Brazil vs. Australia Basketball: How Loss Affects Australia's Gold Medal Hopes
Despite being heavily favored, the Australian men lost in the preliminary round of group play in the 2012 Summer Olympics to Brazil 75-71 on Sunday morning.
While the victory proves Brazil will be a serious contender to upset a favorite and steal the show, the loss for Australia exposes many flaws for a team expected to be in gold-medal contention.
Starting from the point guard position, the Australians have been so dominant because of the play of San Antonio Spurs star Patty Mills (20 points). While Mills is usually much better and faster than his competition, it was Brazil’s Marcelo Huertas (15 points) who had the better day.
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Despite losing the game, the Australians did show mental strength by not giving up as the loss became immanent; the Aussies played hard from whistle to whistle.
We can’t forget that that the Australian team did not have NBA star Andrew Bogut in the lineup because he is still recovering from ankle surgery. Despite not having the big man down low, the Aussies' depth in the post was their biggest advantage of the day.
The problems came from the perimeter.
The Australians struggled to find any kind of rhythm from the three-point line, and the result was the offense starting to come unglued. With the Aussies trying to force the issue, they weren't making that extra pass that could've opened up more plays down low.
If Australia wants to fight for a gold medal, they must realize that patience is a virtue and that they must find it in a hurry. Once they gain the offensive zone, they must avoid shooting the ball so early in the clock and find the open man.
As solid as Brazil looked, it will be the Australians who will use this game as a better motivational tool and a resource for next time.
Maybe the loss is what they needed to wake them up.
Check back for more on the 2012 Summer Olympics as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Olympics page to get your fill of the best athletes the world has to offer.
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