Magic Johnson talked about one issue in first Dream Team practice in 1992: "Chuck had to say, would somebody start shooting?"

When NBA stars such as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Earvin "Magic" Johnson got together in 1992 to form a Dream Team for the Olympics, for the first time ever, the world got to see that kind of talent on one squad.

That USA team was branded as the strongest ever assembled at the time. However, bringing together the top names was just the beginning. Despite the overflowing presence of talent, seeing them operate like a well-oiled machine was another challenge.

That all started in June 1992 when the United States Men's National Team held practice for the first time. As anticipated, things didn't run smoothly. However, Bird knew that they needed to start somewhere if they were going to win it all in Barcelona.

"It was a little harder than I anticipated, but we all needed it," Bird stated.

Gun-shy stars

With established stars comprising the Dream Team, the next step was to develop chemistry. Head coach Chuck Daly knew this was a must, which is why he did passing drills so that everyone could get used to playing with each other. But as expected, doing so wasn't easy.

Even Magic admitted that things didn't go on smoothly. The Los Angeles Lakers star shared that it reached the point when none of the gunners knew when to make a shot attempt.

"Today we were overpassing," Johnson said via UPI . "Finally, Chuck had to say ... would somebody start shooting?"

Coach Daly was confident that it was a temporary stumbling block and that they would eventually weather through it. He was mostly impressed with the effort after first practice.

"I was really impressed with the enthusiasm I saw out there," Daly said. "There was almost too much energy. They were very hyper, trying to do too much."

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The advantage of having a loaded roster

Although that team was hailed as the best-ever assembled, they had players who were not at 100% health . It was the backcourt that was sorely affected at the time. Aside from dealing with his HIV problem, Magic also strained a muscle in the United States' second game against Croatia. John Stockton was also injured, dealing with a fractured right fibula.

Other players like Mike and Clyde Drexler were still around. On his end, Jordan took it upon himself to be the playmaker of the team.

"I told the players before the game I'm not Magic Johnson," MJ said . "I tried to fill his shoes, and I think I did a good job."

The United States Men's Olympic basketball team ran roughshod over the opposition in Barcelona. They defeated opponents by an average of 44 points, more than enough to hand the 1992 Dream Team the gold medal.

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