Basketball Boomers

[brod]

Australia into the Diamond Cup final after beating African Champions Angola 81-78

On a buzzer beating 3 pointer

[Thiele]

Australia Lost the final 95-91

[brod]

Lost final warm up game to USA (Bogut didnt play) 87-76

[brod]

GROUP B

Angola
Olimpio CIPRIANO (F,6'4") Primero De Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Joaquim GOMES (F, 6'8") Primero De Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Eduardo MINGAS (F, 6'7") Primero De Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Carlos ALMEIDA (G, 6'4") Primero De Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Felizardo AMBROSIO (F, 6'7") Primero De Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Milton BARROS (G, 6'0") Petro Athletico Luanda (ANG)
Abdel aziz BOUKAR
Armando COSTA (G, 6'3") Primero de Agosto Luanda (ANG)
Luis COSTA (G, 6'4") Petro Athletico Luanda (ANG)
António Agostinho GERÓNIMO Inter Clube (ANG)
Carlos MORAIS (G, 6'3") Petro Athletico Luanda (ANG)
Leonel PAULO (F, 6'6") Petro Atletico Luanda (ANG)

Angola warmed up for the Olympics by winning all three games in the Borislav Stankovic Cup in China, beating Russia B (89-70), China (72-70) and Serbia U-20 (68-60). Angola also compteted in the Diamond Cup, going down to the Boomers (78-81)

China
Qingpeng ZHANG (G, 6'3") Liaoning Hunters, CBA (CHN)
Wei LIU (G, 6'3") Shanghai Sharks, CBA (CHN)
Fangyu ZHU (F, 6'7") Guangdong (CHN)
Nan LI (F, 6'6") Bayi Army, CBA (CHN)
Jianlian YI (F/C, 6'11") New Jersey Nets, NBA (USA)
Ming YAO (C, 7'5") Houston Rockets, NBA (USA)
Feng DU (F, 6'8") Guangdong (CHN)
Zhizhi WANG (C, 7'0" Bayi Army, CBA (CHN)
Jianghua CHEN (G, 6'1") Guangdong Southern Tigers, CBA (CHN)
Yue SUN (G, 6'9") Beijing Aoshen Olympian, ABA (USA)
Lei WANG (F, 6'6") Bayi Army, CBA (CHN)
Shipeng WANG (F, 6'6") Guangdong (CHN)

China competed in the Borislav Stankovoc Cup in China last month, defeating Russia B (72-50), Serbia U20, but lost to Angola (70-72). Yao Ming was rested from this competition.

Germany
Robert GARRETT (G, 6'4") BROSE BASKETS BAMBERG (GER)
Pascal ROLLER (G, 5'11") Frankfurt Skyliners (GER)
Sven SCHULTZE (F, 6'10") Amatori Snaidero Udine (ITA)
Demond GREENE (G, 6'1") BROSE BASKETS BAMBERG (GER)
Patrick FEMERLING (C, 7'1") ALBA BERLIN BASKETBALLTEAM EV (GER)
Dirk NOWITZKI (F, 7'0") Dallas Mavericks, NBA (USA)
Steffen HAMANN (G, 6'1") BROSE BASKETS BAMBERG (GER)
Jan-Hendrik JAGLA (C, 6'11") DKV JOVENTUT BADALONA (ESP)
Chris KAMAN (C, 7'0") Los Angeles Clippers, NBA (USA)
Tim OHLBRECHT (F, 6'11") Bros Baskets Bamberg (GER)
Konrad WYSOCKI (F, 6'8") Ratiopharm Ulm (GER)
Philip ZWIENER (F, 6'7") ALBA Berlin (GER)

Since winning qualification for the Olympic Games only last month, Germany have played only one warm up match, defeating Finland (78-67), with NBA star Kaman (13) and Nowitzki (11) leading the scoring.

