LILLE (France) - The Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 will be one of the strongest international competitions ever, we can all agree on that. Hence, this year's Group A could go down in history as the toughest group ever.
Australia, Greece, Canada and Spain were drawn together, and only the top two teams will advance to the Quarter-Finals without having to look at what's going on elsewhere.
The third-placed team will have to be better than at least one other third-place team at the Olympics, while the fourth-placed team will not travel to Paris.
The Favorite: Canada
It's all about momentum for this category. Because Spain are coming in as the reigning FIBA EuroBasket 2022 champions, Australia picked up bronze at the last Olympics in Japan, while Greece have one of the most dominant players ever.
And yet, it's Canada who've been the hottest team of the four, putting together a star-studded lineup which won third place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, pushing out their neighbors USA off of the podium.
They are even stronger this year. The biggest new name in the roster is definitely Jamal Murray, who is making a comeback to the national team after nine years, and has a unique talent to play his best basketball in the most important games.
However, he won't mind handing the ball over to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the team. The Oklahoma City Thunder megastar has had back-to-back season with more than 30 points per game in the NBA, and his game translates so well to FIBA rules, you could expect him in the MVP talks in Paris.
For Canada, the biggest issue is their lack of Olympic experience. This is the first time they are back at this level in 24 years, and their only Olympic medal dates back to 1936.
The Underdog: Greece
Yes, this group is so close that a team with Vasilis Spanoulis and Giannis Antetokounmpo is considered the underdog. One of the biggest European powerhouses, Greece haven't had a lot of stories to tell over the past decade.
Their last major success dates back to 2009, when they finished third at the FIBA EuroBasket. It closed out a majestic period of three podiums in four years, when their current coach Spanoulis was the unstoppable force on the court.
But even in their finest years, they never made it past Quarter-Finals in Olympic history. It's a curse that Spanoulis and Antetokounmpo will tackle in France, hoping to reach the final four phase when the competition moves to Paris.
The Pivotal Game: Canada v Spain
It's the last game in pool schedule, which means all eyes will be on Canada and Spain. It's hard to believe that anybody will be eliminated before the last game, or that anybody would be locked in for the Quarter-Finals before these two take the court.
To explain it further - there will be no single pivotal game in this group. Every single minute of every single game will matter, and the points' difference could be crucial for the final group standings.
The Open Question: Is it Josh Giddey's team now?
He's still just 21, but Josh Giddey has looked exceptionally good in the preparation period, being the ballhandler and the playmaker for coach Brian Goorjian.
Patty Mills was still making his shots as per usual, but Mills is about to turn 36, while Joe Ingles is a couple of months away from being 37.
Once he picked up the Wanda Rising Star trophy at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, it was clear Josh Giddey would take over the leading role for Australia in the future, but this summer, it feels like the future is now.
Giddey has scored 13 or more in each of his four preparation games since July 15, including a pair of triple-double flirtations, against the United States and France.
He's shooting 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in that period, he fired up eight three-point attempts against France, meaning he is willing to take the initiative when needed.
And he's needed now. Because it does feel like this is his team now.
More?
Don't forget to check the Team Profiles for: Canada, Greece, Australia and Spain.
FIBA