LILLE (France) - We told you Group A was the group of death at the Olympics. Canada advanced with a perfect record, while Greece, Australia and Spain ended up in a three-way tie which put the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 champs at the bottom.
Canada defeated them 88-85 in the last game of Group A, confirming once again they are a legit medal contender here.
Turning point
Canada opened up 14-point lead in this one, but Spain had a clutch run in them, cutting the gap down to 80-77 with 2:22 on the clock, thanks to Dario Brizuela's offensive impulse from the bench. Brizuela even had a chance to tie it with 1:10 to play, but his three-pointer bounced off the rim.
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed one on the other end, and fouled Alex Abrines after the shot. The Spanish shooting guard made it 82-80 with 52 seconds left on the game clock.
With SGA and Andrew Nembhard fueling the offense for most of the game, you'd expect Canada to go back to them once more in the next possession. You'd be wrong.
RJ Barrett was the man of the hour, hitting a gigantic three-pointer from the left corner after Shai drove to the basket and passed it to him to make it 85-80 with 38.8 seconds to play, just enough to secure the win and eliminate Spain, even though Sergio Llull's three-pointer made it a one-point game with 2.7 to play.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander iced the game from the free throw line, and Llull's halfcourt attempt did not drop as time expired.
Game hero
There's a reason RJ Barrett is in the MVP race.
The forward wasn't as good in this one as in the previous two games, but it was his big shot that saved the day for coach Jordi Fernandez.
Barrett finished with 16 points and Canada were a +12 team with him on the floor. That was a team-high for Canada in the +/- department.
Stats don't lie
Canada's pressure on the defensive end is just too tough. Spain committed 15 turnovers, allowing Canada to storm through for a 21-6 advantage in points from turnovers.
Bottom line
The closest of all groups deserved the closest of all finishes. While Canada knew they were through no matter what, their 3-0, +20 record could give them an easier draw in the Quarter-Finals.
With them surviving the last comeback, it was actually Australia celebrating the most, as the Boomers now not only advanced, but claimed second spot in the group, too.
Spain dropped to fourth and will not make it to the Quarter-Finals of the Olympic games for the first time in 24 years.
They said
"Handled our business, did what we're supposed to do. We're a good group of players and we play hard together whoever we're up against. On to the next one, whoever is next, we'll prepare, practice and get ready for another battle." - Dillon Brooks, Canada
Gold? Absolutely - Shai
"Absolutely. Don't wanna lose. 6-0." - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answering if Canada are here to win gold
"We found a way. When you don't have experience in this type of games and you don't know what this type of games mean, the only way to get experience is going through it. Now we have a group of guys that have gone through the World Cup, now the Olympics, and I think right now our experience is taking us to the next level. Very happy with my group, guys played in this pool that was extremely competitive, being 3-0 is a great accomplishment." - Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez
Extremely proud - Coach Scariolo
"I'm extremely proud of the unbelievable effort of this team. We were far away in the predictions, we were far away in the physicality, and the physical potential, but we found a way to compete until the very end. Unfortunately we got hurt, with two of our most important players Rudy Fernandez and Santi Aldama in bad physical condition, and it showed obviously during the game, but we always stayed in the game." - Spain head coach Sergio Scariolo
"Every championship is a continuation and every championship is a new beginning. We will not start from scratch. We have already a clear plan in front of us, of course we need to get feedback from the players, because you always need to check up on them, who wants to continue, who wants to not continue. Normally, with this team, players are so committed, they want to continue. We already have players in this team born after 2000, already in full rotation, we have a few more coming." - Scariolo not worried about the future of the Spanish national team
Quick notes
Canada won their third consecutive game at the Olympics, matching their second-best start to the tournament as they also won three games to start the 2000 Olympics
Spain allowed 49 points in the first half, after already allowing 49 points against Australia. Before that, they had only had three such games in the 21st century, all against the United States
Canada dished out 21 assists, the most since they had 27 against China in 1984
Andrew Nembhard had 18 points off the bench, no Canadian player has had more than 8 points off the bench in the previous two games
Dario Brizuela had 17 points after combining for five points in Spain's previous two games
FIBA