LILLE, France – Improvement was the shared message after Canada’s men’s basketball team earned its first win at the Olympics.
The seventh-ranked Canadians topped No. 14 Greece 86-79 on Saturday in the group-stage opener. The Canadians never trailed but there were a few moments where Greece chipped at the lead enough to make it a one- or two-possession game, especially down the stretch.
Canada next faces fifth-ranked Australia — the reigning Olympic bronze medallists — on Tuesday.
“We know we can be better, we can play better throughout 40 minutes,” Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez said Saturday. “But you’ve got to take it in a tournament like this, and in a group like the one that we have. We’re going to face Australia, one of the best programs in the world, so we’re happy with a win.”
Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Saturday that Canada “did a lot of things well.”
“We were the aggressors for most of the game, especially in the first half,” he said. “Just closing the game a little bit better defensively. Offensively we got good looks down the stretch, we just didn’t make them.”
Canada and Australia currently sit at the top of Group A, also known as the “Group of Death” at the Games. The Aussies defeated No. 2 Spain 92-80 on Saturday.
“It’s a tough one. But I think at the end of the day, that just helps you prepare for what’s coming after,” Fernandez said of playing in a difficult group. “I think that when you survive a group like this, it just makes you better.
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“It happened last year (at the FIBA World Cup). We were playing France. We had no experience. Spain, Latvia, Brazil, and I think coming out of that group just helped us prepare for the tournament. And I believe in this case right now in the Olympics, it’s going to be very similar.”
Both Canada and Australia qualified for the Olympics at last summer’s World Cup, but with results that were in stark contrast of each other.
Australia qualified as the top-ranked Oceania team at the tournament but suffered an underwhelming second-round exit. Meanwhile, Canada put the world on notice by winning its first-ever World Cup medal with bronze.
Australia, the first country from outside the Americas and Europe to win a medal in men’s basketball, is looking to rebound from its World Cup effort. Canada is looking to earn its second Olympic medal and first since the 1936 Berlin Games.
While Greece presented a challenge with superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 34 points, Australia brings something different with its fast-paced offence and a tough backcourt led by Patty Mills and Josh Giddey.
Giddey feels if the Aussies can stick to their game, they’ll be a difficult matchup for anybody.
“Once we got back to playing together, unselfish basketball, we looked unstoppable,” he said after the win over Spain. “I think we’ve just got to try to minimize the lapses that we have and this team’s going to be a tough team to beat.”
Despite the challenge Australia presents, it can play into Canada’s strength from a matchup perspective, especially if the Canadians can remain disciplined on both ends.
The majority of Canada’s talent lies on the perimeter, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett and Dillon Brooks offensively. Canada pairs its offensive prowess with strong on-ball pressure defensively — something Fernandez was pleased with against Greece.
Although Murray didn’t have a starry performance, Barrett and Brooks scored 23 and 14 points, respectively, to go along with Gilgeous-Alexander’s 21, which included seven of Canada’s final 13 points to seal the win.
“We know Canada’s got a lot of talent, they’re a very good team,” Giddey said Saturday. “Tough team but we’re looking forward to it.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey have plenty of familiarity with one another as teammates with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder the last three years.
“It’ll go both ways,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Obviously we spent a lot of years in the backcourt playing together.
“I know his game like the back of my hand and I’m sure he knows mine the same way, so it’ll be a fun matchup.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press