This thread is dedicated to the Opals, the female Australian basketball team which has been consistently excellent for 8 years. They got silver in Sydney and Athens, gold at the 2006 Worlds, and look very strong again in Beijing.
The Opals consists of Australian players who have played all over the world, many in the WNBA, and their style of play is hard-nosed, solid, fundamental (Spurs-style) basketball featuring suffocating defense with fast rotations, and pinpoint cutting/passing for points in the paint time and again. They are also legitimately deep with talent on the bench that doesn't wilt under pressure. I actually enjoy watching them play so much that I go out of my way to do it, and that is a rare conjunction between me and women's basketball.
And then there's Lauren Jackson. She is to the women's game what Tim Duncan is to the men's. Don't believe me, have a look at what she has done in the WNBA (remember that women's stats are generally lower than men's):
http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/laure...eer_stats.html
Check out 2007:
23.8/9.7 with 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist, at 51.9/40.2/88.3!
LJ can do EVERYTHING on the court at 6'5", and is clutch as to boot. She has won at every level she has played except the Olympics (two silver medals), MVPs of (I think) 5 or 6 leagues (2 WNBA). She once came back to Australia late in the season and singlehandly took her 6th-seeded Canberra Capitals all the way to the trophy in a tough women's league, probably 2nd best in the world. In the women's game, she is like Hakeem in the post and DRob on the break, plus 3pt range - truly awesome.
Oh, and don't worry, she hasn't even woken up yet during this Olympics, except for the last 2 minutes of the Brazil game when she nonchalantly knocked down two pretty low post moves and a blocked shot to take the game from 8 out to 12 and let those Brazilian es know who's boss! They folded after that.
Oh, and I think she's a spectacular woman.
Here's to you, LJ. If you ever change your mind about men, let me know.
Also playing very well so far this Olympics:
Kristi Harrower - a solid-as- PG. Makes few mistakes, has long range, great steal gambler, leads the team with utter poise and determination.
Penny Taylor - 2 steals to end the 2nd Q the other day caused a 7 pt turnaround. Does everything well.
Laura Summerton - stepping up like never before during this tournament. Provided the scoring punch the team needed against Brazil when LJ and SB were in foul trouble. great all-rounder.
Suzie Batkovic - big, but deceptively good on the drive and from 3. Great help defender. A revelation for me - never seen her play this well before.
Anyone else love The Opals?
Last edited by RuffnReadyOzStyle; 08-13-2008 at 08:28 AM.
I've watched the Brasil/Australia game and it was damn horrible to watch.
When players can't make consistently open layups, basketball becomes way less interesting to follow.
I've liked Harrower in this game. She is very small but is a very solid player.
Bruno, that game was refereed terribly. The Brazilians were hacking the out of the Opals, and flopping, for all of the 2nd and most of the 3rd quarter, and it put the Opals' game off. LJ and Batkovic were also in foul trouble. But the Opals showed their class at the end.
Tonight's demolition of Korea was pretty to watch - no missed layups in that game! See if you can find it to watch. Also, a couple of those Koreans can really shoot from deep.
My recommendation - the Opals only showed their true form in flashes before tonight, but they are improving. If only the refs weren't so horrific (I hate the way the games are being called in general - LET THEM PLAY, and call the rough stuff, not the ticky tack !), they'd have been more dominant. Give them another chance.
im probably gonna get shot but, 7th grade girls basketball and the wnba aint far apart.
i agree.
lauren Jackson is a lesbian??
Now if they would only get rid of those ridiculous outfits. how bout getting some real basketball clothing, some proper shorts and singlet.
Girls basketball is crazy popular here now, i think they would sell heaps of those Jackson and Taylor jerseys.... instead no ones gonna go out dressed like their going to the beach.
Actually, people dont even wear that to the beach.
On to the point, i think this could be the year we get the gold.
Unfortunately, yes...
mystargtr34 - I think we might win the gold this year too. The team looks very poised, and once Jackson hits some form they'll be very tough to beat.
Bump.
C'mon Aussies, show your love for our girls!
Jackson is killing it right now, 28pts (10/18fg including 5/10 from 3). Latvia is toast
LJ is my girl! SHe has awoken, and after that killer second half against Russia yesterday, the Opals have shown they'll take the US all the way this year. They are a tough, poised bunch.
GO OPALS!!!
And strike me awry if the BOOMERS haven't found some heart and some balls and remembered how to play basketball again! They are destroying Latvia, and Bogut is having a blinder at both ends - he's schooled Javtokas. Yee-haw!!! Enjoy it while it lasts...
I'm loving Australia basketball at the moment
what are the females fg% 3pt% ft% compared to the mens?
The men don't miss now.
dude aussie womens hockey team has a few babes on the team
Anyone find a link to the Aus v Russia women's game? I've looked and looked but it is the one game they don't have on yahoo7, and sites in other countries won't work for me...
Hollywood is sexy.
I just wanna give it up (figuratively and literally) for the Aussie's outfits. There are some BEAUTIFUL Aussie women man...on the one team in the one sport where you'd expect most of the Sheila's look like Blokes!
So what is with the yellow and green uni's? I see that on all the Aussie gear...is that a national team thing? Just curious.
Yup, green and gold are our sporting colours - from the wattle tree which is the national floral emblem.
Why the the opening cermony uniforms were blue and silver none of us over here can work out!
Quarter final versus the Czechs tonight. I know nothing about them, but I'll say Opals by 17.
all i know is as a country they got some fine female pornstars
Hahah yea Czechs do alrite.
Hey Ruff you heard the Aussie coach from Atlanta and Sydeny is coachign China, and also Mic e Timms is the Ass. Coach there... were probly gonna play em in the semis.
Yeah, that should be interesting, but I think Jan Sterling is doing a great job. She has this team totally, unshakeably believing in each other, and that's all she needs to do with a group like this.
No doubt the Chinese will hack and flop (ala Brazil) under orders from Timms, who is a little win-at-all-costs 'ho (and fair enough too), but we'll tough it out and do those Chinese like they deserve it.
It would be a worry that Taylor may be gone for good (ankle), except that Summerton, Snell and Cox are all playing so well, and the bench goes 10 deep.
GO OPALS!
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