Argentina's Golden Generation
2002 to 2004. Beating the NBA stars, then winning Olympic gold
In 2002, at the World Championship in Indianapolis, Argentina beat the United States 87 to 80. Since NBA players had joined the US team in 1992, the Americans had been 58 and 0. Argentina's squad included Manu Ginóbili, Luis Scola, Andrés Nocioni and Fabricio Oberto.
Two years later, at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, they did it again. Ginóbili scored 29 points as Argentina beat a US team with Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and a young LeBron James 89 to 81 in the semifinal.
In the final, Argentina beat Italy 84 to 69 to win the country's first Olympic gold medal in basketball. Ginóbili was named the tournament's best player.
What changed
Argentina won with constant ball movement, cutting and unselfish passing against teams with more individual talent. NBA coaches took note, and their style fed directly into the team-first offenses that came next.
In the Dictionary: Eurostep