Arturas Karnisovas is one of Lithuania's best players in international competition. But when a 21-year-old Karnisovas played on the Lithuanian national team that faced the Dream Team in the semifinals of the 1992 Olympic basketball men's tournament, he was like the rest of the world—left in awe by the mere presence of his basketball idols.
Lithuania was supposed to be one of the teams in Barcelona that would at least put the Americans to some test. However, they were so awe-stricken that they ended up losing by 51 points. The funny thing for Karnisovas was the game wasn't over yet, and he was already taking pictures on the court.
"I'm sitting on the sidelines like, 'Nobody is taking pictures,'" said Karnisovas. "So I'm sitting there with like 2 minutes to go, and we're down by 45. I start taking pictures."
Karnisovas was fanboying before the game was over
You couldn't blame him though. Although he finished the game with ten points, Arturas didn't get much playing time, with Lithuania still having the likes of Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis, and Rimas Kurtinaitis on the lineup.
But if there was a player on that Lithuanian team who wasn't supposed to be starstruck by the Dream Team in the Olympics , it was Karnisovas, who played four seasons for P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall and helped the Pirates win two Big East titles. But despite having solid NCAA experience, playing against the NBA stars was a whole different level.
"Karl Malone pushed me away one time like I wasn't there," Karnisovas added . "My coach says, 'Oh, you're like a girl.' I said, 'In the NBA, I would be a guard.' Malone's arm is as big as my leg."
Related: "I am more disappointed today than I was back when I was not selected" -Isiah Thomas on handshake snub as the reason he didn't make the Dream Team
The Dream Team never really faced competition
Karnisovas' experience playing against Team USA sums up the entire 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The Americans sent the biggest names in basketball to the '92 Summer Games. And although it wasn't necessarily the best team could've come up with, the star power was so great that their opponents were starstruck.
"They're still my heroes," admitted Karnisovas after that 1992 loss to the Dream Team. "It doesn't matter that we played against them. I know we're not on the same level. They are the stars of stars."
At that time, there was a massive difference in the level of basketball talent between the USA and the rest of the world. You add that to the awe factor, and that's how they won, with an average of 44 points per game. That gap has since narrowed. In 2004, Lithuania defeated the United States 94-90 in their group stage contest. The Americans got back at the Lithuanians during the bronze medal game, 104-96, but nobody was star-struck anymore.
Related: "I asked Jordan for an earring" — Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway were secretly fan-boying in their scrimmage against the Dream Team
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