Australia managed to contain Luka Doncic, but it was his lesser-known Slovenian teammates who delivered the decisive blow to a shaky World Cup basketball campaign.
A 91-80 defeat in Japan on Saturday night was fatal to the Boomers’ chances of winning the first gold in Manila later this month.
A costly first round defeat to Germany meant the Olympic bronze medalists entered the second stage with a 2-1 record, needing wins over both Slovenia and then Georgia on Sunday to progress to the quarter-finals.
Holding back Dallas Mavericks All-Star Doncic was the obvious key.
And when he made his third foul, a technical foul for throwing the ball out after a whistle early in the second quarter, the door was wide open.
The Australian defenders, including Matisse Thybulle (left), managed to contain Luka Doncic, but the Boomers’ offense sputtered
Josh Giddey (center) was a big addition to the Boomers team that was hailed as the best of all time, but that didn’t stop the Aussies from falling in the group stage of the World Cup
Doncic sat still for more than six minutes in that quarter, but got another error a few minutes after the break.
The 23-year-old played on and the Boomers resisted the urge to review a tight offense on Patty Mills that, if reversed, would have spelled the end of Doncic’s evening.
Australia’s offense never really clicked, but behind Josh Giddey (25 points, eight rebounds) they came within four points at the final break.
The first score of the last quarter saw it become a two-point game before a 15–2 run sealed Australia’s fate.
Former NBA No. 1 draft pick, championship winner and Australian Boomers icon Andrew Bogut said the inability to capitalize on Doncic’s gross trouble was the nail in the coffin for the Aussies.
“Boomers had to take advantage of Luka’s three fouls and bring the game closer at halftime,” he said.
“Boomer’s attack is really one-on-one that heavy. Need to get some easy looks, especially in early 1/4’s.
The defense was bad. No rim protection with shift groups and (Slovene star Mike) Toby puts in way too much.’
Coach Brian Goorjian was critical of his team resorting to “individual” offense and missing crucial rebounds.
And while they managed to hold Doncic to twenty points and force six goals, they couldn’t hold back his teammates.
Mike Tobey (18 points, 12 rebounds) fired at 80 percent, as six players scored at least nine points as Slovenia overturned the result of the 2021 Olympic bronze medal game.
“The game plan to get the ball out of Luka’s hand… was really effective,” said Goorjian.
“The key to tonight was all the other players.
‘You roll the dice, are we good enough?
“That was the gamble.”
Former Boomer and NBA champion Andrew Bogut gave the Aussies a beating for their performance against Slovenia
Veteran Patty Mills made the scoreboard tick but it wasn’t enough as Slovenia punished the Boomers in the last quarter
Doncic was happy to have a doubles team, the whimsical talent assisting in a smooth first quarter they won by 10 to set the tone.
“I don’t think it was (occasionally), it was every possession, two (Australian) guys kept me every possession,” he said.
“I’m really proud of how we played, all together.
“We shared the ball, it was great to see.”
Australia will still play against Georgia on Sunday, but the road ends there. The Boomers denied a chance to improve on their fourth-place finish at the World Cup in China four years ago.
“We knew it was a must-win,” Giddey said.
“This slow start against good teams… we’re trying to get out of a gap that felt like it was getting deeper and deeper.”
Coach Brian Goorjian was the toast of Australian basketball after the Tokyo Olympics, but may now struggle to keep his job
Australian basketball fans were stunned by the loss after the Boomers were expected to continue deep into the tournament
The Aussies will need to regroup quickly with the Paris Olympics just around the corner and another chance to secure a medal
Disappointed fans took to social media to attack the Boomers.
“We must commit to Paris. Commit to the future. It’s time to move on and focus on the new generation of Boomers. Let’s not make the same mistake by being on both sides. And if that also applies to the coach, then it also applies to the coach’, said someone.
The most disappointing performance at a major tournament since the #boomers tanked in the 2014 #FIBAWC. Australian basketball took a big step backwards tonight. Shame,” another posted.
“I can’t remember seeing a more pathetic shooting attempt from an Australian team. You have to put it in the round thing with the net attached. Defending was even worse and rebounding was almost non-existent. Shameful,” added another.