With #CoronaSZN continuing to hover over the sports world like the aliens in “Independence Day,” YouTube continues to pump out the content of matches past. Last Saturday, the official Olympic Channel account released the 1992 Olympic debut of the Dream Team against Angola. So, I thought I would do some reminiscing of the event with some history put in.
The Dream Team
After an underwhelming result at the 1988 Seoul games that saw the United States earn a bronze medal, USA Basketball created the greatest basketball team ever assembled. (Don’t @ me.) I mean, just look at this roster (and again, DON’T @ ME):
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, and Christian Laettner.
USA Basketball retained one college player and the popular choice according to basketball fans was Shaquille O’Neal. But Laettner was the best overall college basketball player in the country at the time. Plus, the Dream Team was already set at Center with Ewing and Robinson. For reference as to why Laettner was selected, watch ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary I Hate Christian Laettner.
One giant controversy was the omission of Detroit Pistons G Isaiah Thomas. While Magic was good friends with Thomas, Jordan and Thomas were not as cordial. It’s speculated that Jordan went to team executive Rod Thorn and said he would not play on the team unless Thomas was left off. This was addressed in the book Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Changed the Game of Basketball Forever by SI writer Jack McCallum.
Scrimmages and the Tournament of the Americas
Prior to the Tournament of the Americas, the Dream Team scrimmaged college players in La Jolla, CA. The group of college players included Chris Webber as well as future Olympians Grant Hill (1996), Penny Hardaway (1996), and Allan Houston (2000). In the first game, the Dream Team LOST to the college team, a lesson taught by head coach Chuck Daly that they could be beaten. In the next game, the Dream Team handily defeated the college team.
Later that month, they traveled to Portland, OR for the tournament. The Dream Team swept through group play by an average score of 120-64. They earned a first-round bye to the tournament semifinal where they would easily dispose of Puerto Rico and then Venezuela in the championship game. Unbelievably, this was the first time that the United States won the tournament.
Dream Team Debut
After a handful of exhibition games with other national teams and practices in Monaco, the Dream Team made their Olympic debut on July 26. Their group (Group A) featured Croatia, Brazil, and hosts Spain. However, their first opponent in group play was Angola, who qualified three years earlier in FIBA’s Africa tournament. The Angolans were obviously undersized and outmatched, but they were still Africa’s lone representative.
The starting lineup for the Dream Team was Bird, Ewing, Jordan, Magic, and Malone. Between the five of them were 10 NBA championship games as well as loads of All-Star appearances. The Palacio Municipal de Deportes de Badalona was all abuzz for this game.
The Dream Team got off to a slow start; Ewing won the opening tip and Malone was fouled. “The Mailman” missed his first free throw, but made his second to give the Dream Team a one to zero lead. A dunk by Angola’s David Dias gave the Angolans a two to one lead. This would be the only lead that Angola would have. The Angolans kept the game tight as the Americans surprisingly struggled. Ewing collected two fouls and was replaced by Robinson as Angola tied the game at seven.
The Run and The Elbow Heard ‘Round the World
Then came the most historic run that the Olympics would ever see at that time. Malone’s three-point play gave the Dream Team an 11-seven lead and his fast-break dunk increased the lead to six. Jordan’s layup was followed by Magic’s brilliant peripheral pass to Bird (at 23:31) to increase the lead to 11. The United States’ defense forced Angola to continually shoot from the outside and they made them pay with fast-break opportunities.
Barkley, Drexler, Mullin, and Pippen entered the game as the Dream Team continued to push the pace of play. But later what followed would be one of the most talked-about incidents of the game. After completing a fast break layup, Barkley would elbow Angola F Herlander Coimbra (at the 36:23 mark). Barkley was considered by many to be a villain throughout the tournament, but remained unapologetic, claiming Coimbra had fouled him hard.
Coimbra converted one of the two foul shots in what was the only point in a 46 to one run by the Dream Team. The score at the half: USA 64, Angola 16.
(Side note: I was 14 years old and big into basketball at the time, so I was amped to watch this game. I was watching along with my parents, who were shocked – shocked, I say! – to see Barkley drop that elbow. In front of my parents, I did the same. Secretly, I was in awe at Barkley’s badassery.)
In the second half, the Dream Team continued to pour it on winning impressively in their debut, 116-48. The 68-point victory stood as the largest margin of victory in Olympic history until the 83-point defeat of Nigeria in the 2012 London Olympics.
The Unstoppable Force
The Dream Team had a tougher game the next night against Croatia, which featured Drazen Petrovic, Dino Radja, and Toni Kukoc. All three would all be in the NBA after the Barcelona games. But the Dream Team contained all three of the European stars on their way to a 30-point victory. It was the only match in group play that the Dream Team would win by less than 40 points.
The Dream Team steamrolled over a now-unified Germany (111-68), Brazil (127-83), and host Spain (122-81) to win Group A on their way to the knockout round. They handily defeated Puerto Rico for the second time in a matter of weeks in the quarterfinal, then routed Lithuania (and their groovy uniforms) by 51. The Dream Team met Croatia again for the gold medal on August 8 and the Croatians took it to the NBA stars, leading at one point in the first half. But the Dream Team pulled away to a 32-point victory and won the gold medal.
The Great Debate
The NBA has continued to send players to the Olympics to represent the United States. There has been debate as to whether other so-called “Dream Teams,” such as the 2008 and 2012, could take down the OG Dream Team.
In my mind, though, the first Dream Team would beat all of them enough to have Laettner enter the game. There is no doubt.
You can find more NBA coverage at Belly Up Sports here! Want to debate the Dream Team? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter, @WhoIsRyanMcC.
