LeBron James and Co. Will Likely Face Canada in the Olympics Final, Predicts Skip Bayless

Soon after the 2024 Paris Olympics Men’s Basketball tournament entered its knockout stages, analysts weighed in with their verdicts. Refusing to be left behind, Skip Bayless also recently made bold predictions.

The 72-year-old backed LeBron James-led Team USA to face arch-rival Canada in the final, capturing fans’ attention everywhere.

Bayless claimed Canada, Germany, and France as tournament favorites alongside Team USA on X. Following this, he pointed to the latter’s good fortune as all three of these challengers were on the opposite side of the knockout bracket.

The analyst consequently predicted James & Co. will win their upcoming games to square off against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Canada for the gold, mentioning,

“OK, the 3 best teams (other than us) are on the other side of bracket, so we will face only ONE OF Canada, Germany & France. All we have to do is beat upstart Brazil and probably Joker’s Serbia for a 3rd time to advance to the gold game, I’m guessing vs SGA’s Canada”.

OK, the 3 best teams (other than us) are on the other side of bracket, so we will face only ONE OF Canada, Germany & France. All we have to do is beat upstart Brazil and probably Joker's Serbia for a 3rd time to advance to the gold game, I'm guessing vs SGA's Canada.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 4, 2024

Given the current dynamics of the knockout stages, it’s tough to argue with Bayless‘ statement. Apart from Nikola Jokic-led Serbia, whom Team USA had already defeated in the opening fixture, none of the other teams posed a significant threat.

After all, Team USA’s upcoming opponent, Brazil, and Serbia’s next challenger, Australia, entered the quarter-finals with a 1-2 record in the group stage.

However, things aren’t as straightforward on the other side of the bracket. Like Team USA, Canada and Germany have also entered the quarter-finals as unbeaten sides. Moreover, Canada’s next opponent, France, has only lost a single game so far, and that too to Germany.

That said, Germany’s challenger, Greece, appears to be the weakest team in the bracket, qualifying for the knockouts with only a single win.

So, it is tough to pick a clear winner from this bracket. Yet, the consensus is that heavyweights Germany and Canada are likely to clash in the semi-final, with Bayless giving an edge to the latter.

Regardless of how the other side of the table unfolds, Team USA seems to have a clear path to the final. Given their roster dynamics and impressive performances in this tournament, it seems like no opposition can bother them.

As a result, the hopes for a fifth consecutive gold medal remain alive, as the nation looks to sustain its prominence on the global stage.