Dillon Brooks was a stud
Dillon Brooks is a good NBA player, an elite defender who can space the court and handle the ball some in managed situations. Where he gets into trouble is when he tries to expand his game and hunt shots he would be better off not taking.
In international play, Brooks somehow unlocks another gear, and everything he touches turns to gold. Brooks was extremely efficient against Greece, shooting 3-for-4 from deep on some timely shots and scoring 14 points.
What Brooks also did was form the first line of defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo as Canada tried all sorts of defensive approaches to slowing him down. As we'll note in a minute, Canada struggled to contain the dominant Greek big man, but the ability to use a "wing" in Brooks on him to deny the basketball limited his touches. It seemed like if Antetokounmpo got the ball in good position he was guaranteed to score, and Brooks did yeoman's work to keep him from getting the ball at all. When Brooks fouled out late, Greece was able to go on a run to nearly tie the game.
Brooks' offense was timely, and his defense was vital, as Canada eked out the win.
Canada's interior defense was a dud
This is hardly a surprise given the construction of the team, but Canada's achilles heel against Greece was its interior defense. Two-time NBA MVP and international behemoth Giannis Antetokounmpo absolutely feasted inside, shooting 11-for-17 from the field -- all but one missed attempt from 2-point range -- and drawing a whopping 15 free throws. His 34 points led both teams by far.
Canada had a good strategy to try and deny Antetokounmpo the ball, and at times it worked, especially early on. As the game continued, however, Giannis's interior pressure opened up 3-point shots for his teammates, and as they began to knock those down and Canada's defenders got in foul trouble, Antetokounmpo was able to exert his dominance.
Dwight Powell played gamely but is not a true rim protector, and Kelly Olynyk was even worse. Trey Lyle, however, was a two-way disaster at center. It didn't kill them against Greece, but head coach Jordi Fernandez and the entire coaching staff have to figure out a way to stop the likes of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid they may be facing later in the competition?