Dream Team II Destroyed Russia in Championship Game
Published on September 16th, 2023 12:37 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Everyone remembers the original "Dream Team", which featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, just to name a few. Most remember the "Dream Team III", which featured the likes of Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, as this team won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Everyone remembers the "Redeem Team", which formed in 2008 to win basketball gold after the country's embarrassing exit from the 2004 Olympics. This team famously featured the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
But what about the second "Dream Team", or "Dream Team II"?
Nobody ever talks about them.
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Two years after the "Dream Team" won gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics, a second "Dream Team" was formed in 1994 to take home the FIBA World Championship, which was hosted by Toronto, Canada.
This was the first time that current NBA players were allowed to participate in the FIBA World Cup, and the United States wanted to send a great team over to win gold.
The team didn't have Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or any of the players from the original "Dream Team" - they had accomplished their task in 1992, and they wanted to leave it to other players to bring home a title.
The USA team, however, was extremely good and featured this star-studded line-up:
Shaquille O'Neal
Derrick Coleman
Joe Dumars
Kevin Johnson
Larry Johnson
Shawn Kemp
Dan Majerle
Reggie Miller
Mark Price
Steve Smith
Dominique Wilkins
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The USA had a tough group to contend with in the preliminary round, as they had to battle China, Spain and Brazil.
The United States beat a very good Spanish team in their first game of the tournament, 115-100. Joe Dumars led the way for the United States in that game, putting up 21 points in 21 minutes.
The next game was a laugher for the United States, as they defeated China 132-77. Shaquille O'Neal was dominant in just 18 minutes of action, going 10/11 and putting up 22 points. China had absolutely no answer for Shaq.
In the third and final game of group stage play, the United States beat Brazil by a score of 105-82. Shaq led the way again, putting up 27 points in just 22 minutes, and adding 11 rebounds as well. Another game, another dominant Shaq performance.
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The quarterfinal round featured another three games, as the United States advanced into a group that included Russia, Australia and Puerto Rico.
The United States put together another three dominant wins:
Defeated Australia 130-74
Defeated Puerto Rico 134-83
Defeated Russia 111-94
Shaq led the scoring against Russia and was essentially given the night off against Australia, when Reggie Miller took over and scored 31 points in just 20 minutes.
In the game against Russia, Shaq and Reggie Miller wanted to send a message, and they successfully did so by combining for 57 points.
The United States was looking untouchable.
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The United States earned a semi-final spot, where they took on Greece.
The game, which took place at the SkyDome, was no contest, as the USA won by a score of 97-58. The United States clamped down on defense and didn't need much in the way of scoring - Reggie Miller was the leading scorer for the US with a total of just 14 points.
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In the final game of the tournament, the United States and Russia squared off once again, with the USA delivering a 46 point beatdown to win 137-91.
Dominique Wilkins would lead the way for the United States in the game, putting up 20 points in just 22 minutes. Shaq and Shawn Kemp would also make key contributions in the game.
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Eight games and not even a hint of trouble for the United States, who soared to victory.
This was the "Dream Team II" that rarely gets talked about.
