The 1988 Seoul Olympic Games marked the great reunion between the USSR and the United States, in the semi-final of the men’s tournament. A meeting with an unexpected deadline which marks the shift towards international basketball as we know it today.
The old ghosts of Munich
Crowned Olympic champions in the controversy in Munich in 1972, the Soviets have not crossed paths with the Americans for 16 years. The two camps dodged in Montreal, then the United States boycotted the Moscow Games in 1980 before the USSR did the same in Los Angeles four years later.
In South Korea, Team USA always presents itself with the best academics in the country. David Robinson is present as leader, ready to prolong the American hegemony endangered during the 1986 World Cup in Spain. Under the orders of Georgetown coach John Thompson, the Americans rolled through the first round with the exception of a small scare against Canada (76-70). In the quarterfinals, Puerto Rico is completely overwhelmed. The Cainris take advantage of this to improve their stats with a +37 on the scoreboard. The Soviet course is slightly more eventful with an inaugural defeat against Yugoslavia of Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Vlade Divac in the first round (79-92) and a tight quarter-final against Brazil (110-105).
On paper, the dynamic clearly leans towards the American ogre who dreams of taking revenge on his ideological enemy after the Munich episode and its last three interminable seconds. 16 years later, some would say the statute of limitations has expired. There is no longer a single representative of the two teams left in the current rosters, but Uncle Sam still has not digested the way in which this Olympic final ended. A banner “We have been waiting for this for 16 years” hung by the American supporters awaits the players at the exit of the tunnel to remind us of the additional stakes of this meeting. David Robinson, Dan Majerle, Mitch Richmond or Danny Manning are not yet superstars but the potential of this team makes it the favorite for this match, especially since the USSR has to deal with a leader who is clearly not in full possession of his means.
The Arvydas Sabonis case and the beginnings of Lithuanian basketball
Drafted by the Blazers in 1986 despite the ban on Soviet players playing in the NBA, Arvydas Sabonis suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. Portland offers the USSR to treat the Lithuanian pivot who miraculously returns for the start of the Olympic Games in Seoul despite the contraindications of Dr. Cook. The actions of the Oregon franchise are seen as a betrayal by some Americans who fear a backlash for the international selection, the American coach first and foremost:
“Sabonis is the very example of Lenin’s prediction that the capitalists would one day sell the communists the rope that would then be used to hang them. I think our direct adversaries are exploiting us. We must not prepare Sabonis to play against us.”
On a purely sporting level, John Thompson is not wrong. Even overweight, Sabas has plenty to hurt. The 2.21m interior is powerful and unusually technical for a player of his size. American concerns were quickly confirmed on the floor during the semi-final, Sabonis sucking up rebounds like a Dyson (13 points and 13 boards). By his side, Rimas Kurtinaitis is on fire with 28 points in 33 minutes 4/6 from the parking lot. A remarkable statistic for the era when outside shooting is much less in demand than today. To avoid drawing the attention of American scouts to the precision of his sniper, the Soviet coach made sure to hide Kurtinaitis in the first round. Fullback Sarunas Marciulionis (19 points) completes this trio, teasing a little the Lithuanian surprise during the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 four years later. The verdict falls, the USSR defies the predictions and wins 82-76 against the United States.
To find the boxscore of this block war, click here
A tactical victory
At a press conference, the Soviets gave the keys to this thunderous success. The star of the day reveals part of the secret:
“In the previous days, they spent a lot of energy, putting pressure in every game for almost every 40 minutes, even if sometimes it was not necessary. Our team proved to be more tactically competent. In the second half, we often scored after quick counterattacks that ended with shots directly under the basket.” – Rimas Kourtinaitis
The best punchline goes to coach Alexandre Gomelski:
“My method is that I like to win the last match, not the first.”
At the same time, John Thompson is attacked from all sides and his players dissociate themselves from their coach in front of the press. Usually rather discreet, David Robinson speaks of “dictator” to designate the technician. The word is out. The coach is also criticized for trying to duplicate his method at Georgetown, betting everything on defense to stop the best Yugoslav and Soviet scorers. Steve Kerr and Rex Chapman cut two months before the Olympics would have been very useful in the semi-final with their outdoor skills.
But it is on TV that the Americans watch the USSR win a new gold medal by beating Yugoslavia in the final (76-63) thanks to an Arvydas Sabonis in a state of grace (20 points and 15 rebounds).
The start of a new era for world basketball
After this collective failure, the Americans returned home with their heads down. This is the first time they have not made the final since basketball became an Olympic sport. Boris Stankovic, the general secretary of FIBA, seizes the pole and relaunches the debate to open international competitions to professional NBA players. Well helped by the new commissioner, David Stern, very motivated by the idea of developing abroad, he won his case in 1989.
Member of the USSR team which won gold in Seoul, Serguei Tarakanov is aware of this trigger caused by his victory against the Americans in 1988.
“We have given great impetus to world basketball. I say this without false modesty. If the Americans had taken their revenge in 1972, everything would have remained in place. And we changed world sport. The Dream Team appeared, the distance between the NBA and the whole world decreased, and now a large number of foreigners play in the league. And this globalization of basketball happened, first of all, thanks to our victory.”
Without the defeat of Team USA in Seoul, there would surely have been no Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992 and Cooper Flagg would perhaps be the leader of the American selection which will go to Paris this summer. THE what if is crazy but not that improbable. We talked about it during an investigation to watch below.
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Text sources: Pascal Legendre in Maxi Basket via Basket EuropeOlympics, Basketball Network
The 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul
- From September 17 to September 30, 1988
- Jamsil Gymnasium (Seoul)
- 12 Men’s teams / 8 Women’s teams
- Gold – USSR / United States
- Silver – Yugoslavia / Yugoslavia
- Bronze – United States / USSR
2024-05-09 10:43:00
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