Greece
Dimitris DIAMANTIDIS (G, 6'6") PANATHINAIKOS BSA ATHENS (GRE)
Theo PAPALOUKAS (G, 6'7") CSKA MOSCOW (RUS)
Nikos ZISIS (G, 6'6") CSKA MOSCOW (RUS)
Antonis FOTSIS (F, 6'10") DYNAMO MOSCOW (RUS)
Vassilis SPANOULIS (G, 6'4") PANATHINAIKOS BSA ATHENS (GRE)
Ioannis BOUROUSSIS (C, 6'11") OLYMPIAKOS BC PIRAEUS (GRE)
Andreas GLINIADAKIS (C, 7'1") MAROUSSI COSTA COFFEE (GRE)
Michalis PELEKANOS (G, 6'6") REAL MADRID (ESP)
Giorgos PRINTEZIS (F, 6'9") Olympiakos (GRE)
Sofoklis SCHORTSIANITIS (C, 6'9") OLYMPIAKOS BC PIRAEUS (GRE)
Kostas TSARTSARIS (C, 6'10") PANATHINAIKOS BSA ATHENS (GRE)
Panagiotis VASSILOPOULOS (F, 6'8") OLYMPIAKOS BC PIRAEUS (GRE)

Greece had to wait to defeat Puerto Rico (88-63) in the Olympic Qualifiying Tournament to claim the final place in the Olympics. Prior to the tournament the Greeks had defeated the Australians easily (89-69) in Greece.

Spain
Pau GASOL (F, 7'1") Los Angeles Lakers, NBA (USA)
Rudy FERNANDEZ (G, 6'5") DKV Joventut Badalona, ACB (ESP)
Juan-Carlos NAVARRO (G, 6'3") FC Barcelona Bàsquet (ESP)
José-Manuel CALDERON (G, 6'3") Toronto Raptors, NBA (USA)
Felipe REYES (F, 6'8") Real Madrid, ACB (ESP)
Carlos JIMENEZ (F, 6'9") Unicaja Malaga (ESP)
Jorge GARBAJOSA (F, 6'9") Toronto Raptors, NBA (USA)
Víctor CLAVER (F, 6'9") Pamesa Valencia (ESP)
Marc GASOL (C, 7'0") Akasvayu Girona (ESP)
Alex MUMBRU (F, 6'8") Real Madrid (ESP)
Berni RODRIGUEZ (G, 6'6") Unicaja Malaga (ESP)
Ricard RUBIO (G, 6'3") DKV Joventut Badalona (ESP)
Victor SADA (G, 6'4") Akasvayu Girona (ESP)
Juanjo TRIGUERO (C, 6'10") Polaris World CB Murcia (ESP)

Spain warmed up for the Olympics by competeing and dominating the Torneo de Ourense, defeating gold medal hope Argentina twice, as well as fellow Olympic sides, Lithuania and Russia

USA
Dwyane WADE (G, 6'4") Miami Heat, NBA (USA)
Carlos BOOZER (F, 6'9") Utah Jazz, NBA (USA)
Carmelo ANTHONY (F, 6'8") Denver Nuggets, NBA (USA)
Lebron JAMES (F, 6'8") Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA (USA)
Chris BOSH (F/C, 6'10") Toronto Raptors, NBA (USA)
Kobe BRYANT (G, 6'6") Los Angeles Lakers, NBA (USA)
Dwight HOWARD (C, 6'11") Orlando Magic, NBA (USA)
Jason KIDD (G, 6'4") Dallas Mavericks, NBA (USA)
Chris PAUL (G, 6'0") New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets, NBA (USA)
Tayshaun PRINCE (F, 6'9") Detroit Pistons, NBA (USA)
Michael REDD (G, 6'6") Milwaukee Bucks, NBA (USA)
Deron WILLIAMS (G, 6'3") Utah Jazz, NBA (USA)

The USA (Redeem Team) have played a number of warm up games in China since arriving, defeating Turkey (114-82) with James and Anthony combining for 37 points (13-15 shooting), Russia (89-68) and Australia (87-76)

[brod]

From nba.com

This is not the way the U.S. Men's Senior National Team wanted to end their pre-Olympic exhibition schedule.
It was their worst performance of the five games leading to Beijing. It was a win, but it was far from convincing, as Australia, playing without their best player, gave them multiple scares before falling 87-76 at Qizhong Arena Tuesday night.

