CAREERS in elite sport - good and bad - are all about timing and Boomers coach Brian Goorjian is the first to admit he's been "blessed that way."
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It's what the six-time NBL championship-winner said when it was announced that he would be returning to Australia to coach Illawarra this season after 12 years away.
It was a move that took many, including himself, by surprise but a return to the national team coaching gig came even further from left field.
No one expected then-Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown, who was appointed with much fanfare, to resign without coaching a game.
A two-time Olympian as a coach, Goorjian happened to be back in town, in part due to the global pandemic. Now he's coaching the Boomers at a postponed games in Tokyo.
He'd be the first to say it's not about him (and unlike a lot of other coaches of his ilk, he means it) but, for the most decorated coach in Australian basketball history, a ninth (in London) and seventh (in Beijing) just doesn't sit right.
More than that, his third crack at the Games comes with undoubtedly the most talent-stacked Boomers team he's ever had at his disposal.
Good enough for a breakthrough first Olympic medal more than half a century in the making?
Who knows, but it got off to a strong start against Nigeria on Sunday night, with Aussie team flag-bearer Patty Mills inspiring a first-up victory.
Mills finished with 25 points at 5-8 from deep, six assists and four steals as his side turned a three-point halftime lead into an 84-67 win to go top of Group B.
Now in his fourth Olympics, it was the performance of a man also conscious of how golden the Boomers medal chances are this time around.
Dante Exum got going in the third term to finish with 11 points, Joe Ingles also had 11, while Mattise Thybulle finished with nine points and six steals.
It was a tight first-up showing from both teams, with 15 turnovers in the first quarter alone, though Mills was hot early, grabbing eight first-term points.
A steal and slam from Thybulle took a 19-12 lead and forced Nigeria coach Mike Brown into a timeout. It had the desired effect, with Nigeria dropping three triples on an 11-4 run to close the term and lock the score at 23 apiece.
The back and forth continued in the second term, the Boomers lead going out to five on a deep three from Ingles, while Mills had a pair of triples either side of halftime for a nine-point cushion early in the third.
It was part of a 10-2 run in the crucial quarter, with only a shot-clock malfunction slowing the Aussies up. They finished the quarter up 58-52 ahead, with Dante Exum upping the tempo and taking his tally to 11 points.
Thybulle and Mills hit from the perimeter for an eight-point lead midway through the fourth and went out to 10 on an unsportsmanlike foul on Chimezie Metu that saw Dellevadova go two of two from the line and keep possession.
Mills nailing his fifth three to take the match beyond Nigeria's reach as the lead ballooned to 17 by the final horn.
"There's a lot of things we can improve on and fix up, we'll go watch the film, recover and get ready for the next one,'' Ingles said post-game.
"We need to be better with the ball but have to give a lot of credit to Nigeria and the way they play. That's their style - they're up and in, they're athletic, they get up the floor and they've got a great coach.
"I think people underestimate the team they are, they're a really good basketball team."
It's the Boomers second win over Nigeria in as many weeks, having beaten them in an impressive pre-tournament warm-up campaign that also saw wins over Argentina and USA.
The Boomers will now face Italy on Wednesday and then Germany on Saturday as the Group stages continue, the former having beaten the latter 92-82 on Sunday.