U.S.A. Basketball goes to China
Fourth-Place Medal —
... The U.S. Basketball team arrived in China yesterday and will spend the next 11 days preparing to win back the men's basketball gold medal that used to be an American birthright. The 2004 team in Athens lost more games (3) than every other American Olympic team in history combined (2 -- and one of those losses came in the infamous 1972 gold medal robbery against the Soviets), putting the pressure on the 2008 squad which has lamely been nicknamed "The Redeem Team". ...
What Happened to the Olympics Being a Showcase for Amateur Athletes?
FanIQ Blog —
... There probably won't be many more epic Olympic moments, a la the "Miracle on Ice" of 1980, or the controversial USA vs Russia gold medal game in 1972. There won't be the moments of jubilation for college and high school players, who have never experienced anything comparable in their life. Instead, it will be just another championship for guys like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, and if Lebron & Co. DON'T lead the USA to gold, it's a huge disappointment. Where's the competition and excitement in that? ...
[XXIX OLYMPICS] Time For '72 USA Mens Basketball Team To Collect Silver Medals
Rays Index —
... Also, as far as we can tell, all 12 members of the basketball team are still alive. This is important as at least one of the players has explicit instructions in his will that his heirs are to never collect the silver medal. ...
9/10/1972 - Three seconds, three chances for USSR
Inhistoric —
... to young, the Russian team having better chemistry from playing more games together. Many players pointed to the tragedy that had occurred five days earlier, where 11 Isrealis were held hostage and murdered. "Our misfortune was that we lost the basketball game, but we all got to return home and go back to college and see our families," said U.S. center Tom Burleson. "Those Israelis, they never got that opportunity. They went home in boxes and caskets." Second-Hand Smoke ESPN Classic - USA vs. USSR basketball
