As the international tournament dwindles to two teams, the 2024 Olympics will conclude with a gold medal winner between either Team USA or France.
Canada failed to reach this stage after an upset loss to France in the quarterfinals. Its struggles to score outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led to its downfall.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans were likely split in their allegiances throughout the summer. Sure, most who lived locally likely cheered on the USA for obvious reasons, but Canada became the unofficial second squad to root for.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort were starters for Canada. Both have been fixtures in OKC since 2019. It’s only normal for Thunder fans to root for their neighbors up north.
Considering the USA and Canada never matched up in group play and were on opposite sides of the bracket, being a double fan was easier for the Thunder faithful.
But heading into the knockout stage, it felt like a collision course between the USA and Canada was within the realm of possibility. Both went a perfect 3-0 in group play and were arguably the two best squads of the 2024 Olympics.
Gilgeous-Alexander talked about the possibility and sounded excited. He said it would’ve been a fun matchup and could stress test how far Canada’s program has progressed after historically struggling.
Instead, Canada fell in the opening round while the USA advanced to the championship contest against host country France.
Entering the semifinals post-Canada exit, the reasons to root for the USA are obvious. It represents this country and has been the most dominant program in basketball history. It’s only patriotic to hope LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry bring home the gold in their likely final run together at this stage.
But should Thunder fans consider playing devil’s advocate and root for France to make Canada’s loss look a bit prettier? It may be tempting, but the answer is probably not.
The sole reason Thunder fans followed Canada’s journey was Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort. Neither was assigned blame for its early exit against France.
Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal throughout the 2024 Olympics and graded out as one of the best players. Dort helped Canada overcome a disastrous run by Jamal Murray, who looked like a shell of his former self.
Canada’s early demise had more to do with the rest of the roster than those two. Its inability to have other scorers and true centers reared its ugly head in the final moments of its loss to France.
Thunder fans can root for whoever they want in this USA vs. France contest. Policing fandoms is unnecessary and sucks the joy out of sports. It should be an exciting matchup with compelling storylines. Can the former cap off a dominant run? Can the latter pull off the massive upset in its home crowd?
Either way, the result will not affect how productive the individual Olympic runs were for the Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort.
Despite the premature finish, it was a step in the right direction for Canada’s ambitions. Both should be back at this stage in 2028.
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