LILLE (France) - The old adage goes: offense wins games, defense wins championships.
Well, if that holds true, Canada have good chances of heading home with the gold medal from the Paris Olympics because they arguably have the best defense in the tournament.
Jordi Fernandez's Americas side improved to a perfect 3-0 to take top honors in Group A and did so with an impressive defensive display in an 86-85 victory.
They limited Spain to 46 percent from the field including 29 percent on three-pointers.
Our defense is our top thing - Dillon Brooks
"We're a good group of players and we know what we are up against. Our defense is our top thing, our ball pressure, our attention to detail, the way we help each other," said Dillon Brooks after the win. "Our guys coming off the bench gave us life and energy. And our chemistry. We have been together for more than a month and we trust each other. You saw it out there today."
In the first game of the tournament against Greece, Canada did all they could to frustrate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Greece's superstar did score 34 points but Canada limited the rest of the team to just 28 percent shooting.
Canada's versatility and athleticism are two of the keys that make them so tough to score upon.
Of course, leading the way are Canada's two uber-menaces Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort - the latter coming into the game ranking in the top 10 in steals.
And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does not just excel on offense. The shifty superstar prides himself on defense, ranking top 10 in steals and tied for second in blocks.
Don't forget RJ Barrett who can guard positions one to four and that quartet gives headaches to any coaching staff trying to come up with an offensive game plan. Especially because of their ability to switch on everything and pretty much still have a solid matchup.
This is our identity - Andrew Nembhard
"That is our identity We have a lot of guys who can switch and we are very versatile on that side of the floor and we can bring in new energy. When we are at our best, we are bringing our competitiveness to that side of the court," added Andrew Nembhard, who provided an offensive spark of 18 points off the bench.
The lineup of Gilgeous-Alexander, Brooks, Dort, Barrett and Dwight Powell was the Death Lineup at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Going into the Semi-Finals last summer, they were on pace to outscore their opponents by nearly 50 points per 40 minutes.
The Canadians also are elite in punishing opposing teams for mistakes. They led the tournament in points off turnovers with 23.0 coming into the Spain game, adding 21 points against the Iberians.
Against Spain, Canada showed their ability to adapt at the defensive end as well, giving more minutes in the first half to versatile bigs Trey Lyles and Khem Birch.
Coach Fernandez has loads of flexibility because of Brooks, Dort and the others. And that just might lead to the gold medal.
FIBA