Australia looked to put Team USA down under last night, but they forgot about the karmic, calming presence of Carmelo Anthony.
The Boomers were booming early last night against a dreamlike Team USA who had given both the Peoples Republic Of China and a fighting Venezuela side blowout nightmares to open Rio twenty sixteen. This one was always going to be a close call. But when the ending was written it was signed by the man that delivered himself past the G.O.A.T Michael Jordan and then sealed himself over today’s greatest LeBron James as Team USA’s all-time point leader in Olympic history.
Nobody could touch Carmelo Anthony last night. Not even the King.
With Splash star Klay Thompson shooting buckets with holes in them again and even new Golden State Warrior teammate Kevin Durant-who this far has been the constant point place holder-on erratic form, the first three quarters ruling Aussies looked to capitalize. Especially with a 6 NBA man roster that could always compete with the U.S. best (including an Australian born Kyrie Irving (his clutch dagger three that put the place where he was born away knifed at country teammate and Dub nation finals competitior Draymond Green’s memory) who this year chose a side). Featuring the sharpshooting Spur star Patty Mills drawing buckets off doubles, Cleveland champ Matthew Delladova on team energy form and the new Maverick man in the middle Andrew Bogut who was playing more like Shaq then Shawn Bradley. Showing his former Warriors death line-up just what their missing and what could have plugged the middle and won the championship for this Suicide Squad if he wasn’t injured in the Finals. Who knows how their big names will fare next year now he’s gone for good after how he performed against all the biggest names last night.
Lead by Mills 30 point fill the boys from Australia turned Brazil’s state of the art basketball arena into an opera house last night.
But here comes the boom…
Carmelo Anthony’s 31 points off 11 for 21 shooting and 9 to 15 from downtown silenced all the court conduction in Rio. The New York star gave way for the fat lady last night and boy did he sing as the U.S. went from a different songsheet than the night was originally playing out like jazz. Now critics can stop chirping as this superstar and his new Knick outfit of Porzingis, Noah and Rose could bloom to their own gold light after the Summer in the electric neon of Times Square.
After beating France and Serbia handsomely, the Australian boomers may have lost 88-98, but it was a lot more down to the baseline wire than that. As this potential gold game preview was medal worthy in itself for Olympic classics, showing that Team USA may dream big, but it’s not always by the biggest deficit.
U.S.A.’s Globetrotting like 70 game winning streak and Coach K’s clean 17 game record was almost nixed and notched last night…and it was definitely tarnished. This team has won everything in the Olympics since the game’s birthplace of Athens in 2004 and has beaten the Aussies since 1964 back when the Beatles where just four boys with bowl cuts from Liverpool and Muhammed Ali was just a kid with a decent hook.
But last night as Carmelo delivered the knockout punch like the king of the world greatest, Australia still delivered the boom. They may have lost the fight, but they won the night.
As the Philadelphia 76er’s first pick in this Summers NBA Draft, the Australian Ben Simmons tweeted, “the time will come”.
You know he’ll be there to join them.
Let Australia rule!
