By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2020 Olympic Games have been officially postponed to be held no later than the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and that means that there won’t be any major international competitions this year.
If you feel any Olympic basketball withdrawal symptoms (or basketball in general, since all leagues are in hiatus at the moment), the official Youtube channel of the Olympic Games has plenty of action from past tournaments. Including full games.
Here are three Olympic Games matches that aren’t only quite memorable for numerous reasons but also carry a strong “re-watchable” quality.
The 2012 Final between USA and Spain
A true battle between basketball powerhouses: The arguably best group of players in the world and, on the other side, the most successful European national team this century. While Team USA was rightfully considered the heavy favorite in the game, Spain put up a big fight by countering fire with fire: Through its offense. While Kevin Durant (30 points) was making buckets, Pau Gasol (24 points) led the efforts of the Spanish side in a clash to remember. In the end, the USA defended its title and won its second consecutive gold medal.
The 1992 Group stage game between USA and Croatia
The “Dream Team” had already made short work of Angola in the tournament’s opener and the first serious test was ahead of Michael Jordan and co.: Facing legendary Drazen Petrovic’s Croatia.
USA was simply too much with Jordan finishing the match with 21 points and a highly impressive number of eight (!) steals while Charles Barkley dropped 20 points. Petrovic had 19 points and Dino Radja 14 for Croatia that would meet USA again in the Final.
The 2004 semifinal between USA and Argentina (A.K.A. “UPSET ALERT”)
USA was coming off three consecutive gold medal runs in Olympic Games tournaments and was looking for the four-peat. Argentina, on the other hand, had never won a medal in an Olympic competition.
That was about to change though: Spearheaded by Manu Ginobili and his 29 points and with four other players (Andres Nocioni 13 points, Alejandro Montecchia 12 points, Walter Hermann 12 points, Luis Scola 11 points) the Argentinian squad outplayed USA (Stephon Marbury 18 points, Lamar Odom 14) to reach the title game. One day later, they would climb at the first place on the podium.