Josh Giddey struggled to hold back tears following Australia's gut-wrenching 95-90 overtime loss to Serbia in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Giddey spoke to Channel 9 after the game and admitted he was heartbroken by the loss.
“We were so close,” said Giddey. "We had so many chances. When you have the guys on this team that we do, you believe you have the ability to go all the way and we believed that with this group.
"We put ourselves in a great position to win that game and we come up short like that in overtime, so it’s heartbreaking," Giddey continued. "It kills me that I have to wait four more years for another chance at this, but man, I’m so proud of this group. I love this team. Our coaches, our fans, deserved a lot better than this."
This was Giddey's first appearance at the Olympics and he was asked what he'd learned from it.
"Man, that every possession matters and it can go so quick," Giddey stated. "We play four games and that’s it. You’ve got to wait four years... I don’t really know how to sum it up now. It’s so raw and soon after the game. But you know, I just love this team.
"I believed we had the group to go all the way," Giddey added. "... We’ve got to wait another four years and this feeling sucks and it’s going to hurt but it’s going to build us and we'll be back in L.A."
You do feel for Giddey and the Aussies. It seemed like the Boomers were on course to make the semifinals for the third straight Olympic games when they had a 24-point lead in the first half against Serbia.
With Nikola Jokic leading the way, though, the Eagles roared back in the contest and completed the biggest comeback in Olympic basketball history. The final nail in the coffin for the Boomers came when Giddey turned the ball over when they were down three with under 30 seconds remaining in overtime.
Turnovers were a big issue for Giddey in this game, as he had seven of them. Had the 21-year-old been a bit more careful with the ball, maybe the game would have ended differently. That said, the turnovers were the only real negative of the night when we analyze the new Chicago Bulls guard's performance.
Giddey had 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the contest. He was also an efficient 11-20 from the field and went 3-5 from beyond the arc. It was a solid outing but just wasn't good enough to get the win.
Giddey will at least have a few more opportunities to get his hands on an Olympic medal, although he will have to wait four years for the next one. The likes of Patty Mills, who had 26 points against Serbia, most probably won't feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though, so he'll be the one tasked with leading the Boomers.
For now, Giddey's focus will be on getting off to a positive start with his new team in the NBA, the Bulls. He was traded to Chicago by the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason for Alex Caruso and should get a much bigger role than he had last season. I expect Giddey to put up some big numbers, but wins will be hard to come by.
Related: Patty Mills Says Australia Basketball Is In Great Hands With New Generation Of NBA Talent
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