The United States Men's National Basketball Team unsurprisingly won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia in 2000. However, Team USA had to work for that one as competition grew even harder.
For one, the team barely made it to the gold medal round. To advance, they had to scramble past Lithuania, 85-82, and it took the joint efforts of Vince Carter , Jason Kidd, and Antonio McDyess.
The huge thorn for the Americans at the time was Sarunas Jasikevicius. The 6-foot-4 guard who had stints with the Indiana Pacers (2005 to 2007) and the Golden State Warriors (2007) played a pivotal role in the waning minutes of that matchup.
The 2003 EuroBasket MVP kept the Lithuanians in the thick of things, finishing with 27 points in that game. However, the most important shot of them all was a fadeaway three-pointer that allowed Team USA to escape with an 85-83 win. This set up the Americans for a gold medal contest against France.
A win is a win
Despite the win, Team USA did not escape criticism. Being branded as the "Dream Team," there were skeptics who felt otherwise. Regardless, Carter could care less, stressing that a win is a win.
"We didn't lose," VC said back then via UPI . "I don't care what the world thinks. Look at the scoreboard."
Although they pulled that great escape, then-coach Rudy Tomjanovich admitted that the team went through anxious moments. Rudy mentioned that no player on that squad wanted to be associated with losing for the first time since NBA players were allowed to play in the Olympics.
"The NBA players had never lost at that time, and nobody wanted to be on the team that lost for the first time," Tomjanovich stated .
Related: "Isiah wasn't even going to be the first substitute" - The Dream Team almost replaced Stockton but not with Thomas
The pressure was real
It was the second time that the Americans faced the Lithuanians. They also had a tough time in the preliminary round but escaped with an 85-76 win. Ironically, that game raised questions about Team USA's ability to win it all.
In the gold medal round against France, the United States also needed to work hard to get past France. It went down to the wire, but Carter and Kevin Garnett provided Team USA with the needed lift to bag the gold, 85-75.
"Give credit to France and Lithuania. They pushed us to the end," Vince said in another article by UPI .
The experience of the 2000 Olympics had already warned Team USA to prepare better. However, based on their performance in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, that was not the case.
Team USA failed to advance to the gold medal round after losing its semifinal matchup against eventual gold medal winner Argentina 98-81. The Americans ended up settling for the bronze after winning over Lithuania 104-96. It was the first loss of USA Basketball since being represented by NBA players in the Olympics.
Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics
Most Popular
Comments / 0