Canadian Men’s Olympic run comes to an early end

Canada’s hopes of reaching the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games were cut short after Team Canada was eliminated in the Quarterfinals by France, 82-73.

After going 3-0 against fierce competition in the group stage to open the Olympics, Team Canada emerged from Group A looking like one of the more dangerous teams and a real threat to the Americans.

Even before the tournament, a lot was expected from this Canadian team. Full of NBA talent, it was easily one of the deepest and best rosters Canada has had in world competition. However, standing in the way of Canada and a spot on the podium was a daunting path of single-game elimination play.

Canada’s draw to open the knockout round was host nation France. Throughout the group stage, France struggled against Brazil and Japan and lost in blowout fashion to Germany. Even with the likes of Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and other experienced, skilled NBA and international players on their roster, Canada entered the game favored to win.

Canada struggles to recover from early deficit

In the single-game elimination format of the Olympics, every quarter, every possession, is crucial with so much on the line. Canada knew they were certainly in for a tough challenge in the Quarterfinals against Team France.

In an NBA Game 7 atmosphere, Team France used the home crowd to their advantage early on, getting off to a hot start to open the game. Knocking down threes and using their size to dominate defensively, France jumped out to a quick 23-10 lead after the first quarter.

Canada found a bit more offense in the second quarter; however, France’s lead grew to 16 by halftime. Team France dominated with their size early and often. Canada struggled to contain France without fouling, resulting in France going to the line for 25 free throws in the first half, compared to Canada’s 8.

Cutting France’s lead to as close as five points in the fourth quarter, Team Canada fought hard throughout the second half to get back into the game and continue their Olympic run. Timely shots and offensive rebounds by the French in the clutch ultimately sealed the deal as they advanced to the semifinals to take on Germany.

Despite having a great roster with tons of talent, Canada’s Olympic run came to an early end.

Foul trouble hurts core players down the stretch

Throughout group play, Team Canada found success on the defensive side of the basketball. Even with smaller lineups, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Dwight Powell, and the rest of the team did a great job with team defense and playing through their size disadvantages. However, Canada did find themselves in foul trouble in their first three contests. They were able to rely on their depth, which often helped them get through stretches of games when Dillon or Lu got into early foul trouble.

Unfortunately, against France, Canada had a very hard time playing the defense they wanted without fouling. This resulted in France shooting 42 free throws, almost double the amount that Canada shot. With that, France was often in the bonus early in the quarters. This really slowed the game down in France’s favour. Canada was not able to play in transition or as fast as they were used to in such a slow-paced, stop-and-start type of game.

A lot of Canada’s foul trouble in this game specifically was due to their lack of size. This affected them at times earlier throughout the tournament against Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example, but France’s size was different.

With the ability to use multiple centers, France was always able to play much bigger than Canada, even with Gobert in limited minutes and Wembanyama getting into some early foul trouble. As gifted defenders as Dort and Brooks are, it is very difficult to defend 7-foot Victor Wembanyama, or any center, without fouling for an entire game.

Could not get into an offensive rhythm

RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Team Canada in the group stage of the tournament. Canada’s depth shone as well at times throughout these games with Brooks and Dort hitting timely threes, and contributions off the bench from Andrew Nembhard. However, in Canada’s biggest spot, the offense just could not get into any sort of rhythm throughout most of the game. Making only 5 of 21 three-point attempts, France’s defense, anchored by Wembanyama, caused problems for Canada in the paint and on the perimeter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did all he could to will Canada back into the game, finishing with a tournament-high 27 points. RJ Barrett was efficient in the loss as well, scoring 16 points on 55% shooting.

Unfortunately, nobody else could really get going for Canada in this sloppy, low-scoring affair. Nembhard, who had been huge for Canada off the bench, couldn’t find a bucket in 14 minutes. Brooks had an uncharacteristically tough night shooting, going just 1 for 9 with 2 points, and Jamal Murray’s Olympic struggles continued, shooting 3 for 13.

Team France is a very experienced team with some of the best defenders in the world in Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. The increased defensive intensity that single-elimination game atmospheres bring out took a toll on Team Canada’s offense, resulting in the lowest team total Canada had all tournament.

Looking ahead to a bright future for this program

Winning a bronze medal last summer at the FIBA World Cup, this group faced elevated pressure and embraced the expectations that their success had brought. Unfortunately, Team Canada came up short, getting knocked out early and missing out on the opportunity to come home with a medal.

That being said, this group and their fans have a lot to be happy with. In their return to the Olympic Games in Paris, this team brought Canadian basketball fans together again, and made their country proud.

With three very impressive wins and a battle with France that ultimately came down to Evan Fournier’s late miracle three-pointer, there is a lot to look forward to for Canadian basketball.

This young group will be able to use their experiences from these Olympics moving forward in international play and get better. Team Canada showed a lot of promise in Paris this year, and it will be exciting to watch this young group grow more comfortable with each other as they continue their journey in international play.