Mikal Bridges’ perfect missed free throw sent USA-Canada to OT in the FIBA World Cup, but the Americans still lost.
USA Basketball’s run in the 2023 men’s FIBA World Cup was already a failure after losing to Germany in the semifinals, but the program had a chance to save face a bit in a high-profile third-place game against Canada.
Canada beat the United States, 127-118 in overtime, to complete the American basketball humiliation at the World Cup. The loss meant the U.S. finished fourth in the tournament, and with a 5-3 overall record. While this was one of the youngest and least experienced USA Basketball squads in recent memory, it’s still a painful outcome that puts even more pressure on the program at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The United States needed a big fourth quarter rally just to force OT. The game-tying shot came off a wild sequence that ended in a three-pointer from Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges. Bridges was at the free throw line with Canada leading by three points with about four seconds left. He missed his last foul line, recovered the loose ball, sprinted to the corner, and fired a majestic three-pointer to sank through the net to tie the game. Watch the play here:
Every angle of Mikal Bridges' shot that sent it to overtime. Tell a friend.#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/TRWx563FRp
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 (@FIBAWC) September 10, 2023
That ball couldn’t have taken a luckier bounce. The way it came off the rim allowed Bridges to scoop it up and get off a good luck at a three to tie the game. This could have been a defining moment for USA Basketball, but instead it was washed by the fact that it took place in the third place game, and the U.S. still lost.
Dillon Brooks was the star of the game for Canada, finishing with 39 points on 7-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Brooks’ jump shot looked broken at the end of last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. If he can really shoot like this, the Houston Rockets might have found a steal, even for $80 million. Watch full USA-Canada highlights here:
Germany won the World Cup by defeating Serbia, 83-77, in the final.
The U.S. needs to look in the mirror and address the problems with the program after such a disappointing World Cup run. It starts with getting more size in the front court.
