The day the Boomers finally stopped fearing Team USA

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I can't believe it's been seven years since the Boomers made history with their first win over Team USA at Marvel Stadium.

I only remembered today was the anniversary thanks to the great John Casey, who posted on X about the game played before an incredible 52,709 people at Marvel Stadium on August 24, 2019.

Even though we had come fourth, and agonisingly close to a maiden bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics three years earlier, I feel this day was the first day the Australian men's national basketball team was truly finally recognised as a powerhouse since the late 1990s, and throw the 2000 Sydney Olympics in there as well.

It was also probably a day which, even though we came fourth at the FIBA World Cup later that year, set us up for that famous day in Tokyo in 2021.

Here's how it went for me.

My group of best mates had booked tickets months in advance, luckily through a connection; otherwise we probably would've missed out given the popularity of the two-game series after it was announced.

There's nothing better than a trip with the fellas to Melbourne for a weekend and to watch the Boomers go up against some of the NBA's biggest stars. At the time, it might not have been the USA's best team, but look at how big many of those players have become since.

Jaylen Brown is a Finals MVP, Jayson Tatum is one of the league's biggest stars, Donovan Mitchell is now an MVP contender, and Derrick White is an NBA champion.

Others like Kemba Walker, Joe Harris and more might be out of the league, but let's not focus on that.

I missed game one of the series because of a basketball training somewhere, and when I looked on social media and the highlights, it seemed like a story we had become used to as Boomers fans.

'Yes, our guys pushed the USA but came up short.' We lost 102-89 - in front of more than 51,000 people, might I say.

Saying that isn't a criticism of the Boomers; we've always been a tough team that played above our weight, even in the dark days from 2004-2014, but just like the players, we wanted more. But the result set up an even bigger contest two days later on a Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium.

Anyway, we flew down on the Friday night anticipating a big weekend, in more ways than one. But we just wanted to see the Boomers take on the USA and inside a football stadium – an arena usually slotted for the AFL and maybe the UFC.

We walked from an Airbnb in the city down the Docklands, and one thing was pretty clear early on – times had changed!

There was excitement around the streets of Melbourne, fans covered in green and gold attire, some in their favourite NBA player's jersey, and there was an incredible atmosphere leading into the stadium. That's something we've rarely seen for basketball in Australia before. That's normally reserved for the AFL and the State of Origin in rugby league.

Because of that, I think you could feel it was going to be a special night for not only Australian basketball, but Australian sport.

Another fun thing - before we talk about the actual game - was the people you saw walking around the venue before tip-off. It wasn't just basketball fans; we saw friends who weren't involved in basketball at all, which showcased just how big this was.

We got our beers and walked to our seats. We loved the intros and the theatrics around the pregame; different to a lot of people who were there to see the players, I was excited to see Gregg Popovich more than anyone.

The game started, and the Boomers had their usual clinical ball movement, which made those Andrej Lemanis days so fun to watch.

But the USA just seemed to have the answers. They didn't do it with teamwork, like the Boomers; they did it with pure talent and athleticism. Kemba Walker proved tough to stop, especially against drops coverage in pick-and-rolls; Donovan Mitchell looked like he was going to do damage, and Bogut's former Golden State Warriors championship teammate Harrison Barnes also created problems for Australia's defence.

Enter Andrew Bogut and the Boomers' offence just went to another level. What a sight it was to watch one of the best passing big men in the world create so many wide-open looks for his teammates. Then it was Joe Ingles' time to orchestrate the offence to perfection, which had the Boomers rolling. And also, how good were Mills and Bogut to watch play together, just perfect basketball.

Also, in case people forgot how good Andrew Bogut was, go back and watch these games. Mason Plumlee, Brooke Lopez and Myles Turner had no business being on the court with the man who had just won the NBL's MVP award.

We won the second quarter and faced just a one-point deficit at halftime. The feeling in the stands was pretty much the same, though. 'Ah, we're in it, but we've been here before'.

To be honest, despite the hype around the game, the third quarter seemed kind of flat. It was like both teams were just matching each other basket for basket to set up an epic fourth quarter. Even with that, the USA still had no defensive answers for the two-man game of Bogut and Mills.

We did go into the final quarter with a slender lead, but you still have that feeling that the USA are going to turn it on.

Well, it was actually the Boomers who turned it on, and it was the old faithful in Mills and Ingles who connected on consecutive triples, but, more importantly, I think, started making the home fans realise we're actually a chance here.

Then came the biggest shot of the game. Mills hit a bank three on Tatum, and the shot was definitely a sign that it was just our day for once.

The Marvel Stadium crowd looked like those 1990s NBA highlight videos, with people turning to each other and exchanging high-fives. The roar when Mills hit that three was something I had never heard for a basketball game in Australia.

As he had always done, Mills showed up again when it mattered most, hitting two more clutch baskets, leading to an incredible image of him celebrating with Marvel Stadium at his back – an image which should be in the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame. Team USA tried to respond, but it was finally our day, and we had beaten them for the first time in history.

It was just a friendly; it wasn't for any trophy, and it wasn't for any medals, but it was a crowning moment signifying how far Aussie hoops had come.

And also how far this group had taken it – the group of Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes. Don't forget Andrej Lemanis' part in this as well - his Boomers teams were by far the most fun to watch.

This moment was even bigger for Bogut. Yes, he would then play at the World Cup, where the Boomers fell short of a bronze again, but he missed out on the Tokyo Olympics following his retirement after the event was delayed a year due to Covid.

Let's just say Aussie fans definitely celebrated the moment in the Melbourne CBD after.

But looking back on it, the victory was just a day which turned our mindset from trying to compete to Gold Vibes Only.