The Canadian Olympic contingent at the Paris Olympics has been on a roll, showing a full range of firsts and bests across various events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, moving past their Rio Olympic medal tally on just Day 9. Next up is their men’s basketball team, with their goal of reaching the top four for the first time since 1984
As Canada returned to Olympic basketball after an absence of more than a decade, its offensive firepower was on full display. With three consecutive wins, the team faces the host, France, making their fifth quarter-final appearance. The match would be a clash of two styles between Canada’s wings and France’s big men.
Team Canada has officially clinched their spot in the quarterfinals. 🇨🇦
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 31, 2024
The Canadian men’s basketball team is currently undefeated in the tournament.
They join France and Germany as the only teams to have clinched the quarterfinals thus far, with the USA and South Sudan eyeing… pic.twitter.com/dbvW3e2Q1p
Hitting the tabloids way before their first basket, as the team with most NBA players on a non-American Olympic roster with eight, an upgrade from 2000, which had only two, it will be a key match for Canada on Tuesday.
“I think we’ve played with a Game 7 mentality because we’ve played in the toughest pool in the Olympics,” Jordi Fernandez told the Canadian Press. “Even though it was not truly Game 7 … we also knew that these teams are so good that we cannot relax,” he added.
“We are more prepared than other teams with big leads. We haven’t had those big leads and even if we sometimes had it, those teams were so competitive that they returned. I like where we’re at. I believe that this group of death, like lots of people (called it), will help us be more prepared.”
“We know what the next round entails,” Canada’s top athlete in 2023, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, told the Canadian Press. “You know it’ll be a good team on the other end of it, no matter who it is. Nobody to be taken lightly. That’s why we came, to play the best in the world and try and beat them.”
The team had caught up to the 25-year gap to the quarterfinal game, but a difficult quarterfinal game against France was next up.
Canada’s dominance at the court in Paris 2024 Olympics
After winning the bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup in 2023, the Canadians seem to be on the rise. And this impressive run has culminated in a highly anticipated gold medal for the team at the Paris Olympics.
Canada’s opening match against Greece was a headbolt performance. Gilgeous-Alexander dished out seven assists for a seven-point win. Though the match had its ups and downs hindering Canada’s defense, a couple of triples were all they needed to win.
Advancing to their match against Australia, which looked tough as they faced a team that has made 15 appearances so far. However, they led the entire time and won by 10 points and looked like the much better team. Thanks to Canada’s star player, Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 16 points and took a leap for the team. Besides saving the day, he allowed his teammates to play the primary scoring roles and only shot when necessary.
Entering the final group stage against Spain, the team shouldered more of an offensive load than the previous two matches. Knowing the need for the win, they won with the lowest margin of 3 scores. Given the fact that it was against three-time Olympic silver medalists, it seemed fair.
Chalking up their win over the three matches, Canada topped Group A, averaging 89 points per game. As they prepare to face the French, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort must come out firing to silence the home crowd and secure a podium spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Keep an eye out for more updates on WSG.
