Two days ago, Canada’s fate was in its own hands at the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela.
Sitting with a comfortable 3-1 record, they just needed a pair of wins from their remaining three games and they were guaranteed a playoff berth.
Fast forward two days and two losses later, and they will need a win and some help to advance.
First they must knock off a very tough Argentine squad and then they will need Puerto Rico to take out Mexico to advance.
“Argentina’s a very good team, that’s our last chance, to play well. It’s a must-win for us and then we see what happens,” Canadian coach Jay Triano said.
Programming note: Watch Canada take on Argentina at the FIBA Americas tournament live on Sportsnet 360 at 1:15 p.m. ET. | Full TV Schedule
While the time for the Golden Generation of Argentina appears to be over, it will not be easy for a fading Canadian team to beat them.
Argentina’s offence starts with Indiana Pacers forward Luis Scola. He is the sole NBA returnee from last year’s team that finished fourth in London.
He is a capable scorer from inside and outside and Canada will need to keep a close eye on him. He has a game that is comparable to Andrew Nicholson in that he can score from all over the floor. Scola is a more willing passer though so the team will need to keep their rotations tight if they are forced to double.
Scola is far from a one-man show though as Facundo Campazzo is also back for Argentina as well.
The plucky point guard is as effective as he is ornery. He has won league titles in Argentina several times.
While the Canadians will need to take care of business on their own end of the floor, they will also need start hitting some long-range shots and show a willingness to make the extra pass.
Over the past two games, Andy Rautins has only managed to hit 2-14 shots from beyond the arc. If he is off-target against Argentina, he needs to start driving to the basket rather than settling for a jumper.
Canada was very effective early in Saturday’s loss to the Dominican Republic when they went inside and attacked off the bounce but things bogged down when they start to attack on a one-on-one basis.
Regardless of whether Canada advances or not, they went to Caracas to get some of the younger players some experience in international competition as their own Golden Generation gets prepared to enter their prime.
“We know where we are,” Triano said. “We came here to gain some experience.”