The Bucks' Andrew Bogut was sidelined with a right ankle strain, so Australia kept the floor spread in his absence. They moved well without the ball to keep the aggressive U.S. defense on its heels at times, making runs in every quarter to never let the U.S. open the game up like it had against its previous four opponents.

http://www.nba.com/usabasketball2008/au ... 80805.html

[brod]

5 basketballers will carry the flag of their nation in the Opening Ceremony
- Yao Ming (China)
- Manu Ginobili (Argentina)
- Andre Kirilenko (Russia)
- Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
- Sarunas Jasikevicius (Latvia)

[brod]

A break down of the Boomers roster from greenbandwagon.com (a Boston Celtics fan forum)

David Andersen - Forward/Center: A former teammate of Marko Jaric and Manu Ginobili in Italy, Andersen recently entered his prime and is well regarded as a big man in the Euroleague. At this point he's moved on to Russia. It's important to note that throughout his time in Italy and the Oceania Championships (2005, 2007) Andersen has also done plenty of winning. Still there is only one star on this team.

Chris Anstey - Center: Throughout the research for these previews I've noticed that website rarely want to say anything bad about a player. In Anstey's case he receives a good deal of positive buzz for his time in the NBA. To be fair his numbers were nothing to be ashamed of in limited time. On top of that Anstey played well in Russia and Spain for stretches as well. Still he was traded with some cash for Kelvin "The Ultimate Project" Cato. Let's just not pretend that he took the NBA by storm.

C.J. Bruton - Guard: He was born in Kansas, lost his NCAA eligibility playing pro in Australia, attended Indian Hills Community College, was drafted by the Grizzlies, traded to the TrailBlazers, and went on to an illustrious career as a point guard down under. Though his height may have hurt his cause at times Bruton is an emotional guy that played in the '04 Olympics.

Joe Ingles - Guard: Ingles attracted the attention of NBA scouts with his athleticism, basketball IQ, fundamentals, and outside shooting (solid to international range). At the same time he is small, frame wise, for the NBA and even at 6-8 will be a wing throughout his career. It will be interesting to see if he's worth the late 1st/early 2nd round pick that he has been projected as. He is very much a work in progress and is a name to keep in mind for the future.

Patrick Mills - Guard: He had a solid, under the radar freshman season for St. Mary's College in California and made some noise debuting with the Boomers at such a young age, which was notable for both his play and indigenous background. DraftExpress raves about his shooting touch, scoring ability, and comfort running the point. Though not particularly large or overly athletic Mills has an excellent wingspan and is known for his toughness. Much like Ingles he could have a bright future but has a lot of development ahead of him.

Brad Newley - Guard: In 2007 the Houston Rockets took a flier on Newley late in the second round. Though he's known as an excellent scorer and slasher in the NBL it will be nice to see him play against some stronger competition in Beijing. He's a part of this clip, which has the dual purpose of showing Newley's athleticism and simultaneously reminding everyone that the NBL may be a scoring league, but it is not an elite league.

Matthew Nielsen - Forward: He has played professionally for 12 seasons and chose to blog about the most recent one, which took place in the Euroleague. In addition Nielsen was on the '04 squad in Athens and has been involved with the Boomers in some capacity since 1998. With Andersen, Anstey, and Bogut he is part of the deepest front line in Australian history.

Shawn Redhage - Forward: He was born in Nebraska, was the Nebraska Player of the Year in 1999, attended Arizona State where Eddie House nicknamed him Charlie Hustle, caught on playing basketball in Australia, and eventually became a naturalized citizen down under. Almost every one of his profiles mentioned his 3.61 GPA and 76 blocks (9th in school history) at ASU. Still it's been hard to get a read on his actual game.

