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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Australia always had the belief, and have now convinced the mighty United States they can win a historic Olympic mens basketball medal in Rio.The Boomers nearly became the first team to knock off the world No.1 side at a Games since 2004 on Wednesday night (Thursday morning AEDT).Thats if it wasnt for Carmelo Anthony and his record 31 points.A masterclass late in the fourth quarter from the Americans most experienced player turned a two-point deficit into a scarily close 98-88 victory for the U.S. - their 18th straight at an Olympics.While the United States put China and Venezuela away with ease, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova made them work hard for the win.The Australians, who earlier toppled top-six nations France and Serbia, led for large periods of the game and did not trail by more than eight points until the dying seconds.Mills finished with 30 points and Bogut added 15 points, while Dellavedova had 11 points plus 11 assists and six rebounds.That was the first real international game weve had, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said.Australia have probably played the best of anybody in the Olympics.They just play lights-out basketball.Theyre going to vie for a gold medal.Winning gold - not just a maiden medal - was a goal they set after qualifying for the Rio Games last year.I know many have laughed at us along the way, but perhaps tonights performance will help some others believe it, Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis said.Kevin Durant believes it, predicting Australia will go pretty far this tournament after what he came up against.But Bogut, despite being surprised by his own performance in just his third game back from a knee injury, wasnt all smiles.Were disappointed, he said.We lost. Were not going to take small moral victories.Theyre the best team in the world, we battled them and we thought we shouldve been in a position to try and grind out a closer game.In the past, you get within 10 or 15 and you get a birthday cake in the locker-room and everyone thinks its the best day ever.We have a different mindset this Olympics and hopefully we can keep that grit and determination.Having been drawn in the same group for Rio, the two teams wont be able to meet again until the gold medal match should they finish in the top two.The Boomers next play China, while the U.S. face Serbia.Anthony overtook LeBron James as the Americans alltime leading scorer midway through the match. Cheap Custom Stars Jersey . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. 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Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Inside the smaller theatre at Madison Square Garden about five years ago, shortly before a world title fight, Emile Griffith was introduced one more time to the crowd. He rose shakily from his seat, waved ever so briefly and then sat down. The applause kept going. Revered in retirement perhaps more than during his fighting days, Griffith died Tuesday at 75 after a long battle with pugilistic dementia. The first fighter to be crowned world champion from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Griffith required full-time care late in life and died at an extended care facility in Hempstead, N.Y. "Emile was a gifted athlete and truly a great boxer," Hall of Fame director Ed Brophy said. "Outside the ring he was as great a gentleman as he was a fighter." An elegant fighter with a quick jab, Griffiths brilliant career was overshadowed by the fatal beating he gave Benny "The Kid" Paret in a 1962 title bout. The outcome darkened the world of boxing, even prompting some network television stations to stop showing live fights. It also cast him as a pariah to many inside and outside the sport. He went on to have a successful career after that fatal fight, but Griffith acknowledged later in life that he was never the same boxer. He would fight merely to win, piling up the kind of decisions that are praised by purists but usually jeered by fans hoping for a knockout. Griffith often attended fights in his later years, especially at the Garden, where he headlined 23 times. He was also a frequent visitor to the boxing clubs around New York City, and made the pilgrimage most years to the sports Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y. "He always had time for boxing fans when visiting the hall on an annual basis," Brophy said, "and was one of the most popular boxers to return year after year." That outpouring of love that he received late in life stood in stark contrast to the way he was received after March 24, 1962, when he fought Paret before a national TV audience at the Garden. Griffith knocked out his bitter rival in the 12th round to regain his own welterweight title, and Paret went into a coma and died from his injuries 10 days later. Sports Illustrated reported in 2005 that Griffith may have been fueled by an anti-gay slur directed at him by Paret during the weigh-in. Over the years, in books and interviews, Griffith described himself at various times as straight, gay and bisexual. "People spit at me in the street," Griffith told The Associated Press in 1993, recalling the days after Parets death. "We stayed in a hotel. Every time there was a knock on the door, I would run into the next room. I was so scared." The Paret fight left a cloud over the sport for many years. NBC halted its live boxing brroadcasts, and then-New York Gov.dddddddddddd Nelson Rockefeller created a commission to investigate the bout and the sport. The referee that night, Ruby Goldstein, never worked another fight. The fight became the basis for the 2005 documentary "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story." One of the final scenes shows Griffith embracing Parets son. "I was never the same fighter after that. After that fight, I did enough to win. I would use my jab all the time. I never wanted to hurt the other guy," Griffith said. "I would have quit, but I didnt know how to do anything else but fight." And fight he could. Known for his overwhelming speed and slick style -- certainly not his punching power -- Griffith was a prodigy from the moment he stepped in Hall of Fame trainer Gil Clancys gym in Queens. Griffith had been working in a hat factory when, as the story goes, he took off his shirt on a hot day and the factory owner realized noticed his muscles. Under the watchful eye of Clancy, Griffith blossomed into a New York Golden Gloves champion and eventually turned professional. He easily defeated the likes of Florentino Fernandez and Luis Rodriguez during an era when it was common to fight every couple of weeks. He quickly earned a title shot against Paret in 1961, winning the welterweight belt with a knockout in the 13th round. Griffith would lose it to Paret in a rematch five months later. After winning back the title during their controversial third fight -- many believe Paret never should have been allowed in the ring after a brutal loss to Gene Fullmer three months earlier -- Griffith would eventually move up to middleweight. He knocked down Dick Tiger for the first time in his career and claimed the title with a narrow but unanimous decision. Griffith would go on to lose twice during a thrilling trilogy with Nino Benvenuti, his lone victory coming at Shea Stadium in 1967, and lost two bouts against the great middleweight Carlos Monzon. Griffith would finally retire in 1977 after losing his last three fights. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 with a record of 85-24-2 and 23 knockouts. Griffith would go on to train several champions over the years, including Wilfred Benitez and Juan Laporte, among the most popular boxers in Puerto Rican history. His humour and generosity buoyed those close to him as his health deteriorated in later years. He would regale fans young and old with tales of his fights, even though details often became hazy, the result of the many blows during his career. Griffith had four sisters -- Eleanor, Gloria, Karen and Joyce -- and three brothers -- Franklin, Guillermo and Tony. He is also survived by his adopted son, Luis Griffith. Funeral arrangements are pending. ' ' '