IT seems to the be the end of an era for the Australian Boomers, with their 2024 Paris Olympic campaign ended by a stirring Serbia comeback overnight, as the Aussies suffered a five-point defeat in the Quarterfinals.

The Boomers led by 24 points in the second quarter, having complete control of the contest behind a masterclass from veteran guard Patrick Mills. However, Serbia’s shots began to fall in the second half, taking the lead in the fourth quarter before a Mills buzzer-beater sent the game to overtime. Momentum stayed with the Serbians, who held on for a 95-90 win.

With Mills, Joe Ingles and head coach Brian Goorjian unlikely to appear at the 2028 Olympic Games, it is the dawn of a new chapter for Australia’s men’s basketball team.

Australian Boomers (90) def. by Serbia (95)

It was the perfect start for the Aussies, with Joshua Giddey leading the charge. The youngster was exposing Serbia’s lack of interior defence and driving into the paint with ease. He was scoring baskets inside at a consistent rate, and helped the Boomers get out to an early lead. Mills then followed suit, slicing past the defence and laying the ball in to get himself going and get the Aussies the early momentum.

It was all going Australia’s way, with Mills’ jumpshots falling from just about anywhere, and the Boomers getting out in transition a lot and exposing Serbia after a miss. The match looked just about over when the Aussies led by 24 points, with most players getting involved in the green and gold. However, Serbia’s ball movement improved on the eve of half time, and it started to get much better looks from the field, slashing the deficit to just 12 points at the main break.

The third quarter was where things truly began to spiral for the Aussies, with those pesky turnovers creeping into their game once again. It had been the theme of the tournament for the Boomers, with the opposition allowed to get back in the game with easy transition baskets. Another area in which Serbia lifted was the offensive rebounds, recording nine for the term and pouring in the second-chance scores.

Australia’s offence became rattled by an improved level of intensity from the Serbians on the defensive end. They were switching everything, and did not allow Mills the same level of freedom he found in the first half. With Serbia’s offence becoming more efficient too, the Boomers could not get out in transition, which also took away from their offensive efficiency. Instead, they resorted to isolation plays, and it was a costly move.

Serbia took the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter, and fought tooth and nail to hold onto it. Superstar big man Nikola Jokic was having a huge influence on the match, especially with Australia’s starting center Jock Landale in foul trouble. Some timely triples from recent NBL Champion Jack McVeigh breathed some life into the Aussies, and with just seconds remaining, they were inbounding the ball down two.

Naturally, the ball found its way into the hands of Mills, who waved off the screen and chose to go iso against Jokic. Mills tried the stepback, but could not generate any space, so instead dribbled across and pulled up from the free throw line, in a shot that was well-contested by Serbia’s star. However, the shot found the bottom of the net, forcing overtime.

Another big three-pointer from McVeigh gave the Aussies a three-point lead in the extra period, but Serbia held firm, making the right passes before a turnaround jumpshot from Jokic gave his side some breathing space. The Boomers turned the ball over inbounding the ball on the following possession and the game was over, with Serbia advancing and the Aussies eliminated.

The Boomers would not have been close to securing the win if not for the first half heroics of Mills, who poured in 20 points in the first two quarters and finished with 26 points. While he had some sloppy turnovers, Giddey was also tremendous with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Jokic had his way as expected, nearly posting a triple-double with 21 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in an excellent showcase of the remarkable talent he possesses.