The absence of superstar Ben Simmons – a late withdrawal – no doubt hurt the Boomers, particularly in the semi-final encounter with the United States. Dante Exum, currently without an NBA team, has done his contract hopes the world of good. Jock Landale has shown that his recent acquisition by San Antonio was shrewd business. Thybulle, in his first tournament with the team, has been immense. This bronze medal also heralded the rise of a new generation for the Boomers. All are over 30 they are unlikely to return together for another Olympics (although few would bet against Mills returning for Paris, in what would be his fifth Games). But for Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Ingles – among the best players Australia has ever produced – their moment had come. And Aron Baynes, the team’s powerful centre, was missing through an injury suffered earlier in the tournament. It came one year too late for Andrew Bogut, who retired after the Games were postponed in 2020. The medal is a fitting send-off for a golden generation of Australian basketballers. “This is the fucking standard now,” screamed Mills in the post-match huddle with his teammates. For over four decades, Australia’s male basketballers have strived for this moment. So did the tears of Andrew Gaze, a Boomers legend, in a television interview back home. The elation and emotion after the final siren said it all. Five losses in Olympic semi-finals, four in Olympic bronze medal matches and one in a World Cup bronze medal match. The Boomers, despite the presence of a handful of elite players each generation, had never won a medal in international basketball. The team has won three Olympic silver medals and two bronze, plus five medals at the Fiba World Cup (including gold in 2006). For the women, the Opals, this conveyor-belt of talent has led to medals, lots of them. Young men and women arrive in their early teens and depart as quality players who value, above all, national team minutes. Since the 1980s, each generation of Australian basketballers has been moulded at the AIS’s residential program in Canberra. It is hard to overstate the significance of this victory for the Boomers. The final score, 107-93, against a Slovenian team that had lost to France by just one point in the semi-final, was testament to Mills’ relentless energy. He helped Australia to win every quarter, playing just shy of 38 of the entire 40 minutes. He was both the conductor and the star violinist. He knew when to move the ball and when to hold it. One minute he was hitting long-range threes, the next dancing to the basket like a whirling dervish. Other Boomers were impressive – Matisse Thybulle has been the break-out star of these Games for Australia, while Joe Ingles contributed 16 points. Against a difficult opponent, Mills put the Australian team on his back.
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