Another Shocking Loss For USA, And Bronze Goes To Canada
Brooks scored 39 points.
The Americans were shorthanded for the bronze-medal match, and Canada sent them home empty-handed from the World Cup.
On Sunday, Canada won the bronze medal in a men’s basketball tournament for the first time in 87 years by defeating the United States 127-118 in the World Cup third-place game. Dillon Brooks scored 39 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 12 assists, and Canada overcame a miraculous effort from Mikal Bridges to force overtime.
Canada (6-2) advanced to 2-21 all-time versus the United States in senior men’s FIBA games thanks to RJ Barrett‘s 23 points. The lone prior victory occurred in a match lacking several prominent NBA players at a FIBA Americas event in 2005. In this match, the United States had all 12 players from the league, while Canada had seven players on its squad.
However, three American players, Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Brandon Ingram, could not participate because of sickness. Austin Reaves scored 23 points, Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, and Bridges scored 19 points to lead the Americans (5-3) in scoring.
When the United States was down by four with 4.2 seconds remaining and needed a miracle, Bridges pulled off an incredible play in the waning seconds of regulation. He, therefore, made a delivery.
He successfully executed the first of his two free throw attempts, purposefully missed the second, and chased down the rebound as it swung into the right corner. Bridges grabbed the ball from just inside the 3-point line, turned, and fired.
Swish. With 0.6 seconds remaining, the game was tied. The game went into overtime tied at 111-111 after Kelly Olynyk came close to winning it for Canada on the last regulation play with a 30-footer that struck the back iron as time expired.
Nevertheless, Canada didn’t back down, always leading the extra session. It’s finished now. The Americans have yet again failed in the World Cup. With less than a year to prepare for the Paris Games and the pursuit of a fifth straight Olympic gold medal, they finished fourth in Manila after finishing seventh in China four years before. They also lost three of their final four games in China.
Once more, there was not enough defense. A U.S. team surrendered at least 100 points thrice during this competition, a first for an Olympic or World Cup squad. The Americans lost all three of their games in Manila.
The only previous time Canada won a medal in a competition of this size, such as the World Cup or Olympics, was in 1936 when it fell to the United States 19-8 in the gold medal game at the Berlin Games. That final was played outside in a downpour on a clay court that day, possibly more suited for a slip-and-slide.
