WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INDIANAPOLIS 2002
terms: “We're going to have to live with this for the rest of our lives. At least we'll learn to respect
the game and our rivals better”.
They committed too many sins. They had a minimum preparation of only 13 days, a total lack of
knowledge of their rivals (it sometimes seemed that their scouting was left to the first half of the
match they were playing, one need go no further than their match against Argentina where they
were losing 37-53 at half time), zero attack ability against zone defences and total apathy from
the public (on the day of the match against the South Americans there were more Boca Juniors
jerseys in the crowd than flags with the stars and stripes and this inferiority got worse in the
match against Yugoslavia).
All in all the most important aspect was highlighted by Vlade Divac, “Don't get me wrong, I rate
this American team, but it's not a real “Dream Team”. That belonged to the past. From our point of
view it's not that we think we can beat them, we know we can beat them. The didn't train much
and they think they're going to win with relative ease, but some off us are here to make history. It's
always good to form part of that isn't it?”
Anyway, Nocioni, Scola, Oberto and company appeared and left them with egg on their faces: 80-
87. This was the end of the legendary run of 58-0 that began with Johnson, Jordan, Bird, Malone,
Barkley, Robinson, Drexler, Mullin, Ewing, Stockton, Pippen and Laettner. Would anyone dare to
make a comparison? “ 10 seconds to go and we were winning by nine and the memory of Reggie
Miller making three consecutive triples in Madison c