Also in the knockout round: RJ Barrett and Canada
The knockout round of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament is now set and here we go!
Quarterfinals
Semifinals are Aug 8 and the medal round is next Saturday.
The US might have caught a bit of a break with Brazil. We haven’t seen them play but Brazil’s greatest era was with Oscar Schmidt and he retired in 2003. Brazil has had some good players over the years and as we have seen in the Olympics, unity can beat talent. It’s a tough matchup for the Brazilians.
If the US does in fact advance, they’ll get the winner of Serbia vs. Australia. Any team with Nikola Jokic is a threat but the Australians have mastered a beautiful brand of basketball too.
On the other side of the bracket, Germany gets Greece and while Greece has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Germany is undefeated and Greece is 1-2. As great as Antetokounmpo is, he can’t do it alone so we’d expect Germany to advance.
Canada vs. France is really interesting: Canada lacks size while France lacks guards. That’s shorthand obviously but you get the idea. Victor Wembanyama is a wonderful weapon but someone needs to get him the ball. Conversely, someone needs to guard him when he does get it.
Fascinating game. If the US falls short, we’re pulling for RJ Barrett and Canada.
Right now we’d bet on the US, Germany and Canada to advance and we don’t have a great feel yet for the Serbian-Australian tiff. It’s very hard to go against the Joker though. That guy has emerged as not just a superb talent but an historical one. Say this for the Aussies though: they play together as well as any team in the field.
*****
South Sudan is going home of course and Khaman Maluach is heading back to Durham soon. No one on the Bright Stars is happy though.
Why?
Because coach Royal Ivey and federation president and Brotherhood member Luol Deng thought they referees stuck it to South Sudan in the final game against Serbia.
The Serbs won 96-85 and did so with 31 free throw attempts to just six for the Bright Stars.
Ivey called it a “travesty.” Deng said it was “deliberate.” He also feels there is a sense that African players are “aggressive.”
And he also said this: “I don’t know why there’s no African referees in the Olympics. It’s 2024. If we’re representing the continent, then we’ve got to be represented fully. That’s something that we’ve got to keep working on. But if these referees aren’t familiar with our game, with our style, then I don’t know what the world championship or the Olympics is. Is it just a European basketball style and we’re not allowed to be aggressive?”
We didn't see enough of his team to talk about the aggressiveness or the foul discrepancy, but how can you disagree with having African referees? Makes perfect sense.
As far as things go, South Sudan made quite a statement. They were not in Paris just to be there. Those guys came to play and to win.
More importantly, their country is struggling to put the war behind them and people could use something to rally around. They’ve brought hope back, in other words.
If they keep working, they’re going to do much better next time out. And we should point out that by 2028, Maluach will be 21 and much more seasoned. The rise for this team is still happening.
And don’t overlook the kids who watched the Bright Stars and are now starting to pick up basketballs themselves. A brilliant foundation was laid for South Sudan this summer and they now have the option to really expand. We’ll be pulling for them.
