Australia Gets Their Beatdown

Team USA buried a big Paul Hogan-style knife into the Australian national team last night, winning by 40 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would indicate. Carmelo had 20, Joe Johnson 18, Dwyane Wade 15, and Shane Battier and Chris Bosh had 12 each.

It really wouldn't have helped the Australians if they had Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, Luc Longley and Olivia Newton-John in the line-up. Unless Hugh Jackman had his Wolverine powers, then maybe they'd be in business. But those claws would get him in foul trouble.

This could be my imagination, but maybe one of you could help me confirm it. Was this a tape-delayed broadcast that ESPN tried to pass off as live? I could have sworn that I got online and ran across the final score while the ESPN broadcast was still in the third quarter. I know that they have no intention of telling us that Jim Durham and Fran Fraschilla are nowhere near Japan, but the tape delay transgression seems worse. And if that did happen, did they really delay this broadcast because of an MLS game on ESPN2?

Up next for the United States will be Dirk Nowitzki and his merry band of Germans, who beat Nigeria 78-77 yesterday. That one's happening Wednesday at 6:30 a.m., or whenever ESPN gets around to showing it.

WBC : USA v.s Australia [Bench Renaldo] USA vs AUSTRALIA (Group 66) [FIBA.com]