It was the first time since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney that the Australian Boomers had made it to a semi-final but unfortunately lost against Serbia.
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Serbia rattled the Aussies 87-61, pushing the Aussies back to play for the bronze on Sunday.
Australia's hopes of snatching a last-gasp victory was shattered, going down 89-88 in a heartbreaking bronze-medal playoff against Spain.
Ex-Mount Isa man and Boomers player had endorsed the Australian Olympic mens basketball team to take home a medal. 2012 London Boomers player, Peter Crawford was backing Boomers 100 per cent.
“I think they had all the tools they needed to win a medal,” Crawford said.
“They had Patty Mills on the wing who is a world class shooter and they had Andrew Bogut at the back who has been in the NBA for 12 years and is the glue that makes the team stick at that high level.
“Their tough defensively, they had the weapons, they had a great shooter and everyone was playing their role really well.”
Crawford said the games have been enjoyable to watch and he didn’t see the players under any pressure leading up to their final match.
“I had been talking to the players and they had been talking about winning a medal for the last two to three months,” he said.
I had been talking to the players and they had been talking about winning a medal for the last two to three months
- Peter Crawford
“I think they still get nervous before a big game, like you should, but they’re not feeling pressured. They have the determination and belief but unfortunately they just fell short.”
Having played for the Australian Boomers, Crawford said it was an unbelievable feeling to play at the Olympics.
“Everything is happening so fast and there is so much going on,” he said.
“When we were in London I remember sitting down with the guys and saying ‘if we get a medal we’ll be the only guys in Australia basketball to have ever won a medal in the Olympics’ and that is a real drive and I believe that was pushing them to be the best.”
Crawford hopes the Boomers will out in the same effort and hopefully take a medal back to Australia at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.