Nearly a quarter of a century ago now, France dealt Canada a crushing blow on the international basketball stage.

Canada had been the surprise of the Sydney basketball tournament in 2000, clobbering host Australia and beating powerhouse Yugoslavia and emerging Spain on the way to a 4-1 start. But while avoiding the Americans was good, the less valuable reward for topping Group B was a date with France and the Steve Nash-led ride came to an end there with a 68-63 loss. The stirring run was over, with no medal.