One of the main reasons that the 1992 team was so successful is that they were very solid in the fundamentals of the game. The main difference between international play and the NBA is that international play is based around teamwork, ball movement, control, and simple drills that little leaguers are taught, for example the pick-and-roll.
That is something that present day NBA fan wouldn't know about, and obviously the players don't either. Beginning with the 1999 world championship tournament, the united states has continued to struggle in international play. WHY? Can they dunk,YES. Can they dribble, YES. Can they pass, YES, do they, NO! These past half a dozen teams the United States has scrapped together to participate in either the world championships or the olympics has gotten worse and worse and now they are just beginning to be abused. These 7'0+ giants that can jump 12'6" feet high and do a 360 degree under the leg tomahawk slam, but they are getting their EEERRRRRRZZ ran from the court night in and night out. So while Lithuania is practicing shooting from more than 5 feet outside of the lane, our guys are huddled around the television watching the NBA dunk contest, which is then followed by "da real streetballer" cuz they want to see "IcePich and the Big Show" break yet another rim because they like to hang on the thing to show off after they dunk the ball.
2004, the United States men's basketball team (Dream Team IV) lost in thier pre-Olympic game to Italy by 17 points, and barely beat Argentine and Germany with a last second half court three pointer. None of these three teams are expected to medal in the games to come. Many of the players said these games "didn't matter"; for they were only "practice games". Well it turns out, THEY MATTERED. The U. S. team lost in the first round to Puerto Rico by not 17, but 19 points. This was the worst loss in U.S. men's basketball olympic history. The most embarrassing statistic was not the U.S being outscored 28 to 7 in the second quarter alone, it was the fact that the U.S shot 3 of 24 from behind the three point line, a mere 12.5%. The international three point line is closer in than the NBA line. Shouldn't these "professionals" be able to hit more shots if they are closer to the basket? Even worse is that the U.S. team beat Puerto Rico not two weeks ago in the pre-Olympic games by more than 30 points! This just goes to show how unfocused, undisiciplined, and egotistically these players are to overlook this team in the first round.
The dream is over, these NBA players are nothing more than a bunch of tall guys that can dunk a basketball. They have no teamwork, no outside shooting skills, and no heart if they're not getting paid millions of dollars to play. I never thought I'd live to see the day that I hear Joe Public say "it's good for them" (that the "NBA squad" is losing). And now I'm personally saying it. "I hate the NBA, I have for a long time and now people are beginning to understand what a JOKE the NBA is."