USA MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
1992-2000
PLAYED ............. 41 WON ................... 39 LOST .................. 2 WIN RATIO ....... 95% OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS: 1992, 1996, 2000 WORLD CHAMPIONS: 1994 Dubbed the ‘Dream Team’ the US basketball team turned up at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona with some of the greatest players in history – Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley.
They were able to go to Spain after the rules changed in 1988 to allow professionals to play at the Olympics.
The US romped to the gold medal. They won by an average of 44 points and the closest of their eight games was their 117-85 win over Canada in the final.
The Dream Team backed up with gold at Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. In an eight-year period they only lost two games. SCORES ON THE DOORS LONGEVITY 5/10 An eight-year stretch doesn’t really scream domination. The Dream Team enjoyed a short but sweet period where they were way too good for everyone else but as legacies go, it lacked duration. INTENSITY OF COMPETITION 6/10 Basketball is a global sport and a handful of countries are genuinely good at it and another few are capable.
But no other country has nearly the same resources as the US or the same depth of players. PINNACLE TOURNAMENTS 9/10 Can’t argue with three Olympic titles on the trot. Yes they were the red hot favourites to win each time and yes they were far better funded than any of their opponents. But they still had to turn up and win. It’s not always so simple. WINNING RECORD 8/10 A win ratio of 95 per cent says it all. This was a side that was more than just natural talent. There was work ethic and character to back up the skills and athleticism and clearly some kind of valuable strategic input. SPORTING FOOTPRINT 7/10 The individuals involved all had massive reputations and that generated hype and excitement about what might happen if so many good players were thrown together. But they never quite lived up to the hype. Everyone loved the catchy ‘Dream Team’ moniker but it was a triumph more for marketing than it was for sporting romance.