Dream teams don't come any more
dreamlike than the Americans who set
foot on the basketball court at the Olympic Games.
A US dominance was already well established by
1992 when they stepped up a gear and sent the professionals along
to the party. A cast of NBA All-Stars arrived
in Barcelona starring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson,
Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird. In '92 and '96,
they played 16 games, scored 1,754 points and no-one got within 22
points of them. They were, in a word,
unbeatable. The USA came to the Millennium
Games in Sydney as the hottest of
hot favourites. A squad of NBA superstars
starring Kevin Garnett, three-time All-star, Jason
Kidd, three-time All-star, Alonzo Mourning, five-time All-star, and Vince
Carter, NBA Rookie of the Year. The supporting cast wasn't
bad either. They were head and shoulders
above all the rest. They brushed aside the old
enemy Russia in the quarterfinals. It brought the United States
team to a semifinal against Lithuania - bronze medallists in Barcelona
and Atlanta, but scarcely household names. None of them played in the NBA, but there was talent on the
roster, including some established
players from top European leagues - Sarunas Jasikevicius of
FC Barcelona, Saulius Stombergas
of TAU Ceramica, and Gintaras Einikis of CSKA
Moscow. But their one true superstar,
Arvydas Sabonis, had retired. Surely they were no match
for the dream team. Nearly 15,000 supporters were in the Sydney Super Dome
for the semifinals. The first half went as
expected, Lithuania struggled. The United States scored at
will. It was business as usual. A three-pointer from Jason Kidd on the buzzer took them to
half-time with the United States
leading 48-36. The second half, however, was a different story. The Lithuanian team re-emerged
reinvented. It was game on. For the next 15 minutes,
the scores were neck and neck. Lithuania scored, the USA
scored. Amazingly, the game was in the
balance deep in the fourth quarter. With only 96 seconds left
on the clock, Alonzo Mourning commissioned a foul, ending his game and
giving Lithuania two free throws. Were the USA about to throw it
away? Sarunas Jasikevicius hadn't
missed from the line and wouldn't start now. And Carter drives, he goes up
and is fouled. The basket does not go in. The fouls are going to be
on Stombergas, Carter will shoot too with a
chance to put the US in the lead. Second shot now, 80, 80, and it's missed, it's tipped and loose ball
falling down. Everyone's diving and
Lithuania have it. It was all square going into
the final minute. The clock continued to run down
and the drama only became more frantic. Lithuania missed a
three-pointer but got the foul. It's a chance for Lithuania to
take control of this game. The upset could be on. But Ramunas Siskauskas missed two out of three
from the line. Vince Carter scored at the
other end and the USA had a one-point
lead. Carter again going for the
basket, over Timinskas and hits
and the US leads by one. Full-court pressure by the US, Garnett knocks the ball
out of bounds and he's fouled in the rush
for the loose ball. Timinskas, I think, got the
foul. Garnett will shoot two. Garnett at the line shooting
two, US up by one. We have seen a lot of missed
foul shots under the pressure of
the last couple of minutes and Garnett has missed his
first. Second shot, it's up and missed
and McDyess with the rebound off the glass - US up by three. They need the points quickly,
on the drive, lays it in, a one-point game and they're
going to have to foul. US up by two, still five
seconds, this jump ball is crucial. McDyess has it,
but there's a whistle, he's called for jumping too
soon, Lithuania get the ball. Just time for one shot now, can the Lithuanians, with
a three, beat the dream team? Sarunas Jasikevicius had destiny in his hands as he sprinted full court
and threw for three. And game's on the line, shot's up and he has missed it. Heartbreaking for Lithuania. US has dodged a bullet. By a matter of centimetres, the dream team had avoided
infamy. They kept their unbeaten record
by the skin of their teeth but they had been rocked. The Lithuanians were
shellshocked. They left the arena, forced to contemplate
what might have been. They went through to
the bronze-medal match and beat Australia
to stand on the podium. With their authority
undermined, the United States reacted
powerfully in the final. They beat France without
breaking sweat. Another gold medal
for the dream team. Lithuania, however, became
the most heroic of heroic losers. A few agonising centimetres from causing the biggest upset of all time
in the Olympic Games.
Even 12 years later with different rosters, and the USA bringing LeBron James, Kobe Bryant Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony to the table along with the other All Stars on the roster, Lithuania still played the USA to a 5 point game. Their ball movement and three point shooting always gave USA fits. Very impressive for a country with a population of around the City of Chicago.