2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team

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2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Head coach Larry Brown
2004 Summer Olympics Bronze medal.svg
Scoring leader Flag of the United States.svg Allen Iverson [1]
13.8
Rebounding leader Flag of the United States.svg Tim Duncan
9.1
Assists leader Flag of the United States.svg Stephon Marbury
3.4
←  2000
2008  →

The men's national basketball team of the United States competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The team was led by future Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown.

Contents

The Americans were favored to win the gold medal, after winning the tournament the previous three Olympics. [2] [3] However, the team won bronze, while losing three games against its opponents, the most games ever lost by a U.S. men's Olympic basketball team.

The team lost its opening game to Puerto Rico by 19 points, which stands as the largest margin of defeat for the U.S. in the Olympics. [4] It ended their 24-game Olympic winning streak since 1992, when National Basketball Association (NBA) players were first allowed to compete. [5] The team also lost a group stage game to Lithuania and the semi-final game to Argentina.

In addition, the team lost a friendly preparation game prior to the Olympics, against Italy, by a score of 95–78. [6] [7] [8] This was the second time that Team USA won the bronze medal, having also done so at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Roster

Team USA members warming up at Belgrade Arena before their preparation game versus Serbia-Montenegro in August 2004. SCG - USA - USA training.jpg
Team USA members warming up at Belgrade Arena before their preparation game versus Serbia-Montenegro in August 2004.

The following is the United States roster in the men's basketball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. [9]

United States men's national basketball team – 2004 Summer Olympics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameAge – Date of birthHeightClubCtr.
G 4 Allen Iverson  (C)29 – (1975-06-07)7 June 19751.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Philadelphia 76ers Flag of the United States.svg
G 5 Stephon Marbury 27 – (1977-02-20)20 February 19771.87 m (6 ft 2 in) New York Knicks Flag of the United States.svg
G 6 Dwyane Wade 22 – (1982-01-17)17 January 19821.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Miami Heat Flag of the United States.svg
F 7 Carlos Boozer 22 – (1981-11-20)20 November 19812.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Cleveland Cavaliers Flag of the United States.svg
F 8 Carmelo Anthony 20 – (1984-05-29)29 May 19842.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Denver Nuggets Flag of the United States.svg
F 9 LeBron James 19 – (1984-12-30)30 December 19842.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Cleveland Cavaliers Flag of the United States.svg
C 10 Emeka Okafor 21 – (1982-09-28)28 September 19822.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Charlotte Bobcats Flag of the United States.svg
F 11 Shawn Marion 26 – (1978-05-07)7 May 19782.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Phoenix Suns Flag of the United States.svg
C 12 Amar'e Stoudemire 21 – (1982-11-16)16 November 19822.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Phoenix Suns Flag of the United States.svg
F 13 Tim Duncan  (C)28 – (1976-04-25)25 April 19762.10 m (6 ft 11 in) San Antonio Spurs Flag of the United States.svg
F 14 Lamar Odom 24 – (1979-11-06)6 November 19792.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Miami Heat Flag of the United States.svg
G 15 Richard Jefferson 24 – (1980-06-21)21 June 19802.00 m (6 ft 7 in) New Jersey Nets Flag of the United States.svg
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • nat field describes country
    of last club
    before the tournament
  • Age as of August 13, 2004

After the United States finished in sixth place in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the Americans overhauled their roster for the 2003 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, where they needed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team cruised to a first-place finish at the Americas Championship, and earned a spot in Athens, Greece, the following summer. However, the only players from the 2003 squad to compete in the Olympics were Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, and Richard Jefferson; the rest of the team opted out. Newcomers to the team included young players LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Emeka Okafor. [10] The team featured just one All-NBA selection (Duncan) and two All-Stars (Duncan and Iverson) [11] from the prior NBA season, which are both all-time lows for a U.S. Olympic team since NBA players were first allowed in 1992. [12] [13] Team USA was coached by Larry Brown, who was coming off a championship in the 2004 NBA Finals. [10]

Summary

The United States struggled with its outside shooting, finishing the tournament ranked last in three point field goals made (5.5 per game) and 11th in percentage (31.4) out of 12 teams. They also struggled defensively. [14]

The team's loss to Puerto Rico was just the third in U.S. Olympic men's basketball history. Their two previous losses were both to the Soviet Union (1972 and 1988), with six having been the largest margin of defeat. [15]

Results
GameOpponentResultPoint
diff		RoundNotesRef.
1Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico L 73–92-19Group PlayTeam's third and biggest Olympic loss [16] [17]
2Flag of Greece.svg  Greece W 77–71+6Group Play [18]
3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia W 89–79+10Group Play [19]
4Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania L 90–94-4Group PlayTeam's fourth Olympic loss [20]
5Flag of Angola.svg  Angola W 89–53+36Group Play [21]
6Flag of Spain.svg  Spain W 102–94+8Quarterfinals [22]
7Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina L 81–89-8SemifinalsTeam's fifth Olympic loss [16]
8Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania W 104–96+8Bronze FinalUS wins bronze medal [23]
Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential

Statistical leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per game Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers 13.8
Rebounds per game Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 9.1
Assists per game Stephon Marbury New York Knicks 3.4
Steals per game Dwyane Wade Miami Heat 2.1
Blocks per game Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 1.3
FG% Carlos Boozer Utah Jazz .625

Records broken

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References

  1. ↑ 2004 Olympic Games: Tournament for Men 13 to 29 Aug. 2004 - Athens in Greece.
  2. ↑ Maese, Rick (August 14, 2004). "Mystique Around US Team Fades". Orlando Sentinel. Daily Press. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ Cazeneuve, Brian (August 2, 2004). "MEDAL PICKS HERE'S THE OUTLOOK FOR ALL 301 EVENTS, AS WELL AS THE U.S. PROSPECTS AND A GALLERY OF INTERNATIONAL STARS". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Two golds are expected, though the men are in more danger of being upset, having placed sixth at the 2002 worlds.
  4. ↑ "How the 1992 Dream Team sparked global NBA fandom". ESPN.com. September 2, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ "'Dream team' beaten by Puerto Rico". CNN.com. August 16, 2004. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ Italia-Usa 95-78: gli azzurri nella storia del basket (in Italian).
  7. ↑ Italians' 3-point shooting nets 45 points.
  8. ↑ Italy stun US 'Dream Team'.
  9. ↑ "Men's Basketball Team Roster – United States (USA)" (PDF). 2004 Athens . LA84 Foundation. April 9, 2014. p. 89.
  10. 1 2 "ATHENS: SUMMER 2004 OLYMPICS; Sports, Disciplines" . The New York Times. August 8, 2004. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ Howerton, Darryl (August 23, 2019). "Four-Point Play". Hoop. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Feldman, Dan (July 26, 2019). "Team USA perilously low on star power". Pro Basketball Talk. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  13. ↑ Kram, Zach (August 19, 2019). "Is This the Worst Team USA in Modern History?". The Ringer. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  14. ↑ MacCallum, Jack (September 6, 2004). "Third World". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ Elliot, Helene (August 16, 2004). "U.S. Men's Basketball Suffers Stunning Defeat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  16. 1 2 2004 USA Men's Basketball Olympic Summary Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014\.
  17. ↑ Box score (8/15/04) Archived November 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  18. ↑ Box score (8/17/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014
  19. ↑ Box score (8/19/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014
  20. ↑ Box score (8/21/04) Archived 2012-12-20 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  21. ↑ Box score (8/23/04) Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved .April 19, 2014
  22. ↑ Box score (8/26/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  23. ↑ Box score (8/28/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine , USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
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