Nearly 100 years after its last medal, men's basketball in Canada finally has its own Dream Team
CBC
Midway through the second quarter of last Sunday's final pre-Olympic tune-up, with Canada leading Puerto Rico by five points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker took a handoff from teammate Trey Lyles and calculated his choices on the fly.
In a split-second Alexander-Walker, a sixth man for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a key component of Canada's attack, had reached the right elbow — that spot, about 18 feet from the basket, where the free throw line meets the top of the lane. From there, he could pull up for a jump shot, or turn the corner and drive to the hoop.
Right then you couldn't blame a casual viewer, eyes fixed on the man with the ball, for losing sight of Lyles. Puerto Rico's defenders certainly didn't notice him advancing to a spot deep in the lane, just to the left of the basket, where a pass might arrive. At that same moment, Alexander-Walker chose option three, a bounce pass into an empty space where he expected Lyles to materialize.
Lyles, a 6-foot-9 power forward who averaged 20 minutes a game with the Sacramento Kings last season, arrived on time, grabbed the pass, and banked the ball off the glass and through the hoop to put Canada ahead 32-25 in a game they would eventually win 103-93.
Two players with NBA pedigree and deep-rooted familiarity, and the flawless execution that follows when those two factors come together.
Last summer Canada won bronze at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, qualifying for Paris along the way. This summer they'll end Canada's 24-year absence from the Olympic men's basketball tournament, and enter the competition in a unique position — newcomers with unfinished business.
WATCH | Team Canada eyeing Olympic gold, not just a podium finish:
Canada's men's team last reached an Olympic podium in 1936 when they won a silver medal. Their best results since then — fourth place at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, and again in Los Angeles in 1984. And their most recent Olympic entry came in 2000, when a team led by Steve Nash reached the quarterfinals before losing by five points to France, the eventual silver medallists.
Canada's draw in Paris can charitably be described as tough. After Saturday's opener against Greece loom showdowns with Australia, currently No. 5 in FIBA's men's rankings, and Spain, who rank second. But every other team in that group also faces an uphill climb to the quarterfinals, especially since their path to the knockout stage goes through seventh-ranked Canada.
For this group, a podium finish isn't just a hope. It's a realistic goal.
"We built a chemistry, a connection," said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder who finished second in NBA MVP voting this past season. "We're prepared for this opportunity. We can for sure feel it."
WATCH | Canada defeats Puerto Rico on Olympic tune-up:
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After dispatching Argentina 87-80 to even their record at 1-1, Canada moved forward at the 1992 Tournament of The Americas needing to win their third game if they hoped to advance to the final four and earn a berth at the Olympics in Barcelona. Their lineup for that pivotal third game featured Leo Rautins, a pioneering Canadian NBA player, and Bill Wennington, who would later win three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. They were standout players on a roster heavy on intangibles like experience, hustle and national pride.
