Tension rose between Team USA and Puerto Rico when they clashed in the 1994 World Championships, not because it was a close game but because of Dream Team II's antics. For Puerto Rico head coach Carlos Morales, Team USA players' trash-talking and the taunting were no longer about national pride but a profound display of unsportsmanlike conduct.
After the game, Morales expressed his disappointment with the Americans' behavior on the world stage, which he perceived as disrespectful. The coach even stressed that the original Dream Team was far more classy than the Dream Team II.
"They are great basketball players, but they aren't better people than we are," Morales said through an interpreter. "Just because they beat us by a wide margin doesn't mean we don't belong on the same floor or the same world with them."
"All the trash-talking, pushing, shoving. That doesn't belong here," he added. "The players of the first Dream Team were legends. Those legends handled themselves better on the court and off the court."
Team USA doesn't tolerate it
Right from the get-go, the powerhouse Dream Team II squad unsurprisingly entered the game with an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance. Despite being up big on the scoreboard, Team USA stars Dominique Wilkins , Larry Johnson, and Alonzo Mourning kept engaging in verbal altercations with the Puerto Ricans, while the flamboyant Shaquille O'Neal added insult to injury by occasionally showboating.
In the end, Dream Team II mauled Puerto Rico to a 102-74 victory. Team USA coach Don Nelson acknowledged that his players did not demonstrate the utmost respect for their rivals. However, that didn't mean that he tolerated it.
"I don't like it," Nellie said of his team's behavior against Puerto Rico. "I didn't do it as a player."
Related: Oscar Schmidt shares how beating Team USA after a miraculous 35-point second-half performance was ‘the best part of his life’
Puerto Rico's revenge
For obvious reasons, Team USA often had its way with their rivals in international competition. However, Puerto Rico managed to put a dent in the Americans' history of dominance when they famously beat Team USA at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Puerto Ricans avenged their humiliating defeat to the U.S. in the '94 World Championships and became responsible for one of the most notable upsets in Olympic basketball history. The monumental game showcased Puerto Rico's national basketball team's talent and defied the common belief that Team USA was unbeatable.
Conversely, Team USA's loss to Puerto Rico resulted in a positive thing. The Americans were able to learn from the devastating experience, which paved the way for the Redeem Team in 2008.
Related: "Dream Team II could've beaten Dream Team I" - Shaq still doesn't think the '92 Olympic squad is the best team ever
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