The FIBA World Cup group stage game between 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," according to Ben Golliver of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. 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." Slovenian guard Goran Dragic, who plays for the NBA Phoneix Suns, "blasted Australia" for its "unexpected loss." Dragic tweeted, "Basketball is a beautiful sport. There is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs. Angola!! FIBA should do something about that!" Afterward, Australia coach Andrej Lemanis "denied that Australia threw the game." He said, "We always, as Australians, compete the right way. People will make up their own minds. There's always going to be speculators. I can't control what people think" (SI, 9/4).
