We're nearly there: It's almost time for quarterfinal day in the Olympic men's basketball tournament, with four dynamite matchups on tap from Accor Arena in Paris. Some of the biggest names in the world are taking the court, names like Giannis, Wembanyama, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, while Team USA hopes to move one step closer to a historic fifth straight gold medal. The waiting is almost over; here's everything to look forward to on a jam-packed Tuesday.
What to watch for in Olympic basketball: Aug. 6
LeBron James leads Team USA
The U.S. caught a bit of a break with the draw here, with Canada, France and Germany all on the other side of the bracket and a quarterfinal matchup against a Brazil team that wasn't even a lock to advance until it beat Japan in its final group-stage game. Bruno Caboclo is on a heater right now, but while the Brazilians are long on experience and moxie, they're a bit short on NBA-level talent. This shouldn't be too much of a problem for the U.S., but it's worth noting that Brazil's recipe for success — crash the offensive glass, hoist as many 3s as possible — is a high-variance one, and one that aligns with some of Team USA's defensive weaknesses so far in this tournament. Start fast, play with urgency and move on to the semis.
Canada, France square off in star-studded matchup
Before the Games started, it wouldn't have been terribly surprising if someone had told you that this was the gold-medal game. Instead it's a quarterfinal, and the home-court advantage should be very real for Victor Wembanyama and Co.
A raucous crowd can only take you so far, however, when your offense has a nasty habit of slumping for quarters at a time. As fearsome as the Wemby-Rudy Gobert tandem is on defense, neither of them are ballhandlers or creators on offense, and France's backcourt has been underwhelming thus far. Will that come back to haunt Les Bleus against a loaded Canada team that boasts an apex creator in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? SGA is a terror for any defense, and as we saw against Dennis Schroder and Germany, France can be exposed by quicker ballhandlers. Then again, Canada doesn't have a ton of size in its frontcourt, and doesn't seem to have a natural matchup option for Wemby. This is a fascinating contrast in styles that could produce a quarterfinal for the history books.
Can Giannis shock the world?
Germany looked like world-beaters in the group stage, romping through all three of its games including a shocking blowout of France in the finale. Greece, on the other hand, appeared to be on its way out of this tournament until picking up a win over Australia in its final group-stage game. On paper, this would appear to be a fairly uneven matchup.
Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't care much about paper, though. If anyone is capable of putting a team on his back and carrying them to an upset, it's the Greek Freak, a player for whom no one in Paris has been able to figure out a solution. If Giannis's teammates can finally knock down some of the oodles of open 3s he generates for them, this one could get interesting in a hurry, but Schroder would seem to be able to get into the paint at will against an unathletic Greek backcourt.