Basketball On The Internet.

AFTER the many international heartbreaks Spain has caused Australia over the years, the joy of beating it by 12 points in their Paris Olympic Games Group A opener has only heightened for the Boomers, elevated into the quarter-finals courtesy of Canada's overnight elimination of those same brazen bullfighters. 

Yeah, sort of sorry-not sorry Rudy Fernandez's milestone sixth Olympics ended prematurely with Spain's overall elimination from the tournament - mainly courtesy of that one savage loss to the Boomers - and if revenge is a dish best served cold, then so be it.

Olé amigos! Stay chilled and hasta la vista.

Sending Spain all the way to the plane is revenge indeed, especially when it was that solitary Group A win - and by that wonderful 12-point margin - which pushed Australia through to the quarter-finals.

Fairweather Aussie basketball fans today saying "we were lucky to qualify" should realise that luck, indeed, often plays too important a role in international events and rarely, if ever, has it favoured Australia.

(Just ask the members of our 1980 Moscow Olympics Boomers team. Long story. Another time.)

Losing to Greece was disappointing for sure, as was the Boomers' late-game devolution into hero ball, a method which rarely pays dividends unless it is being executed by a bona fide and designated superstar.

The coaching staff's reluctance to persist with Duop Reath is the mystery of these Games, and his confidence sure has suffered as a consequence.

But now it is time to set all that aside. await the results from the unfinished Group C and for the Boomers to put their best foot forward against whichever quarter-final opponent the draw throws up.

Many of us - and my Brad&Boti podcast co-host Brad Rosen and I certainly subscribed to this theory  - believed escaping the group would be Australia's biggest challenge. And that if it did, then all bets were off as the Boomers then only would be one win away from the semi finals and medal contention.

That's what has occurred. If this team can just pull its act together and return to its hustling, defensive roots, knock down its free throws and value the ball, who knows what surprises may await around the corner?

BEATING France will be no mean feat for our erratic Opals, coach Sandy Brondello's sideline performance so far leaving much to be desired, though that blame can be shared by a coaching coterie which seems - from the outside at least - to be indifferent to each other, to say the least.

The fact Australia was soundly beaten by a Nigeria which next copped a 21-point hiding from host nation France, left massive question-marks over the Opals' pre-game scout and threw an unwanted spotlight on selection inequities.

Then in the win over Canada, Brondello was able to find a grand total of 8:30 of action for Lauren Jackson. Yes. The same Lauren Jackson who scored 30 against this same Canada two years ago in the FIBA World Cup bronze medal game.

No-one expected a repeat of that, but given Jackson is in fabulous condition, few would have expected 8:30 to be her on-court allowance either.

Brondello showed at the Worlds she has scant idea how best to utilise Jackson and sadly, we're simply seeing more of the same.

At least she's managed to recognise Alanna Smith, who she previously has treated like a call centre employee offering cheaper solar, can actually play a bit.

But she has given far too much rope to Jade Melbourne in her international debut. Melbourne is going to be a leader of this team into the future, no question. And starting her is reminiscent of Brian Goorjian starting a debutante in Josh Giddey at the men's FIBA World Cup last year.

By all means start her, but be conscious of her youthful exuberance not always being a positive.

Which brings us to Kristy Wallace, an alleged PG who played important minutes against Nigeria, then none against Canada. Zero. Zip. Nothing.

You reckon that level of inconsistency messes with a player's head at all? 

Yes, Cayla George hit a few big shots against Canada but how is she elevated from redundant against Nigeria to more important than Jackson in game two?

Not sure anyone was paying attention during the mostly worthless pre-Olympic series versus China but Isobel Borlase sure showed she can handle this level. But when an error has you expecting the hook, how can you play with confidence?

Erratic and inconsistent coaching produces erratic and inconsistent results.

To beat France and ensure the Opals advance, the focus can only be on winning, not keeping players happy.

Game time is 5am AEST Monday.

MEN'S INTRAGROUP RESULTS

Group A: Australia 92 d Spain 80, Canada 86 d Greece 79; Spain 84 d Greece 77, Canada 93 d Australia 83; Greece 77 d Australia 71, Canada 88 d Spain 85. Canada 3-0 (+20), Australia 1-2 (-4), Spain 1-2 (-8), Greece 1-2 (-8). Tied Teams Table: Australia 1-1 +6, Greece 1-1 -1, Spain 1-1 -5. Final Order: 1 Canada, 2 Australia, 3 Greece, 4 Spain.

Group B: Germany 97 d Japan 77, France 78 d Brazil 66; France 94 d Japan 90, Germany 86 d Brazil 73; Brazil 102 d Japan 84, Germany 85 d France 71. Germany 3-0 (+47), France 2-1 (+2), Brazil 1-2 (-7), Japan 0-3 (-42). Final Order: 1 Germany, 2 France, 3 Brazil, 4 Japan.

Group C: South Sudan 90 d Puerto Rico 79, USA 110 d Serbia 84; Serbia 107 d Puerto Rico 66, USA 103 d South Sudan 86. USA 2-0 (+43), Serbia 1-1 (+15), South Sudan 1-1 (-6), Puerto Rico 0-2 (-52).

WOMEN'S INTRAGROUP RESULTS

Group A: Spain 90 d China 89, Serbia 58 d Puerto Rico 55; Spain 63 d Puerto Rico 62, Serbia 81 d China 59. Serbia 2-0 (+25), Spain 2-0 (+2), Puerto Rico 0-2 (-4), China 0-2 (-23)

Group B: Nigeria 75 d Australia 62, France 75 d Canada 54; Australia 70 d Canada 65, France 75 d Nigeria 54. France 2-0 (+42), Nigeria (-8), Australia 1-1 (-8), Canada 0-2 (-26)

Group C: Germany 83 d Belgium 69, USA 102 d Japan 76; Germany 75 d Japan 64, USA 87 d Belgium 74. USA 2-0 (+39), Germany 2-0 (+25), Belgium 0-2 (-27), Japan 0-2 (-37).