The 1992 Dream Team is the most popular U.S. men's basketball team of all time. That version of Team USA is considered the greatest basketball team ever assembled. Other U.S. men's hoop teams that stand out in history are the 1996 Dream Team, the 2008 Redeem Team , and the 2012 London Olympics squad.
Before FIBA allowed professional basketball players to represent their countries in international competitions, the 1984 U.S. men's basketball team donned the Stars and Stripes during the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Although that team isn't talked about often, center Patrick Ewing says it was one of the most dominant American Olympic teams ever.
"If you look at that team, we could have beaten any team, barring the Dream Team," said Ewing.
Team was stacked
The 1984 U.S. men's basketball team is probably the most underrated U.S. men's basketball team of all time because it was composed of collegiate basketball players. But when you run down the names on its roster, you will be impressed with who was on that impressive squad.
Its three best players, Michael Jordan , Chris Mullin , and Ewing, played for the original Dream Team in 1992. The team had four out of the five consensus First Team All-American selections in the NCAA that year. Eleven out of the 12 players on the team ended up as first-round picks in the NBA.
Aside from an impressive lineup of players, that team also had an All-Star coaching staff. Helping head coach Bob Knight were equally high-profile assistants in George Raveling, C.M. Newton, and Don Donoher.
Related: "Steve Kerr ain't coaching sh*t" - Dennis Rodman blasts his former teammate's coaching abilities
They dominated the competition
During their Olympic preparations, the team faced an NBA selection that included Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Isaiah Thomas, and Mark Aguirre. Although the NBA stars were ' out of shape ,' they went 8-0 against the selection team.
The 1984 U.S. team went 8-0 during the Los Angeles Olympics, defeating Spain 96-65 in the gold medal game. Their average winning margin was 32.1 points per game in eight games.
That margin is the second-largest in the last 60 years, with only the Dream Team's 43.8 PPG point difference better. The 2012 London team matched the '84 squad's 32.1 PPG winning margin, while the Redeem Team won by 27.9 PPG, the 2016 team by 22.5, and the 2020 team by 25.4.
The difference, though, is that the teams from 1992 to the present are made up of NBA stars. That 1984 team was without professional basketball players. It was the last amateur team from the U.S. to win Olympic gold.
Related: Michael Jordan on playing point guard for the Dream Team: "I told the players before the game I'm not Magic Johnson"
Most Popular
Comments / 0