Americans add Aussies to list of wins, 116-85

The U.S. men’s team will now take on defending Olympic champ Argentina.

Los Angeles Times

BEIJING — Can’t anyone here play this game?

Not at the U.S. basketball team’s level to this point, which is why Kobe Bryant said he was hoping to get Argentina in the semifinals after the Americans put another overmatched opponent to the torch in a 116-85 rout of Australia Wednesday night.

In that case, lucky them.

Here come the Argentines, who clawed their way past Greece, 80-78, in the last game of the night.

“Well we want to play the best,” Bryant said before that game. “We want to play the defending champs.

”I mean, it’s all about challenge. Obviously, we welcome all comers and we know what a great team Greece is. Argentina, they’re the defending champs. You want to be able to play the guys who won it the last time.“

Led by Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola, the Argentines won the gold medal at Athens in 2004. They have also beaten the U.S. the last two times they played, in Athens and in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.

On the other hand, this U.S. team isn’t remotely like those dazed, confused teams.

Still on a roll, the Americans did the usual number on the Aussies, even if it took longer than expected

The Aussies came in with their usual esprit, although without Boomer, the three-foot blow-up kangaroo who’s usually next to their bench. Maybe Boomer couldn’t make it through security this time.

Of course, with 12 guys who sounded like Crocodile Dundee, saying they would ”take a crack at it“ and ”give it a good go,“ you would have liked their chances more in a survival contest in the outback rather than at Wukesong Arena

So would they. Aussie center Andrew Bogut, asked what they had to do to beat the U.S, replied: ”Shoot 100 percent.“

With another breakout by fleet young guard Patrick Mills, the gritty Aussies almost became the first team to trail the U.S. by single figures at halftime, but Deron Williams made a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 55-43.

Mills, the St. Mary’s sophomore now all over the NBA’s radar, surprised the U.S. in an exhibition in Shanghai. This time they knew he was coming and he still scored 20.

”Going into the game, I thought we had one advantage, and that’s a lot for us,“ Australia Coach Greg Goorjian said. ”I thought it was Patrick Mills. ... I thought he was someone their point guards would have trouble with.“

The three point guards who did, indeed, have trouble were Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Williams.

Said U.S Coach Mike Krzyzewski: ”I’m glad my Duke team doesn’t play St. Mary’s this season.“

Unfortunately for the Aussies, there were two halves and not enough grit in the world to make up the gap between the teams.

With Bryant making three three-pointers and scoring 11 of his 25 points in the first 4:24 of the second half, the U.S. went on a 14-0 run and it was suddenly 69-43.

”It was a cyclone brewing,“ said Australia forward Brad Newley. ”You could hear them talking out in the hall, ‘Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!’

“They’re a good team, and we can’t afford to give them easy points. Kobe made a couple of three-point shots. He was shooting 50-footers by the end of the game.”