Greece coach condemns officials' leniency on Brooks and Dort after Giannis' 34-point game results in loss vs Canada

Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis voiced his displeasure at the officiating during Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.'s 86-79 loss to Canada in their 2024 Paris Olympics opener at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Saturday. Despite superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's spectacular individual performance, Greece endured a loss.

Coach Spanoulis switched the focus towards officiating and criticized the referees for allowing Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort to play with physicality.

"I think they fouled a lot, but they didn't give them some of the fouls (they deserved)," Greece coach told BasketNews.

"They played a lot of times with two hands, and a lot of times, I didn't understand how the situation on both ends was different," he added.

Both Brooks and Dort fouled out from the game in the fourth quarter after committing five personal fouls each. Overall, Canada committed 27 personal fouls compared to Greece's 25.

The game between Greece and Canada was a hard-fought and physical battle as both teams played with a lot of heart. The tussle continued even after the game concluded.

Soon after the final buzzer sounded, Canada's point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was involved in a heated verbal altercation with Greece's Giannoulis Larentzakis. Giannis stepped in and pushed Shai Gilgeous away from the teammate.

Despite losing the game, coach Spanoulis was "proud" of how his players competed against a team that's considered one of the contenders for the gold medal.

"Giannis was really good tonight. But the whole team reacted great in the second half," said Spanoulis

"I think we had a lot of years (in the Greece national team) too, fighting even gold medal contenders such as Canada in a difficult game but showing our character and getting back to the games. I remember the years when I played for the national team, and we won a lot of medals. So I'm proud of my team," he added.

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Giannis' performance overshadowed by Shai Gilgeous' brilliance

The battle between two of the best basketball players in the world was won by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a spectacular game, as he dropped 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting. The two-time NBA MVP grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists, but it wasn't enough for Greece.

On the flipside, Shai Gilgeous' all-round masterclass propelled Canada to the promised land. The OCK Thunder superstar scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists. He shot 5-of-10, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point range. He also recorded a steal and two blocks.