On Thursday, Slovenian NBA guard Goran Dragic accused Australia of tanking against Angola to get a more favorable draw in the FIBA basketball World Cup.
Basketball is a beautiful sport, there is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs Angola!! @FIBA should do something about that!
— Goran Dragic (@Goran_Dragic) September 4, 2014
A completely forgettable FIBA World Cup group stage game between also-rans Australia and Angola took a sharp turn into the theatre of the absurd on Thursday, as the Aussies rested their key players and appeared to tank away the contest, drawing accusations that they were trying to manipulate the standings and achieve a more favorable match-up in the knockout round of the tournament.
Angola’s 91-83 victory — achieved only after Australia blew a double-digit lead in the second half by playing passive offense and totally neglectful defense — opened the door for Australia to fall to third place in the Group D standings, thereby delaying a potential match-up with tournament favorites USA. Had Australia remained in second place in Group D, it would have been on track to face USA in the tournament’s quarterfinals. By falling to third, Australia doesn’t have to face USA until the semifinals.
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