Basketball On The Internet.

ANYONE in any doubt Australia’s Boomers have anything but medalling on their minds had a rude awakening today when they wound up smashing Serbia 95-80.

Matthew Dellavedova turned in arguably his greatest single game of elite basketball, burying 23 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 threes and 6-of-7 frees, with 13 assists and two steals against the 2014 FIBA World Cup silver medallist.

He was simply irresistible in a 33-17 final quarter which belied the unrelenting tension of a contest Australia only led 84-80 inside the last two minutes.

SIMPLY THE BEST: Matthew Dellavedova was the architect of victory. Picture courtesy FIBA

But Joe Ingles’ 3-pointer with 1:46 left cracked it open at 87-80, before Dellavedova created a steal which left Patty Mills and Ingles wide open on the wings.

Delly fed Mills who backed himself for a mid-range jumper and at 89-80 this was over.

Rushing now to try and save the game, Serbia came apart and Ingles stroked his second three for 92-80, amid joyous delirium on the Aussie bench.

But wait, there was STILL more as Aron Baynes grabbed a defensive board, Mills leaked out on the break, Delly found him with his 13th assist and Mills completed the layup and three-point play.

If the Boomers have enjoyed a better finish to a vital game, then I don’t remember it, the 11-0 run over the game’s final 106 seconds something to savour right across excited living rooms throughout Australia.

It could so easily have gone pear-shaped when Andrew Bogut – dominating the paint like a Croatian colossus – collected his fourth foul with 8:36 left, the Boomers down 64-67.

Of course, it had looked worse when Milos Teodosic struck consecutive 3-pointers in the third period to bump Serbia 49-42 clear, Dellavedova almost singlehandedly dragging the Boomers back with a triple, two free throws, an assist to Bogut and a three-point play to tie it back up at 52-52.

But now, early into the last quarter, it was tension personified, relieved greatly when Dellavedova set Baynes up for a dunk.

Baynes next drew a charge and Mills somehow made a layup through traffic after fumbling the ball midway through, Australia ahead 68-67.

Dellavedova rewarded Baynes at his earliest opportunity with a lob for 70-67, then an Ingles intercept left Mills open to drain a 3-pointer for a 9-0 run and 73-67 lead.

That six-point buffer became huge, trading baskets now only allowing Serbia to reduce it to four each time before that fateful finish which blew Australia headlong into its next match against the USA feeling mighty good about life.

Such a gutsy win came despite Ingles scoring eight of his 10 points in the last quarter, six in the last 1:46 to find his “mojo” as the Aussies battled to cope with atrociously lenient and easily influenced officiating and some of Serbia’s physicality and contrasting flop antics.

It’s somewhat bemusing when even the caption on a photo at FIBA’s official website of Serbian centre Miroslav Raduljica taking a free throw is “Raduljica did a good acting job to get an unsportsmanlike foul called on Aron Baynes.”

Like Ingles and Mills, whose shooting midway through the game was alarmingly wayward, Baynes came good when it mattered with big defensive plays and nice finishes, six of his 10 points in the last quarter.

Cream rises to the top.

Bogut played true to his reputation with 12 rebounds, nine points at 75 per cent, including a 3-pointer to beat the shot-clock, six assists, while blocking three shots and intimidating a lot of others. He was vocal, vigilant and completing invested.

THE BOGEYMAN: Andrew Bogut was a huge presence again. Picture courtesy FIBA

Dellavedova’s 13 assists was the Olympic tournament high for the stat, topping the previous mark – his 10 against France.

David Andersen also came up big as usual, his long 3-pointer to close the third period leaving Australia on a high, trailing 62-63 but “feeling it” as the subsequent period proved.

Ando's nine points came on 4-of-7 shooting, with six boards in a blink under 21 minutes.

This was a win for the ages, Australia now having beaten two of the medallists at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, with that third medallist – those pesky Americans - next on the schedule.

Be assured the Boomers will have a red hot go.

AUSTRALIA BOOMERS 95 (Mills 26, Dellavedova 23, Baynes, Ingles 10, Andersen, Bogut 9; Bogut 12 rebs; Dellavedova 13 assts) d SERBIA 80 (Raduljica 25, Teodosic 17, Bogdanovic 12, Nedovic 9; Jovic 7 rebs; Markovic 4 assts).