Game 1: USA 98 France 71
Game 2: USA 110 Tunisia 63
Game 3: USA 156 Nigeria 73

I mean, seriously... France was supposed to be one of the better teams besides the USA, and they were beat by almost 30.

It really doesn't seem fair to a lot of other Countries that don't have such a developed league. When you have our best versus theirs, it isn't a good match usually in my opinion.

Thoughts?
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I guess the argument used to be that the Russian's allowed their pro's to play...we fixed that issue with the Dream Team...seems sort of pointless now though. I think our point was proven that our pro's are the best in the world, I think it should go back to amatuers.
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NBA players are on several other countries teams, but obviously the U.S. team is stacked.

I liked when amateurs played Olympic hockey, but as Mike implied, the Soviet team back then was basically a pro team....but that made 1980's U.S. gold medal that much more special and important.
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That was one AWESOME moment :-)
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Easily the greatest moment ever in U.S. hockey, and some might argue the greatest U.S. Olympic feat ever.
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That is true. You have more underdog moments similar to that, not quite at that level of course. I hadn't thought about it from that perspective.
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I would bet ever....bunch of no name scrappers...beating Russia and Sweden..EVER!!
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Not that I would ever root against the U.S....but some of the guys on the team I would root against, might be funny to see them lose a game, but it's not gonna happen.
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I don't mind seeing NBA players on the team. AMERICA!
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Whats the difference between pro players and amateurs? you pick the best of the best to go to the Olympics, so why not use pro athletes?
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I understood the intent of the Olympics was to send your BEST athletes to complete at the world event...so my answer is yes.
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Agreed -- the best soccer players in the world complete; why not the best basketball players?
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Yes, any professional athlete should be able to compete in their respective sport for their naturalized country. The distinction between professional and amateur is so gray that it is too difficult to regulate.
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Agreed
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I fully understand the challenges with defining 'amateur', especially nowadays; but I am nostalgic for the days when Olympics attempted to be (and were largely) amateur events. 'Dream teams' do nothing for me at all - to me, it is neither sporting nor entertaining.
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I say send your best athletes, compete at the highest level, cream will rise to the top and hang metal on them....
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I agree!!
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Yes, it's the best of every country has to offer in sports. They all meet up once every four years to see ho the best in the world is... :-)
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Exactly. Dont hold back. You dont see Jamaica limiting their sprinters to college students just so they dont outrun everybody every year. Play to win.
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Up until The Dream Team, the USA was the only major competitor in any sport that limited competition totally to amateur athletes. No other nation of consequence made such a distinction. Plus, the 1972 theft of the basketball gold by the refs not only put a spotlight on the issue, one only overshadowed during those Munich games by the tragedy which befell the Israeli team, but it also put an inordinate amount of pressure upon Dean Smith's squad of 1976 up in Montreal to regain the crown for the nation which invented the game.

Personally, I'd have no problem with college players representing the USA in basketball, but only as long as every other participant in the sport also fielded a team made up of amateurs.
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