COLUMN: Dream Team

One of the sports highlights of my younger days was watching the USA Olympic basketball team take to the court and beat the best of the rest of the world with our top college players.

With the horrible exception of the Munich Games of 1972, when the dreaded Soviets stole a victory from the USA in the infamous “extra-seconds” game, it was always a delight to see how our college kids could beat other country’s “professional” teams even though professional athletes were allegedly banned from Olympic competition. 

I was vein-popping mad. The disappointment was so bad it stunk. 

These were not Olympic games; they were political tugs of war.... commies versus good people. 

Good versus evil. 

But the loss, the first Olympic games men’s basketball loss in the history of the games, sparked a move to let “our” pros play.  Imagine that possibility, I always dreamed. 

Lo and behold, the “Dream Team” was born. 

OMG!!  We are going to show those commies now, I gleefully proclaimed to all who would listen or who cared. Revenge!! 

And, in fact, the first Dream Team Olympics was a complete wipeout in favor of the USA team featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton, Karl Malone, etc, won by an average margin of 30+ points.  Gold was in the bag and national honor had been restored. 

But within a couple of Olympics, an ominous tone began to emerge. The “best” USA players decided they could not afford to risk an injury that would have cut their wealthy gravy train.  Besides, many reasoned, we can beat anyone with any level of “pros.” Those first teams added two college players to their rosters to make a point. 

Then, the bottom began to fall out, with greed and pride playing a big role. 

In the run up to the 2004 Olympics, the USA men’s lost games to Puerto Rico and Lithuania. Bye-bye gold medal. 

Say what? 

Yup.   

The losses began to pile up like garbage bags on a New York City sidewalk during a sanitation department strike.  Like cars on a foggy Los Angeles freeway. 

Prior to the Tokyo Olympics four year ago, the USA, with a roster of sub-stars, lost pre-tournament games to Nigeria and Australia. 

What in the world of James Naismith is going on?  Not since the first peach basket was nailed to a pole by Dr. Naismith in 1891, was there ever such scrutiny on the quality of American basketball. Surely there is a better use for peach baskets? 

Oh, the USA won gold in 2020 and are favored to win gold again these next few weeks in Paris. 

This year’s roster includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durrant and Jayson Tatum. Hope is back?! 

Not so fast. 

Last week the USA squad held off a late rally and beat Australia by five or six points in the final minute as part of their pre-Olympic tournament exhibition schedule. 

The Aussies have several current NBA players on their roster and figure to be a tough opponent. 

Then, just this past weekend, the American’s needed a last second layup by James to hold off, gulp, SOUTH SUDAN, 101-100.  Not North Sudan, or SW Somalia, or even North Dakota, SOUTH SUDAN. 

Prior to the games versus Australia and SOUTH SUDAN, the USA beat, in addition to Australia, the team from Serbia. 

OMG. What has happened to USA basketball?  Hopefully they can put the cash concerns aside and quit worrying about their fan image and play some team basketball. 

The rest of the world, it was always speculated, would someday catch up with the USA in basketball prowess.  

Sadly, that day may be here.

There was something so empowering about watching the USA blow other teams off the court. 

At least, not go down to the wire with SOUTH SUDAN.