Mikal Bridges pulled off an overtime-forcing miracle. It wasn’t sufficient to maintain the US from heading dwelling from the World Cup empty-handed.
Dillon Brooks scored 39 factors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 factors and 12 assists and Canada gained their first medal at a worldwide males’s event since 1936 by topping the US 127-118 within the third-place recreation in Manila on Sunday.
The US did not win a medal for the second consecutive World Cup. It’s solely the seventh time in 38 appearances on the Olympic or World Cup degree that an American workforce didn’t emerge with gold, silver or bronze.
“The US hasn’t gained the World Cup since 2014,” US coach Steve Kerr mentioned. “It’s exhausting. These groups in Fiba are actually good, well-coached, they’ve acquired continuity they usually’ve performed collectively for a very long time. That is tough and it’s been tough already.”
The Individuals had been the favorites coming into the event, then misplaced three of their final 4 video games. They left the ground for the ultimate time in Manila annoyed, indignant, dissatisfied.
“All the above,” US guard Tyrese Haliburton mentioned.
RJ Barrett scored 23 for Canada, who improved to 2-21 all-time towards the US in Fiba senior males’s competitions. The earlier win got here at a Fiba Americas occasion in 2005, a recreation that wasn’t loaded with big-name NBA gamers. This one was: seven gamers on the Canada roster had been from the NBA, in comparison with 12 from the US squad.
However three of these US gamers – Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero and Jaren Jackson Jr – missed Sunday’s recreation with sickness. Anthony Edwards led the Individuals with 24 factors, Austin Reaves scored 23 and Bridges had 19 for the US.
“This workforce was superb, particular,” Canada coach Jordi Fernandez mentioned. “It’s the start of one thing that’s going to final for a very long time.”
Bridges pulled off an unbelievable play within the ultimate seconds of regulation, going to the road with the US down by 4 with 4.2 seconds left and needing a miracle.
MIKAL BRIDGES HITS THE GAME-TYING THREE 💥💥💥#FIBAWC x #WinForUSA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cnkKgt2SL0
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 10, 2023n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/standing/1700816107014160655?s=20″,”id”:”1700816107014160655″,”hasMedia”:false,”position”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”supply”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”76e5f49b-4f9d-4fce-828e-5dbfc5126809″}}” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Net”}”>
He delivered one. Bridges made the primary free throw, deliberately missed the second and ran down the rebound because it bounced towards the proper nook. Bridges corralled the ball, spun and let fly from simply behind the three-point line.
Swish. Game tied with 0.6 seconds left. Kelly Olynyk almost gained it for Canada on the ultimate play of regulation with a 30-footer that hit the again iron as time expired, and to time beyond regulation they went, tied at 111-111.
“Simply tried to overlook it proper. That’s type of the place you need the ball to be at in conditions like that,” Bridges mentioned. “Simply learn and react … went and shot it.”
However Canada had been undeterred, by no means trailing within the further session.
“We gained the primary 40 minutes. Nicely, clearly not, however we gained nearly all of the primary 40 minutes and we didn’t suppose it was a fluke,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “So, we simply tried to concentrate on profitable the following 5.”
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That’s precisely what they did, and now it’s over. One other World Cup, one other debacle for the Individuals. They completed seventh in China 4 years in the past, fourth in Manila – shedding three of their ultimate 4 video games – and now have lower than 12 months to regroup for the Paris Video games and the search to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
“Tremendous powerful, however can’t win all of them,” Edwards mentioned. “Got here up brief, twice.”
That may be twice within the medal spherical, towards Germany and now Canada, and as soon as extra towards Lithuania within the second spherical – the place the undoing of this US World Cup run began.
There simply wasn’t sufficient protection, as soon as once more. This event marked the primary Olympic or World Cup look the place a US workforce gave up no less than 100 factors three completely different instances. The Individuals went 0-3 in these video games in Manila, shedding to Lithuania, Germany within the semis and Canada on Sunday.
“I imply, we couldn’t get no stops,” Edwards mentioned. “Our protection was fairly unhealthy.”
Canada’s solely different medal in a event of this magnitude – World Cup or Olympics – got here in 1936, after they misplaced 19-8 to the US within the gold-medal matchup on the Berlin Video games. That ultimate was performed outdoors, in a rainstorm, on a clay courtroom that most likely would have been higher served that day as a slip-and-slide.
It’s protected to say Canada loved the victory much more than the one 87 years in the past.
“We actually needed to play the US,” Brooks mentioned. “We acquired our want.”
