The players on the US team that lost to Argentina in the semi-final of the 2004 Athens Olympics showed how hard the defeat was for them.
LeBron James and the Argentine national team
On August 27, 2004, the Argentine basketball team wrote one of the most glorious pages in the history of Argentine sports. That day, they defeated the United States Dream Team, full of NBA stars, by 89-81 in the semifinals of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
“They kicked our ass.” Said LeBron James, one of the best basketball players in the world and in history, when referring to the performance of the team led by Rubén Magnano, in the event where the Albiceleste would be crowned champion and with the Americans, with the Chosen One in their squad, would finish in third place with Italy rounding out the podium.
The United States remains undefeated at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This Thursday, they earned a hard-fought ticket to the final after beating Serbia, which was ahead for most of the match, 95-91. In this way, Argentina remains the only team that managed to beat the United States (with NBA players) in the playoffs of the Olympic Games. Out of 23 games, they achieved 22 victories, so the figure of that albiceleste team continues to grow.
LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, who also participated in the game, produced the documentary released by Netflix, called ‘The Redeem Team’, which tells the story of the United States team that many consider to be the second best, only behind Michael Jordan’s Dream Team. It is none other than the one that was crowned champion in Beijing 2008.
In order to describe the process that the US team had to go through to ‘redeem’ itself from that so-called failure against Argentina and from the 2006 World Cup – where it was defeated by Greece in the same stage – they had to mention the defeat against the South Americans. And they did so with the words of its protagonists.
In that duel that will go down in the great history of Argentine sport, the national team dominated the game from the beginning, with a brilliant Manu Ginobili (29 points, 9/13 in field goals, 4/6 in triples), the exclusive figure of the game, and the contribution of a granite and forceful team. Luis Scola contributed 10 points and four rebounds; Andres Nocioni, 13 and five; Fabricio Oberto, six and six; Pepe Sanchez, four and seven assists; Alejandro Montecchia, 12 and two; and Walter Herrmann, from the bench, was the X factor, with decisive interventions when the United States storm came at the end (always a decisive moment against a team of such caliber and physical power) and a total of 11 points and four rebounds. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Argentina Basketball Team in Athens 2004
In the trailer for the documentary, you can see images of the game and the euphoria of those dressed in white, who had Ginobili as their standard bearer (at that time, the only Argentinean present in the NBA, having just finished his first season with the San Antonio Spurs). This was contrasted with the serious faces of those from the USA. And what was reflected on the court was put into words by LeBron James and Wade themselves.
Lebron James in Athens 2004
“It was disgusting to watch,” admitted the historic Miami Heat guard, while King James confirmed the feeling about what was the only defeat in the history of the US team at the Olympic Games by presenting a team with NBA players, which has been allowed since Barcelona 1992. “It was terrible to be part of. They kicked our asses.”
LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the harsh memory of the defeat against Argentina in Athens 2004: “They kicked our asses”
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2024-08-08 21:18:42
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