Bucks Fan Guide To 2016 Olympic Qualification

Olympic Qualifier Guide

Also known as: Giannis is about to play competitive basketball. And so is Tyler Ennis. (And Roko Ukic.)

The federal government has declared it a national holiday. Games start on July 4.

Who is already qualified for the Olympics this summer?

Nine teams are already in:

So who is still trying to qualify and how many more spots are available?

Eighteen teams will fight for just three more Olympics spots that are up for grabs in these Olympic qualifiers. (Making for a total of 12 Olympic teams.) Here are the hopefuls:

When and where are these games taking place?

Qualifiers will be held from July 4 to July 10 in Italy, the Philippines, and Serbia.

What is the format of the tournament?

The 18 teams are divided into three groups of six.

Within each group of six, teams are split into two groups of three. Each team will play head-to-head within their group of three.

The top two teams from each group of three will advance to a semifinal, with the winners facing off in a final to determine the winner of the group (and thus, a spot in the Olympics).

Who and when does Greece play and what are the time zone conversions?

Greece will play in Italy as part of Group A. Here is the group schedule:

Two of these three teams will advance to the knockout round semifinal. The first place team in Group A will play the second place team in Group B, and the second place team in Group A will play the first place team in Group A.

Group B consists of Tunisia, Croatia, and Italy.

If Greece moves on to the knockout round, they would play a potential semifinal on June 8 and a potential final on June 9.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes. Yes, he is.

Is that a good thing?

Oh I think so.

Take a look at the previous Team USA that played in a major international competition, when they won gold at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

This is anecdotal, and these players were likely destined to do what they went on to do in the NBA, but at the very least, there is no great historical evidence that international play is harmful, and plenty of positive examples.

Giannis is 21, and as Jason Kidd often remarks after post-game questions about players getting a lot of minutes, the young guys will be okay.

Who else is on the Greece team and do they have a chance?

Thanasis Antetokounmpo (the elder brother of Giannis by two years, you know) will be there. Thanasis starred in the D-League last season and played a couple games for the Knicks. Nick Calathes is expected to start at point guard, which means Giannis is not expected to start at point guard. (Nevertheless, Giannis is expected to start at point guard for the Bucks next season.) Calathes is a clever player who contributed nicely with the Grizzlies in 2013-14 and 2014-15 before returning to Greece, where he starred for Panathinaikos this past season.

As far as other NBAers, Kosta Koufos is on the roster. Also of note: Giannis is not the only Giannis on the team (Giannis Papapetrou of Olympiacos).

Greece is ranked 10th in the world and should be favorites in group play, with Croatia (ranked 12th in the world) perhaps the most formidable potential foe in the knockout round.

Any other Bucks in the tournament?

Yes. Ennis is suiting up for Canada (ranked 26th in the world) in the Philippines. Here is the Group A schedule for the preliminary round.

If Canada makes it out of the group stage, they will advance to a semifinal on July 9, and if they win that, a match to go to the Olympics on July 10. France, New Zealand, and the Philippines are the teams on the other side of Canada’s bracket.

In addition to Ennis, Canada could boast some solid NBA representation, including Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, rookie Jamal Murray, Sim Bhullar (who stands 7-5), and Anthony Bennett.

Canada is coming off a 4-1 exhibition run in Europe, capped by a win over Puerto Rico. (ranked 16th in the world)

Any former Bucks in the tournament?

Indeed. Indeed. Giannis will face former teammate Jorge Gutierrez of Mexico on July 6. Plus, if Greece matches up with Croatia in the final, he will go against former Bucks point guard Roko Ukic. (Croatia would be a fun watch, with Mario Hezonja, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Dario Saric.)

Between Giannis, Ennis, Gutierrez, and Ukic, the qualifiers will feature four current or former Bucks point guards.

Speaking of watching, how can I watch?

Sadly, the qualifying games will not be broadcast in the United States. However, games will stream on LiveBasketball.tv, which requires a $9.99 subscription. (TSN will carry games in Canada.) The Olympics certainly will be on television, though.

And when does actual Olympic basketball start?

Olympics hoops begin August 6 and run through August 21 in Brazil.

Team USA is on a 63-game winning streak, has won the past four major international tournaments and has not dropped a game since 2006, and could run a starting five of Kyrie Irving/Klay Thompson/Paul George/Kevin Durant/Demarcus Cousins. Not long ago, it was popular to say Americans could not shoot, and that furthermore, they did not know the fundamentals of the game.

More on these things later.