“I suspect we’ll go out there and see how it unfolds, but we might keep our powder dry”.
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The United States’ men were pushed at the Rio Olympics before winning comfortably, while the women were dominant. “If we go out there and we’re intimidated by them, try to get our shoes signed before the game, and a signed jersey, we won’t win with that mindset”.
USA Basketball cruised to another blowout win, while Australia scored another impressive victory in the Day 3 of the 2016 Olympic Basketball men’s competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova combined for 49 points as the Aussie’s improved their record to 2-0 for the tournament.
“I think the belief within our group is something that I don’t know if we’ve ever had before”, Mills said.
Team USA had a slow start but started to pull away in the second period en route to a 113-69 win against Venezuela on Monday night at Carioca Arena 1.
Yet it should be stressed that Longley, like all of Australia’s players, is realistic about the challenge ahead, even after their stirring victories over a top medal contender in France and a Serbian squad that finished second to the United States in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. While they were 4th in Eurobasket a year ago, they crushed the opposition at the Olympic Qualification Tournament to make the field for Rio. “But the guys who write stories about that, predictions and all that, God bless them because it’s a tough job at times. It’s really the only way we have of punching above our weight class”.
Australia believed it had the potential for its best team ever this year, even with No. 1 National Basketball Association draft pick Ben Simmons opting not to play and Dante Exum, Ingles’ teammate with the Utah Jazz, unable to make it back from a torn knee ligament.
Against France it was Bogut who was so often the target for Dellavedova’s alley-oop passes, but on this occasion it was Aron Baynes who was the recipient.
“So they obviously know how to play at this level”, Serbia coach Sasha Djordjevic said.
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It was a game of runs throughout most of the contest with neither team gaining a significant advantage through three-plus quarters; the Aussies held just a two-possession lead with less than two minutes remaining. We know that, and we’ll prepare accordingly. “We’ve been preparing for this for a long time, but we believe we have a team that can do something special”.
