Canada's Olympic Hopes Dashed in Devastating Loss to France

A disastrous first half for Canada proved too much to overcome as the senior men's team bowed out of the Olympics with a first-round loss to France

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canada guard Jamal Murray (4) looks on in the second quarter against USA in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

It’s over.

Canada came to the Paris Olympics with the most talented basketball roster in program history. It was a roster that seemed destined for a podium spot alongside the United States.

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Canada’s roster boasted 10 current NBA players including the league’s runner up-for MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Eight players returned from Canada’s bronze-medal winning World Cup team last summer.

And yet, the Olympics come with no second chances.

One disastrous showing against France has ended Canada’s medal hopes thanks to an 82-73 loss Tuesday afternoon in Paris.

This was always the fear for the Canadians in their first Olympics since the 2000 Sydney games. The program had almost everything, but when the stage was the biggest, Canada's lack of Olympic experience proved costly in the first do-or-die game of the tournament.

Save for five minutes of stellar play from Gilgeous-Alexander in the second quarter, Canada looked completely out of sorts in the first half. There was no dribble penetration early as Canada attempted six of its first seven shots from three-point range, afraid to challenge Victor Wembanyama inside.

When the Canadians did get to the hoop, they got there without a plan. Far too often Canadian players found themselves indecisive in the air, forcing up bad shot attempts or making kick-out passes to nobody.

It looked like the lights were too bright for Canada against the host country

The poise that had carried the Canadians through the opening stage and a perfect 3-0 record in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ disappeared. They fouled three-point shooters, committed silly turnovers, and were bullied in the paint by France’s sturdy big men.

A pair of pull-up threes from Isaïa Cordinier allowed France to jump ahead by double digits in the first quarter as Canada mustered just 10 points in the first 10 minutes.

Canada only briefly found a groove going against Rudy Gobert who France opted to move away from, bringing the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year off the bench for just four minutes Tuesday.

A tip-in from Khem Birch in the third quarter allowed Canada to pull within seven after Gilgeous-Alexander racked up nine of his 27 points in the third quarter, single-handedly willing Canada back into the game.

But nobody seemed capable of joining Gilgeous-Alexander.

Murray’s Olympics were marred by injury and disappointing showings. He mustered just seven points on 3-for-13 shooting against France and coughed up the ball in crunch time for his third turnover of the night.

A three-pointer from RJ Barrett, who had 16 points against France, pulled Canada within six, but Gilgeous-Alexander missed consecutive free throws and France wouldn’t go away.

Canada’s Achilles' heel, a lack of size in the frontcourt, proved the biggest problem. A pair of offensive rebounds by the French in the final two minutes allowed France to kill nearly a minute off the game clock before a heave from Evan Fournier near halfcourt ended Canada’s tournament.

The loss ends Canada's first Olympics in nearly a quarter century and with it the hopes for a podium spot in men's basketball have disappeared. But even in defeat, Canada showed this basketball program is one of the world's best and four year's from now Canada should be right back competing in Los Angeles.