While the United States had emerged as easy contenders for the gold medal in basketball ever since NBA players were allowed, beginning with 1992's "Dream Team", they would not be able to establish dominance after the 2000 Olympics. Beginning with the 2002 FIBA World Championship, team USA finished sixth after being beaten by second-place Argentina. Argentina would also haunt them in Athens, beating the Americans in the semifinals, making them settle for a bronze.
So, how can the USA win gold in 2004? Would a backcourt not composed of Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson (both notorious high volume, low efficiency scorers) help? Would a coach apart from Larry Brown help?
So, how can the USA win gold in 2004? Would a backcourt not composed of Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson (both notorious high volume, low efficiency scorers) help? Would a coach apart from Larry Brown help?