Glen Saville - Guard/Forward: At 32 Saville is another one of the Olympic veterans on the roster and also someone with a great deal of professional experience. Though he has toured with the Boomers Saville has never played professionally outside of Australia. Back home his strength, quickness, and size lead to a lot of different defensive assignments. Australia will need that versatility in Beijing.

Mark Worthington - Forward: He also attended Metropolitan State College (Denver) before kicking off a professional career and later a Men's National Team career back home in Australia. This Australian forum makes him out to be a cheap shot artist and also shows that it is not just American comments sections that degenerate quickly at times. Although to be fair Worthington was eventually cited for throwing an elbow. And interestingly enough the recipient of that elbow is current Boomers teammate Redhage.

David Barlow - Guard/Forward: He spent a few years in the States playing for Metropolitan State College in Denver. Outside of that Barlow spent the bulk of his basketball career in the homeland. Turns out this profile is a goldmine. Barlow tore his ACL in each knee (separate incidents), holds a few shooting records in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL), played in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, is superstitious, appreciates Jay-Z, and is not afraid of bland answers to questions.

Andrew Bogut - Center: Unlike the majority of the players on this list Bogut is a household name. He's a talented big man that passes well, recently got a new deal, and flirts with the double-double. Realistically a NBA team can't feel good about him being the franchise player. I like Bogut, you like Bogut, but he definitely has a ceiling. Ironically Michael Redd is not that guy either. Still I admire Bogut. He had the guts to say this, rolled with the negative feedback, and, as Chris Kaman recently learned, will probably enjoy more camaraderie in the international game than he did stateside:

[brod]

Russia vs Iran
Germany vs Angola
Spain vs Greece
Lithuania vs Argentina
Australia vs Croatia
USA vs China

Winners in BOLD

[brod]

First three games today went to plan, but Lithuania have pulled of a BIG upset beating Argentina (just to make it more interesting for the Boomers)

Lituania 79 - 75 Argentina
Russia 71 - 49 Iran
Germany 95 - 66 Angola
Spain 81 - 66 Greece

[brod]

Australia 12 - 19 Croatia
(1st quarter, 1:16 to go)

[magpie in the 80's]

Boomers 14 v Croatia 21 end of 1stQ

[brod]

Australia 14 - 21 Croatia
Quarter Time

4 Bogut
3 Bruton
2 Neilsen
2 Worthington
2 Anderson
1 Newley

Getting killed on the boards (4-9) and worse on offensive rebounds (1-4)

[brod]

Australia 31 - 47 Croatia

Half Time

Croatia are shooting the lights out
11/21 2pt FG's
7/8 3pts FG's (Aussies 2/10 3pt FG's)

Still getting done on the boards 11-16

11 pts Nielsen
6 pts Bogut
5 pts Bruton
3 pts Newley
2 pts Anderson
2 pts Barlow
2 pts Worthington

[Interceptor]

Happy to be corrected, but no coverage of the game yet from 7 -no crosses, updates -nothing, FFS

[brod]

Happy to be corrected, but no coverage of the game yet from 7 -no crosses, updates -nothing, FFS

Id be happy if I could correct you, but NOTHING from 7

[brod]

26 minutes of games time

Bogut has played only 12???
And in that 12 minutes
2 FGA
0 rebounds

Brad Newley has played the most minutes (22) ??

[brod]

Australia 53 - 73 Croatia
Three Quarter Time

[hawks21]

Australia 53 - 73 Croatia
Three Quarter Time

where you getting this brod??

[magpie in the 80's]

Aust 75 v Croatia 96 2 minutes to play 4thQ

[magpie in the 80's]

Aust 75 v Croatia 96 2 minutes to play 4thQ

Aust 82 v Croatia 97 final score