Basketball

The USA vs Canada rivalry in ice hockey is real. It could've been the same thing in men's basketball, but the Canada men's basketball national team didn't live up to the hype until last year. 

Team Canada won the silver medal in the 1936 Olympics. their first and only medal in international basketball (prior to the 2023 FIBA World Cup). The Canadian team made their last Olympic appearance in 2000. (Steve Nash was a member of that vaunted group.) Canada never medaled in the FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup, or the FIBA World Championship, until the bronze-medal game in the 2023 FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup. They did it at the expense of the Americans. This rivalry between the two (North American) countries could've been one for the books. Team Canada made a breakthrough in Manila. Sort of. Team USA went home empty handed. 

The USA-Canada rivalry in men's basketball is real. (You can visit OKBet Sports - the leading sports betting platform.) The two teams played an exhibition game in Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday. It wasn't a rematch, but (basketball) fans would love a trash talk. (Popcorn!) And Dillon Brooks, who plays for the Houston Rockets, would stir the pot first. Hardly surprising. 

“Yeah, because there’s new USA players, you know, that spoke up after (the bronze-medal game), and wanted to play,” he said. “So, you know, I’m happy that they’re playing because, you know, we get to test our talents against theirs. And you know, it should be a fun one.”

Basketball fans wouldn't doubt Brooks's claims that  the  assembly of the A-team of Team USA began  after Canada made it to the medal podium (in Manila). And how the crowd in the Mall of Arena warmed up to Books.  (Filipino fans are diehard Lakers fans.)

USA has an encouraging start, but watch out for Canada

Canada men's basketball national team started the game with an 11-1 run, ending the first quarter with a seven-point lead over their North American neighbor. The highlight of the first quarter? LeBron James and Dillon Brooks getting chippy this early. (For those who aren't following the NBA closely, Dillon Brooks called LeBron James "old".)

It was a (typical) slow start for the Americans, but Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards brought off lots of energy off the bench, as he scored six (quick) points in the first few minutes of the second quarter. The Americans had their first lead, and they didn't look back. The Americans won their first exhibition game, an encouraging start (if fans were reminded that Team USA started their practice recently. Most fans bet on the Americans, and they were smart to do so. The Americans didn't play well at all, 

However, it's too early to tell if the US and Canada would meet in the finals on August 10, if not the US would dominate the men's tournament. committing 17 turnovers and looking disjointed at times. But the Americans managed to pull it off with a double-digit victory. It should reinforce the belief that the USA is favored over the rest of the field in Paris.

Kevin Durant sat out throughout this exhibition game. His calf strain wasn't serious, but Team USA coach Steve Kerr, and the rest of the Team USA staff, don't want to aggravate it. It's day-to-day with the strain, which could mean that the Phoenix Sun star won't be out of the woods this month. On the other hand, many fans noticed that Team Canada didn't have enough firepower to catch up with the Americans.

However, Canada coach Jordi Fernandez chose to rest the starters halfway in the final quarter. (Dwight Powell, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, & RJ Barrett were the starting five for Team Canada.) It was pretty obvious that Fernandez chose not to reveal all the cards at this stage of the competition. Too early? Yes. (For those who still think that the Americans would prevail one more time, think.)  As Brooks puts it:

“They’ve gotta guard. They’ve gotta play defense. That’s my main thing. Every team that has to play against us has to guard, has to scout against us. And we’re just going to play our game and make adjustments during the game.”

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry feels good about his team’s chances in Paris. 

"The things we can control," Curry said. "Our effort, our intensity, physicality. We've been talking about it since day one. Like LeBron said, we can work out the kinks and timing on offense, but if we compete like that and commit to playing defense, we'll be fine against anyone."

What's next?

USA will travel to Abu Dhabi, where the Americans will play against Australia on July 15 and then Serbia on July 17.  The US vs. Germany game, to be held on July 22, will be the last exhibition game for both teams. Canada, on the other side, will travel to Blois, France. Canada and (host team) France will face off on July 19. Canada will open their Olympic campaign against Greece on July 27 while the US will play Serbiz on July 28 (for their opener.)

There’s a possibility that the US and Canada will meet in the knockout round prior to the finals. Gold or no gold, the US vs. Canada game is the one to watch out for. And we think that Jordi Fernandez can find the way.

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