Yuta Watanabe and Team Japan nearly pulled off a monster upset in the men’s basketball tournament in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Up against the host and ninth-ranked team in the world France, Watanabe and Japan pushed Les Bleus to the limit, losing by only four points, 94-90, via overtime.
Japan have everything to be proud of despite the loss to France. Not many people expected them to keep up with Victor Wembanyama and company, let alone lose by just four points. Japan entered that game as the underdog by around 17.5 points, but they nearly stole a victory.
Had it not for a miracle 4-point play by Matthew Strazel late in regulation, Japan likely would have been 1-1 in the standings instead of being 0-2 with virtually zero chance of advancing to the next phase of the tourney.
After the game, Watanabe shared his true feelings about the painful defeat.
“Yeah, we competed for 45 minutes. I was actually dying out there today; I was so tired. I just came back from a calf injury, but you know, guys like Kawamura, Josh… I mean, after Rui got ejected, Hugh came in, made some great plays, you know, Yoshi, Mako—they were just playing hard defense against them. I’m just so proud of them; I’m so proud of us. We fought for 45 minutes; that’s not easy, but we did it. So, I’m so proud,” former NBA player Watanabe said.
Watanabe, who played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns, finished the France game with five points and eight rebounds, while Yuki Kawamura led Japan with 29 points. Rui Hachimura had 24 points but was unable to finish the contest due to ejection in the fourth quarter.
Japan will next take on Brazil on Friday for their last game in the group phase of the Olympics.
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