Basketball On The Internet.

IT started Australia on exactly the wrong foot and a little guy with crazy hair and a crazier game was the reason.

The Sydney Olympics were to be the Boomers' watershed in international basketball - we finally were going to win a medal.

Barry Barnes' team was laden with talent and seven guys with some measure of NBA experience, led by triple-championship winning Luc Longley of the famous Chicago Bulls.

Beating Canada on Day One?

Eh. A mere formality.

Except someone forgot to tell Steve Nash.

The man who rapidly would become Canada's most famous basketball player, simply shredded the Boomers, stuffing the stats sheet with 15 points, 15 assists, six rebounds.

No-one could contain the dynamo as he took the Maple Leafs to a 101-90 upset which had Australia playing catch-up for the rest of the tourney.

It was the first time I'd seen Nash, who retired from the NBA yesterday after injuries finally ended his extraordinary career, playing live and it was a treat to enjoy all week.

He led Canada to wins over Spain and Yugoslavia and was the very definition of a spinning top, finding his way in, around, under and even over opposition defences.

Other than the USA's Vince Carter dunking over the top of seven-foot French centre Frederick Weiss (go on, relive that moment again here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q ), Nash was the man to watch throughout the Games' basketball tournament.

When Canada lost to France 63-68 in the quarter-finals, Nash shed tears at his team's elimination believing, rightly, they should have enjoyed a podium finish.

Ironically, given the developments on opening night, Australia instead got to the medal round, only to similarly lose its semi final to France (though far more emphatically, 52-76) and the Bronze Medal game to nemesis Lithuania.

Nash's achievements in the NBA are legion, his back-to-back MVPs in 2005-06 the standouts, the list as long as the arms of the 191cm playmaker.

His retirement announcement after years of debilitating injuries and at 41 years of age, may not have been much of a surprise.

But what he produced on the hardwood, week-in-, week-out, assuredly was. His game and attitude will sorely be missed.