i was all ready to write this post mortem on the usa men’s basketball team, and how they had just been kicked out of the olympics by losing to spain, making it the first time a team full of nba players hadn’t even gotten a medal, must less won the gold medal.
i was also ready to declare that we should have just sent the women’s team instead, since they really are a dream team, featuring the best of the best of the wnba, with players who a: can pass b: can shoot and c: all really want to be there and take pride in playing for their country.
finally, i was going to extoll lisa leslie as the best u.s. basketball player there. she’s the whole package! she can shoot the three, she’s deadly quick, can handle the ball, and is fantastic around the net. she currently holds the u.s. record for most points and rebounds in olympic competition, for both men and women.
but then the men’s team pull it off, winning against previously unbeaten spain! not only that, but they won by hitting 12 three pointers, incredible considering that they had only made 21 in the previous five games combined.
the hero was stephon marbury, who made 6 of those threes, and scored a men’s u.s. olympic record high 31 points in the game!
who holds the overall u.s. olympic record high?
lisa leslie. 35 points versus japan. 7/31/96.
Posted at August 26, 2004 12:53 PMComments are now closed for this entry. Thank you for playing.