking around, thinking that we could just tick the box against Greece… and you can’t do that against any team at the Olympics,” Bogut said in The Podcast by Gold Standard.
It was a story of two halves. We [also] can’t afford to be so inconsistent.
I think that is the [Boomers] problem for a while now: it can look good sometimes and very bad other times.
‘To be consistently good in these tournaments [like the Olympics]You have to flatten it out a little bit.’
Heading into the game, the Boomers knew full well that they had to keep Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in check on the court.
The Milwaukee Bucks power forward was dominant throughout and finished with 20 points to his name.
Australia’s next opponent has not yet been announced as the remaining group matches are yet to be completed.