Before the 2004 Olympics, Team USA played an exhibition match against Italy. Although the outcome was more of a formality, it was still shocking when the favored Americans lost decisively. After the 95-78 defeat, head coach Larry Brown publicly expressed some stern words about his roster.
"They're going to be in for a lot of lessons for the next few weeks. They learned that there are great players around the world and great coaches around the world. We're going to have to grow up very quickly," remarked Brown, per the L.A. Times.
Team USA didn't play like the favorites
Just before the Olympic tournament in Athens, Greece, the American team was heavily favored to win the gold medal, having already triumphed in the previous three tournaments. A recent survey showed that 78.2% of people believed the U.S. team would once again emerge victorious. This confidence was partially bolstered by the team's impressive 10-0 record in Olympic qualifying matches.
However, just ten days before the real business started, the first setback occurred when they faced Team Italy in Cologne, Germany. Afterwards, ESPN described this loss as "the most one-sided and embarrassing loss ever by an American team compromising NBA players."
The Italian team, who had placed fifth at the Sydney Olympics, put on a remarkable shooting performance. They sank an impressive 15 three-pointers, which was quite the number at the time. The standout duo of Giacomo Galanda and Gianluca Basile were particularly impressive, combining for a remarkable 14-of-23 from beyond the arc.
Related: Michael Jordan on why guys shouldn't be able to jump from high school to NBA: "Something is affected by leaving college early"
Defense and shooting raised concerns
That night, Team Italy played exceptionally well. Having said that, Team USA's shortcomings also contributed to the game's surprising outcome. Afterward, the Americans discussed these issues, starting with their defense—or lack thereof.
"We just didn't communicate well on defense," said the team's captain, Allen Iverson.
His teammate, Lamar Odom, agreed, acknowledging that their defense "wasn't up to par."
Their coach Larry Brown, fresh off leading the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship title, emphasized this point even more strongly.
"We'll need to play solid defense every night because we'll have some off-shooting nights," he said.
Brown's statement brings up the next significant issue: Team USA's shooting struggles. While facing their opponents' zone defense, they only connected four 3-pointers. The absence of "pure shooters" was already a concern for the legendary head coach.
Despite the perceived setback, Spurs superstar Tim Duncan remained optimistic, emphasizing that it was still early days.
"It doesn't hurt at all. It's great preparation. If it happened to us in the Olympics, that's different," remarked the two-time MVP.
Looking back, that's exactly what happened for Team USA in the following weeks. It felt like déjà vu as defensive lapses and shooting struggles resurfaced during the Olympic tournament. That, among other things, led to the gold-medal favorites losing three games, marking the most losses ever for a U.S. men's Olympic basketball team. In the end, Coach Brown's roster could only secure a disappointing bronze medal.
Related: "That Olympics was disgusting...Nobody knew they place" - Carmelo on the vibes of 2004 Team USA
Local News
Comments / 0