They had the second shortest odds behind USA Basketball to capture gold in Paris. They sent the most NBA players in program history to compete at the Olympic Games. They went a perfect 3-0 in pool play heading into the quarterfinals, but on Tuesday none of that mattered as the team fell 82-73 to France, ending their Olympic journey earlier than anticipated.
Canada’s star studded roster came out flat against the host French side, trailing 23-10 after the 1st quarter of play, and watching helplessly as that lead ballooned to 16pts at the half.
While France saw breakout games from Guerschon Yabusele (who scored 22pts) and Isaia Cordinier (20pts), Canada’s usually reliable offence struggled throughout to get into any kind of rhythm.
Dillon Brooks shot 1-9 from the field, finishing with with 2 points on the night. Jamal Murray went 3-13 in a wildly ineffective 7 point performance, and the rest of the Canadian bench only managed to produce 9 points combined in a game that Canada couldn’t seem to make closer than a two possession game at any point at Bercy Arena.
“It just makes me want to give back on the court, really this is all they’re asking from us. Every game, every gym is packed,” Victor Wembanyama told CBC reporters after the game. “The least we can do is give 200 per cent on the court. I think it’s also what it was about today, it’s the first time we’ve been so strong for 40 minutes.”
While Wembanyama may have been held in check offensively, his 12 rebounds and 3 steals gave the Canadian side fits when they crossed half court. Several times on Tuesday the Canucks were forced to pass out of the paint, opting to reset their offence rather than meet Wemby at the rim.
It was a theme that played out possession after possession as the Canadians had no answers for France’s length on both sides of the court.
While few will argue that Canada sent its deepest roster ever to compete for a medal in Paris this year, missing key pieces such as Andrew Wiggins and Zach Edey to forces outside of their control ultimately hurt the team when faced with a larger front court.
The Canadians can take solace in knowing that the program has taken tremendous strides in a short period of time, and still have a very bright future ahead. However, given the hype surrounding the team since they qualified for the Olympics, and the lack of medals from either the Women’s 3×3 team or Canadian Women’s National Team, hoops fans north of the border can be excused for feeling disappointed on how this summer ultimately played out.
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