Canadians Enter Semifinals Trying to Exorcise FIBA Demons

The Canadian Senior Men's National Team is two games away from getting over the hump and qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics

Aaron Rose | Jul 3, 2021

FIBA

The Canadian Senior Men's Basketball Team has been here before. On paper, they're halfway through to the Tokyo Olympics, having toppled Greece and China in the opening round. Now in the semifinals, the path is clear: beat the Czechs on Saturday, win the finals on Sunday, and book a chartered flight to Tokyo.

If only it were quite that simple.

When Canada takes the court Saturday afternoon in the semifinals against the Czech Republic it'll be just the third time the team has played together. So far, they've been faster, deeper, and more skilled than their competition. Their switching and versatility did Greece in on Day 1 and their talent was far too much for the Chinese to hang with.

Now the talent level is going to get a lot better.

"This is a very experienced European team," Nurse said of the Czechs. "Most of them have great size like this, experience and shooting, and this team has all those three things."

These kinds of teams have traditionally been trouble for the Canadians. The Czechs and presumably the Turks in the finals are the kind of experienced groups that Canada has stumbled against in the past. In these games it's not so much about talent, it's about cohesion, something the Canadians are still lacking.

"I think we’re seeing a little bit more about how our team fits, the roles, what some guys are capable of, more things our team is capable of defensively, more things we’re capable of offensively, figuring out rotations as far as who’s in, who’s out, who fits together," Nurse said Friday. "I think we’ve come a long ways and still have a long way to go, if that makes any sense.”

The problem is that runway is getting shorter and shorter by the day and unlike in the NBA where talented teams can just run it back with a few minor tweaks here and there, the international game is far less forgiving. Lose now and it's so long, see you in a few years.

This team, whether it likes it or not, is carrying that burden. It's carrying the weight of two decades without a single Olympic appearance and an organization, Canada Basketball, that has come so far over that time but still hasn't been able to get over the hump and onto the world's biggest stage.

Less than a week ago, before the tournament began, Cory Joseph was asked what it would mean to finally make it to Tokyo. He, more than anyone else on the team, has been through the journey of the past few years. He's been on those teams that have come up short time and time again.

"It would mean a lot," he said. "I've been at this for a long time. I started about 14, 15 years ago with the younger team, 10 years ago with the senior team. Been trying to get there ever since. So it would mean a lot for us to make it, for sure. I think it would mean a lot for our country. I think our country is kinda thirsty for it. I'm definitely thirsty for it."

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