- 1972 Final: United States vs. the Soviet Union
- 1980 Round-Robin: Soviet Union vs Yugoslavia
- 2004 Semi-Final: United States vs. Argentina
2004 Semi-Final: United States vs. Argentina
Argentina beats American professionals 89-81
Yup, everything changed in 1992. Once they were let into the Olympics, American pros dominated the game, winning games by an average of 30+ points per game with Dream Teams I (1992), II (1996), and III (2000).
Then came 2004.
In 2004, a team of American pros led by superstars Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Shawn Marion lost. Twice.
Controversy? Perhaps not, but it sure felt like it in America.
Maybe it made sense that the Argentinean team could beat the Americans, as the roster was full of future NBA players Fabricio Oberto, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino, Walter Hermann, Andres Nocioni, and the already NBA-experienced, Manu Ginobili.
But, the Americans also lost 92-73 to the Puerto Rican team, which boasted only NBA backups Carlos Arroyo and Peter Ramos, and USC graduate Elias Ayuso as its stars.
How could a team like that beat a team of superstar professional NBA players? It must be a controversy, some thought. It must be some sort of conspiracy. FIBA’s international rules must have been designed specifically to put the Americans at a disadvantage.
No, that’s a stretch. No controversy here. What the losses in 2004 meant to America were merely a wake-up call.
The world has caught up, and the NBA has noticed. It has stepped up its international scouting, and recent NBA drafts and the emergence of stars like Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol have shown that the world’s players belong in the best basketball league on the planet.
2004 was a wake-up call for USA Basketball as an organization. No more would they put a last-minute collection of ill-fitting stars together in time for the Olympics. No, now their would be a focus on creating a team that fit together, a team that could play together like the Argentineans, and a team that can return the U.S. to its dominant place in Olympic Basketball.
