Team Canada were the favorites to win their first ever AmeriCup title coming into their semifinal match against Argentina on Saturday night. They crushed the competition in the group stage of the tournament, going 3-0 while outscoring their opponents by 93 points. They followed that up by beating Colombia handily by 38 points in their quarterfinal game.
Team Argentina was too skilled and experienced of an opponent though, beating the Canadians by a final score of 83-73 in a game that wasn’t nearly that close.
Despite being favored, there was no shame in losing to Argentina, who has long been an international powerhouse. They won the tournament in 2022 when it was last held and extended their streak of four straight Finals appearances.
Argentina started the game on an 11-0 run, led by 15 after the first quarter, and never trailed for the entirety of the game. Canada couldn’t get it back to within single digits, trailing by as many as 25.
Argentina was carried by the 26 points and six assists from Jose Vildoza, while Canada had 16 points from Marcus Carr, 15 points from Trae Bell-Haynes, and 14 points from Mfiondu Kabengele.
This was not Canada’s A Team. There was no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or even his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker. There was some NBA representation though.
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Wizards former no. 24 pick Kyshawn George had an excellent tournament overall, averaging 15.5 points per game entering Saturday’s game and showcasing himself as a candidate for future international play. Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller also had some good moments. Those were mixed in with several times where he got into trouble trying to do way too much.
Both had their roughest outings in the team’s loss to Argentina. George, who is a gifted scorer, couldn’t buy a bucket. He shot just 1-of-6 for five points. Miller was ejected late, but not before going 2-of-12 from the field and scoring six points.
Canada had other solid talent behind those two, boasting a strong bench led by Kyle Wiltjer and Nate Darling, who rotated in and out of the starting lineup. Their depth wasn’t enough to overcome those poor performances from the starters.
Canada was also stymied by the questionable decision to start defensive specialist David Muenkat, who came into the tournament averaging just 2.5 points per game. He played in under eight minutes and scored just four points.
The Canadians were dominant in the earlier rounds both because of their talent advantage and how well they played together. They were an aggressive defense that forced a ton of turnovers and shared the ball on offense.
They did win the turnover battle on Saturday, but their defense wasn’t good enough in their loss to Argentina. And it was their opponents who were zipping the ball all over the court, with Argentina assisting on 22 of their 29 made baskets.
Canada also picked the worst possible time to go ice cold from the 3-point line, hitting just 4-of-24 from downtown while Argentina hit a scorching 12-of-28.
It was far more than shooting luck that led to this win, though. Argentina was the far better team on Saturday, and the knockout stage is merciless when it comes to a bad performance.
Team Canada will get a chance to improve on its fourth place finish in the 2022 AmeriCup games when it takes on Team USA in the third-place game on Sunday. The nation is proving that it is one of the contenders on the world stage, finishing third in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and fifth in the 2024 Olympics.
George could be a part of a loaded roster that is highlighted by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Lu Dort, Dillon Brooks, Andrew Nembhard, RJ Barrett, and others when Canada brings its best. This wasn’t the outcome that Team Canada may have been hoping for, but they have a bright future ahead.
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