Rio Olympics: Andrew Bogut rips refs after Australia's controversial loss
The Aussies couldn't be pleased with one call in particular
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1 min read
Australia came as close as you can get to a medal in men's basketball at the 2016 Olympic Games. It lost 89-88 to Spain in the bronze medal game on Sunday, surrendering a one-point lead after Patty Mills was whistled for a controversial foul with 5.4 seconds left. The crucial call was made when Spain's Sergio Rodriguez drove to the basket and appeared to stumble and fall. Rodriguez made the two ensuing free throws.
As you can imagine, the Boomers weren't too pleased with the officiating. After the loss, center Andrew Bogut, who fouled out in less than 14 minutes of playing time and had to watch all but two minutes of the second half from the bench, did not hold back with his comments, via the Herald Sun's Jon Ralph:
"Obviously we are disappointed, at times we felt we were outnumbered on the court for the majority of the game,'' he said.
"It felt like we were playing a different sport. The superman dived into me and the referees bought it.
"Some of them you could see on the tape how obvious they were. You tap these guys and they go flying and the referees bought it.
"We tried to adjust knowing what they were going to do but the last two fouls were tough on us."
Bogut also criticized FIBA officials more generally:
Andrew Bogut: "Questionable calls all game. That's FIBA basketball. Wouldn't expect anything less from the refs."
— Hoops_Heaven (@Hoops_Heaven) August 21, 2016
Some might be turned off by these comments, but it's hard to blame him for being upset. Australia had been the most impressive team in the tournament until its loss to Serbia, and the team played well enough to win a medal. The Aussies would have had a better chance against Spain if Bogut had been able to stay on the court, and the call against Mills arguably cost them the game. Most NBA players get frustrated by FIBA officiating, but few are as honest as Bogut about it.
