Milwaukee Bucks news: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Greece national squad were slapped with some harsh reality on Saturday after they suffered an 86-79 loss to Canada in their opening game of the Paris Olympics.
The Greeks knew coming in that getting out of their group in the opening stage was a massive challenge in itself, and this was exactly what they had to contend with against a star-studded Canada side.
It’s now going to be an uphill battle for Giannis and Co. in their next two games as they battle Spain and Australia. Be that as it may, you can be sure that Greece will leave it all on the court in their succeeding matchups.
Milwaukee Bucks News: Jon Horst on Greece’s Chances in Olympics
Bucks general manager Jon Horst flew all the way to France to show his support to Milwaukee’s cornerstone superstar. The high-ranking team executive is not denying the fact that the odds are stacked against Greece in this tournament. However, Horst is adamant that they have a fighting chance because of the mere fact that it’s Giannis who’s leading the charge for the team.
“It’s historic, what he’s going to do, leading the country of Greece out in the Olympics Friday evening in Paris,” Horst said of Antetokounmpo, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I think that is beyond exciting. And I don’t know, you have some pride, you have some appreciation, watching him do that and just be part of his story and his path. All the things that he’s done to get to this point is pretty incredible. To see where he’s at, what he gets to do in terms of world history in sports, so that part’s beyond cool.
“… They’ve got a really tough pool, but they’re a really good team. They’ve had a heck of a qualifying tournament so far and they’ve got the best player in the world on their team, so they’ve got a chance. So, I’m rooting for them for sure.”
Teams play just three games in the group stage of the competition, so Tuesday’s matchup against Spain is virtually a must-win game for Giannis and the Greeks. It won’t be the end of the world if they lose, but a defeat against Spain is going to make it much tougher for Greece to progress to the knockout phase.
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