Australia vs. Serbia 2016 final score: Serbia earns blowout win to advance to Olympic final

Serbia jumped on Australia and never looked back, beating the Boomers 87-61 in a shocking semifinal upset. The Serbians will move on to play Team USA in the Olympic final, with a shot to win the first gold medal in the history of their basketball program.

The Serbians ran off eight straight points to start the game before Australia was forced to call an early timeout, and things didn’t improve much from that point forward. The Aussies scored a mere five points in the first quarter and 14 in the first half.

Australia couldn’t get anything going thanks to a stifling defensive performance by Serbia. The Aussies forced up tough shot after tough shot, unable to develop a counter to Serbia’s picture-perfect rotations. Matthew Dellavedova was so out of rhythm that he clanged an early attempt off the side of the backboard, leading to a transition bucket on the other end for Serbia.

Even when things were breaking right for the Aussies, they couldn’t get out of their own way. After creating a turnover midway through the second quarter, Australia promptly handed the ball back to Serbia with the first pass on the runout, giving the Europeans an easy layup in the process.

Serbia’s coaching staff deserves a boatload of credit for Australia’s struggles. Aside from a few exceptions the defense was airtight and unrelenting, and it was clear they did an excellent job scouting their opponent.

This wasn’t exactly an offensive showcase, but Milos Teodosic continued to build his case as one of the best players in the Rio Olympics. He consistently found holes in Australia’s defense, weaving through traffic and ducking under screens in order to get open looks from mid-range. His game-high 22 points would have been enough, but the attention he started drawing later in the game created openings in the defense for his teammates to exploit.

Serbia’s biggest hurdle still looms in the final, but they can be proud of their semifinal performance. Team USA better show up ready for a fight in the gold medal game, or they could face the same fate as the Australians.

Serbia is better than we thought

The Serbians entered the semifinals as little more than an afterthought, their Aussie opponents considered heavy favorites to face Team USA in the gold medal game. But Serbia made life hell for the Boomers, proving we may have underestimated them all along.

Australia thrived throughout the tournament thanks to their excellent movement off the ball, but Serbia’s defensive rotations were so crisp that Australia failed to generate more than a handful of quality looks. Holding one of the best offensive teams in the tournament to five first-quarter points is a remarkable feat, and the Serbs deserve kudos for their part in that.

Australia had no backup plan

It was apparent within the first five minutes that Serbia wasn’t going to allow Australia to run their usual action. When their typical cuts disappeared, the Boomers had no idea how to cope with the problem, and the offense shut down.

There was an element of heat-check play for Australia throughout the tournament, but against Serbia they allowed their offense to devolve into ugly three-point attempts and motionless basketball. Once their presence in the paint was cut off, Australia’s motion stagnated to the point of total failure.

The lack of a “star” creator was apparent against a team prepared to go to work on defense. When the easy looks dried up, Australia didn’t have the talent to create separation and space out of nothing.

Team USA will have to work for their gold medal

Serbia gave the Americans a scare in their group-stage game, though most thought Team USA’s ragged defense was the root cause for a tight affair. That has to be reevaluated after this game.

Team USA’s best is still good enough to beat any team in the world, but they can’t walk into a date with the Serbians unprepared. Serbia has more than enough to cause them trouble; Teodosic has proven to be a master of keeping opponents off balance, and Nikola Jokic shredded USA’s front-line to the tune of 25 points in their first matchup. The Serbians are disciplined, unselfish and unfazed by America’s top-end talent.

If Serbia has proven anything in this tournament, we can count on them to come prepared for the gold medal game. Team USA can take nothing for granted if they want to leave Rio with the gold.