August 15, 2004 5:39 pm
Puerto Rico topples big, bad United States
ATHENS, Greece — It was one long, seminal moment for all the basketball world to witness and, in many quarters, rejoice.
The United States was officially overthrown as ruler of the basketball world on Sunday, toppled by one of its own subjects, the tiny U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico.
The Americans could still come back to win the gold medal, since the 92-73 defeat they endured at Helliniko Indoor Arena was merely a Group B opener in the Summer Olympics. There are six teams in each group. The top four reach the single-elimination round.
"It was disappointing, but it's not the end of the world," said Philadelphia 76ers and U.S. guard Allen Iverson, whose 1-for-10 shooting was among his team's most glaring failures.
But it was the latest and most telling evidence that U.S. basketball dominance is no longer a birthright.
Since NBA players became Olympic eligible in 1992 on what was dubbed the "Dream Team," the U.S. had gone 24-0 in Olympic competition en route to three gold medals. Many of the NBA's top players declined to participate this year for various reasons.
Sunday's defeat was just the third in 112 Olympic games all-time for the U.S., the others coming against the Soviet Union in the controversial 1972 final in Munich and in the 1988 semifinal in Seoul. The Americans were 5-0 all-time against Puerto Rico.
"They showed high school kids the way the game is meant to be played," said U.S. guard Dwayne Wade.
The U.S. is supposed to be the one dispensing such lessons. But Puerto Rico's team play was in stark contrast to Team USA, which it seemed to be making up as it went along in an unrefined and haphazard performance.
"They played so much harder and so much better as a team than we did, the result is not a surprise," U.S. coach Larry Brown said. "When you do that, what you saw is what usually happens. I don't know what we can get out of this game."
Forced and invited, as expected, to shoot from the perimeter against Puerto Rico's zone, the U.S. shot 3 for 24 on three-pointers. Richard Jefferson was 0 for 6. Twenty-two turnovers were the result of scrambling to find something that worked.
Despite a 46-27 rebounding advantage, including 25 on the offensive end, the Americans couldn't make up for their inability to put the ball in the hole. Center Tim Duncan and Iverson were the leading scorers with 15 points apiece.
The outcome was staggeringly one-sided. Ahead by one point at the end of the first quarter and 24-22 early in the second, Puerto Rico outscored the Americans 25-5 the rest of the half to lead 49-27 at intermission. The seemingly inevitable U.S. comeback never materialized. The closest it got was 69-61 on Duncan's two free throws with 6:11 remaining.
"They played a great ballgame, they were the best team on the court and they deserved the win," Iverson said. "We couldn't stop their offense and control their fast break. Plus we couldn't hit normal shots."
Puerto Rico shot 56 percent from the field and 50 percent (8 for 16) on three-pointers. Carlos Arroyo, the Utah Jazz point guard, had game highs of 24 points and seven assists.
"It is the match of my life," Arroyo said afterward. "We played hard and strong. This historic victory of my country doesn't mean that the USA's magic has gone."
The U.S. tries again on Tuesday against Greece, which will be buoyed by a large, vocal and more-confident-than-usual home crowd for the nations' first Olympic encounter.
"It's a great opportunity for our guys to get together and prove what it really means to be a team," Brown said. "I'm anxious to see if they can do that."
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