Basketball

Canada returnes to Olympics and won – barely – against Team Greece

Published

4 months ago

July 27, 2024

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On the first Saturday of the Summer Olympics, there was Canadian angst, Canadian celebration, and a little of both in a basketball win that didn’t leave a great first impression.

This was the beginning for Summer McIntosh, ostensibly the end for the women’s soccer team and in between a reason to get excited and to doubt the first Olympic men’s basketball game in 24 years.

In other words, Canada was all over the place — with no real hope left for the penalized soccer team, a fine beginning for young Summer the Swimmer and a gulp, a win, barely, by Team Canada, the basketball team with all this talent and after Saturday too much reason for doubt.

Team Canada barely hung on for an 86-79 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Team Greece and in so many ways looked like a team that wasn’t particularly well prepared, smart or organized or on top of their skills — especially considering the expectations of this group heading into the Games.

The win was a win. That was all right. It wasn’t a lot better than all right. Three Canadians — Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Dwight Powell — all fouled out. Jamal Murray, the NBA champion, wasn’t particularly sharp for Canada. The brilliant Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander had a decent game, especially late, but nothing close to what he’s capable of.

Maybe only RJ Barrett played to the level expected of him — and for Canada to be a factor in this tournament, it is going to have a play a whole lot better than Jordy Fernandez’s team played against Greece.

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Late in a very close game, a game that shouldn’t have been this close, Murray missed an open three and SGA missed an open three and then Murray missed another one. Three open missed in a row.

This team will go as far as Murray and SGA carry them. On the first Olympic Canadian basketball game in 24 years, they will need their better players to be better throughout the round robin and if possible, into the playoffs.

The basketball win felt a little like a loss, which has already stung the Canadian soccer team earlier in the day. It was one thing that coach Bev Priestman was sent home, her assistants sent home before her for cheating, but Canada was docked six points in the tournament, but the players were being penalized for what their coaches did and that they had nothing to do with.

The players deserved a better fate. The coaches and Canada Soccer did not. These kids trained years to get ready to defend their gold medal and they get kicked, not by their opposition but by their own.

The sting of that would have been even worse had Canada lost to Greece in basketball. It would have felt worse. The score was 80-78 Canada with just over a minute to go. And Greece only scored one more point and Gilgeous-Alexander hit a few baskets late that gave him 21 points for the night, about 10 less than he scores most NBA nights.

The win at least ties Canada with Australia in their pool after the first day of competition. The second game will see Canada play Australia. The winner of that game will obviously advance to the playoff round.

The silver medal for McIntosh in the 400 metre freestyle was a victory all its own. She wasn’t expected to win gold. Silver was a bonus of sports with the legendary Katie Ledecky swimming in the same race finishing third. McIntosh got her first taste of what is likely to be a haul of medals for the Canadian teenager who was beaten by the world record holder Ariadne Titmus of Australia.

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Canada now has one medal, maybe a shot at basketball medals if things get better for Team Canada, and no shot of a medal at all in women’s soccer, where gold was won four years ago under the cheat, coach Priestman.

The penalty imposed by FIFA fines Canada some $226,000 and basically suspends Priestman for a year. The suspension will be for much more than a year unofficially. If she ever coaches a Canadian team again, it will be too soon. And really, she owes an enormous explanation to the players she brought to Paris – who had their tournament stolen from them, while doing nothing wrong themselves.

For Canada to get better on the basketball side, coach Jordi Fernandez is going to need to get more out of Murray, more out of his defensive wizards Brooks and Dort, who got four fouls way too early, and even convincing SGA to play a little more selfishly in victory.

The rain fell on Canadians at Roland Garros Saturday where Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu and Felix Auger-Aliassime waited to play tennis most of the day but wound up rained out.

A rain out at tennis. A force out in soccer. Barely a win in basketball. And Summer being Summer in the pool. The Olympics is always about great and awful, emotion and trepidation.

This was Day 1 in Paris. Can’t wait for Day 2.

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