How Australian coach Brian Goorjian inspired baby boomers to break one of international basketball’s oldest hoodoos at the Paris Olympics

A Josh Giddey-inspired Boomers team made a fine start to their Paris Olympics campaign, beating a dreadful Spain side 92-80 in Lille on Saturday night.

The Boomers had not beaten Spain at an Olympics since Seoul 1988 and sadly lost the bronze medal match to the Spanish in Rio 2016 before finally winning their first medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Veteran Patty Mills scored in the final seconds as Spain closed to within six points, hitting a three-pointer before Dyson Daniels added another three-pointer to close the door.

It’s a huge result for the Boomers in the group of death that also includes medal hopefuls Canada and Greece.

And ESPN analyst Kane Pitman revealed that coach Brian Goorjian used the heartbreaking story against Spain to inspire his players to an important victory.

“Brian Goorjian just revealed he showed the Boomers a video of all the past heartbreaks against Spain before the game,” Pitman posted on X.

“Including post-game interviews with Patty and Joe. He reminded the team of this video during a timeout in the fourth quarter. The Boomers then closed out the game.”

Former NBA star and Boomer Andrew Bogut has praised the determination of the Australians who were eliminated in the group stage of last year’s FIBA ​​World Cup.

“A solid first win for the Boomers. Spain made you deserve your victory,” he wrote.

“Jock Landale is the MVP of this game. 20, 9 and 5 with a whopping +30 from the field. Giddey also filled the stat sheet with a near triple double.

“I loved our defense from start to finish. Dyson playing all over the field is a threat.

“The last 40 seconds were huge to run up the score and win by 12 if percentage comes into play,”

Giddey gave Chicago Bulls fans a brief glimpse of his potential in a more ball-dominant role, scoring 17 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

Although the 21-year-old has committed five turnovers – a problem that has persisted in warm-up games – the Boomers are willing to accept that for now if it means he continues to play with such confidence.

The win also came despite the absence of NBA point guard Dante Exum (dislocated finger) and the Boomers choosing not to use a replacement. Fans also questioned why Portland Trail Blazers star Duop Reath was not used, asking if he was injured.

The new generation of Spain no longer has Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio, who tormented Australia in landmark victories at the 2016 Olympics and 2019 World Cup respectively.

But their meeting in Paris showed that the rivalry will endure into the next generation, with tempers flaring in what was essentially a must-win match in a pool that also included medal hopefuls Canada and Greece.

Australia started brightly, with Dyson Daniels (13 points, seven rebounds) effective at both ends, Giddey hitting two long triples and coach Jack McVeigh (13 points, seven rebounds) throwing a fluid no-look assist in a nervous first touch.

They led 18-7 after another basket from Giddey, then 38-17 when Spanish forward Usman Garuba was called for a moving screen on Josh Green.

Green fought back as Will Magnay’s light touch to the Spaniard’s lower back sent Garuba out, pushing Green and sparking a brawl.

Magnay – chosen to be the Boomers’ strongman – and Garuba were penalised for technical fouls and that lit the fuse for a bitter final three quarters.

The referees fought to keep control of the game and called 24 fouls in the first half.

But Nick Kay was responsible enough to keep his cool after being hit by Willy Hernangomez and landing on his back.

The Spanish bench were then subjected to further remonstrances, but this only served to level the game as things went badly wrong.

Giddey’s class shone through again, the Olympic rookie driving to the basket and finishing as Australia racked up 18 second-quarter points to lead 49-42 at the break.

Santi Aldama (27 points) provided the impetus for Spain’s response, hitting a three-pointer after a nasty Patty Mills turnover to give them their first lead.

But Mills (19 points) hit back with a triple, Australia’s 8-0 run killing Spain before Mills and Daniels secured victory with three-pointers in the dying seconds.

Exum dislocated his finger in a warm-up match earlier this week but the Boomers opted against bringing in a late replacement, confident he will play a role later in the tournament.

He wore sneakers and a tracksuit on the bench, with Matthew Dellavedova getting an extended run while Duop Reath was not activated.

Australia will then face Canada on Tuesday (9.30pm AEST) before finishing the group stage in Lille against Greece on Friday.