Canada’s men’s basketball team is returning to the Olympics.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, including going 14-of-16 at the free-throw line, as Canada fended off Spain 88-85 on Sunday at the FIBA men’s basketball World Cup. The win sends Canada to the international tournament’s quarterfinals and clinches a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Canada’s men’s basketball team has not played at the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.
“We’re a part of history,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who added seven assists and four rebounds. “It’s something that’s almost indescribable.
“So many people along the way have put in so much work for this program and having the opportunity to do so, we want to thank them and also represent them when we go, and in the rest of this tournament (as well).”
The Canadians will face Slovenia on Wednesday in the playoffs.
Dillon Brooks played solid defence for Canada (4-1) and had 22 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and RJ Barrett added 16.
Willy Hernangomez’s 25 points led Spain (3-2) and Santiago Aldama added 18.
A 69-65 loss to Brazil on Friday put Canada in a must-win situation against the Spanish on Sunday.
After trailing by 10 at the half, the Canadians rallied in the third quarter to go ahead by three. But Spain outscored Canada 21-6 in the final 4:44 of the quarter to go into the fourth with a 12-point lead.
“We just dug deep,” said Barrett. “Dillon was huge, Shai iced the game, made all the free throws. We just dug deep, man. We hit some adversity, down 12 to start the fourth quarter and we just stayed together.”
Trailing 78-74 with 1:51 left in the game, Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the net for a layup and drew a foul. He sank the free throw for a three-point play to pull Canada to within one.
Hernangomez was foulled at the other end of the floor and hit both free throws to make it 80-77.
Brooks drilled a three-pointer on the next possession to tie it up with 1:12 left to play.
He then planted his feet and forced Alex Abrines out of bounds for a Spanish turnover. That put the ball in Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, who made a step-back jumper for a two-point lead with 43.5 seconds to go.
A Spanish shot was tipped away, with Lu Dort catching the ball and handing it off to Gilgeous-Alexander. He was quickly foulled, sending him to the line for two free throws.
Canadian fans chanted “M-V-P!” as he made both of them for a four-point lead.
After a timeout, Juan Nunez made a hook shot to help Spain close within two points.
Gilgeous-Alexander was foulled after Canada inbounded the ball, sending him to the line again. He sank both of them for another four-point lead with 13 seconds to play.
Aldama made a three-pointer to make it a one-point game, and Gilgeous-Alexander was triple-teamed on the next inbound for a quick foul, again sending him to the free-throw line.
Once more, Gilgeous-Alexander made both free-throws and then Spain was unable to get off a viable shot with less than four seconds on the clock.
“It was a really, really good game,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Really high-level basketball. It was a lot of adversity. They played a really well-rounded game from start to finish.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2023.
Demands for government intervention in Air Canada labour talks could negatively affect airline competition in Canada, the CEO of travel company Transat AT Inc. said.
“The extension of such an extraordinary intervention to Air Canada would be an undeniable competitive advantage to the detriment of other Canadian airlines,” Annick Guérard told analysts on an earnings conference call on Thursday.
“The time and urgency is now. It is time to restore healthy competition in Canada,” she added.
Air Canada has asked the federal government to be ready to intervene and request arbitration as early as this weekend to avoid disruptions.
Comments on the potential Air Canada pilot strike or lock out came as Transat reported third-quarter financial results.
Guérard recalled Transat’s labour negotiations with its flight attendants earlier this year, which the company said it handled without asking for government intervention.
The airline’s 2,100 flight attendants voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate and twice rejected tentative deals before approving a new collective agreement in late February.
As the collective agreement for Air Transat pilots ends in June next year, Guérard anticipates similar pressure to increase overall wages as seen in Air Canada’s negotiations, but reckons it will come out “as a win, win, win deal.”
“The pilots are preparing on their side, we are preparing on our side and we’re confident that we’re going to come up with a reasonable deal,” she told analysts when asked about the upcoming negotiations.
The parent company of Air Transat reported it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31. The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
It attributed reduced revenues to lower airline unit revenues, competition, industry-wide overcapacity and economic uncertainty.
Air Transat is also among the airlines facing challenges related to the recall of Pratt & Whitney turbofan jet engines for inspection and repair.
The recall has so far grounded six aircraft, Guérard said on the call.
“We have agreed to financial compensation for grounded aircraft during the 2023-2024 period,” she said. “Alongside this financial compensation, Pratt & Whitney will provide us with two additional spare engines, which we intend to monetize through a sell and lease back transaction.”
Looking ahead, the CEO said she expects consumer demand to remain somewhat uncertain amid high interest rates.
“We are currently seeing ongoing pricing pressure extending into the winter season,” she added. Air Transat is not planning on adding additional aircraft next year but anticipates stability.
“(2025) for us will be much more stable than 2024 in terms of fleet movements and operation, and this will definitely have a positive effect on cost and customer satisfaction as well,” the CEO told analysts.
“We are more and more moving away from all the disruption that we had to go through early in 2024,” she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
