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George calls Australia 'a little dirty' after scrappy U.S. victory

David Banks / USA TODAY Sports / REUTERS

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The Australian men's national team may have failed to pull off the upset in their contest with Team USA on Wednesday, but they certainly made an impression on the Americans during the hard-fought showdown.

The Aussies appeared to get in the head of their opponents straight from tipoff, leading U.S. wing Paul George to call out the Boomers for their edgy play following the game.

"We knew we were going to get their best," George said, according to Tony Harper of Fox Sports Australia. "It was an adjustment for us. The game kind of got out of hand early with the physical play."

It didn't take long for George's frustrations to show, as the Indiana Pacers forward picked up a technical foul early in the first quarter following an altercation with Australia's Matthew Dellavedova.

"We knew that coming in - this team has a knack for being a little dirty," George said.

And while the Boomers played with a scrappy attitude, Australian center Andrew Bogut warned his opponents of his team's intentions entering the contest, stating that Australia would "need to be pricks defensively" to succeed.

The States eventually adjusted to Australia's level of physicality, outscoring their opponent by 15 in the second half to earn the 98-88 victory.

"We just had to match their physicality," George added. "That’s what we had to do. That’s the only way a team is going to get us out of our comfort zone is to muddy the game, doing little stuff to get to us."

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