Younger Dream Team favored for gold
By Billy Packer
Sept. 15, 2000
The first thing that should be understood is that Australia has opened its arms to the world. I've been to the Olympic games before. The people here have made the opening week pleasurable.
Billy Packer has been an analyst for CBS Sports for 19 years, covering NCAA basketball.
Special to SportsLine.com
One of the things that is obviously important here is basketball and the attitude of our Dream Team members and the perception they leave to fans around the world. This team will not only win the gold, but will carry themselves in the tradition that Shane Gould spoke of.
It's a young team and, in the eyes of some journalists, is not up to par with past Dream Teams. I think this is a miscalculation on their part because this team, although not possessing a Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Michael Jordan, has quickness and great defensive ability that will lend itself to international rules. And in my estimation, this will be a difficult team to play against based on how international teams like to play.
For instance, there'll be times next week when Rudy Tomjanovich will have Jason Kidd and Gary Payton applying full-court pressure in a line-up including Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Antonio McDyess.
No one has seen that type of quickness and ability in the Olympics before, including the Dream Team in Barcelona 1992.
Also, despite the fact that the American team doesn't have the normal
centers, like Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille
O'Neal, this team's quickness and the wide lane will make it more
difficult to play against.
Speaking of teams that will perform well against us is the team the U.S.
Men's team will open up against -- China.
China, which starts a frontline of seven-footers, has proven to be worthy,
finishing eighth in both the World Championship and recent Olympics and is
the one country that could some day challenge the United States' superiority
in basketball. But it won't happen at this Olympics.
The most interesting story outside of the U.S. team surrounds the Australian
team. This is the best team they've put in the Olympic games. This team is
lead by Andrew Gaze and includes other players who have U.S. intercollegiate
and NBA status, like Luc Longley, who has played on an NBA Championship
team.
Australia has never medalled, so there's great pressure on this team to
perform well. That's an interesting scenario the watch because in 1984, Bob
Knight and the U.S. team consisting of college players took advantage of the
opportunity to play at home.
The opposite of that happened in 1980 when the Soviet team couldn't handle
the scrutiny of a home crowd and didn't deliver the gold medal.
Speaking of Gaze, he was selected as the captain of the Australian Olympic
team. Many remember Gaze as a member of Seton Hall in its quest for an
NCAA Championship in 1989. Gaze is a legendary performer, who is playing in
his fifth Olympic Games competition. Although he never returned to the Hall,
he is quite an institution in Sydney.
On a specific note with the U.S. men's basketball team, Houston is the only
player at the present time with a sign of an injury, hurting his wrist and
showing signs that it may impact him for the first few games.
Everyone else looks good and has responded to team basketball and has not
complained about the individual minutes like at the World Championships in
Toronto.
One of the things that has surprised me is the fact that international
players who would be available to their country's teams have decided not to
perform. Canada will miss Rick Fox, Vlade Divac is not playing, and Arvydas
Sabonis is prevented from playing because of injury.
This makes the quest for a medal more difficult for these countries when the
competition begins tomorrow.
Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway go for the gold in Sydney.(AP) Freeman highlights politcally correct ceremony
Certainly in a world of political correctness all the torch-carriers in the stadium were women, with Cathy Freeman carrying the torch the final steps. It was programmed around the historic representation of women in the Olympics and that was the theme of the evening.
Journalists did not mention Freeman's name in the days leading up to the ceremony. Instead they put the focus on Betty Cuthbert and Dawn Fraser as two candidates to light the torch in the final leg.
In this morning's paper, however, Australia welcomed the choice of Freeman as a fitting way to finish the march. She is a medal-hopeful in track and field. I have not seen, read or heard any questioning of that decision, such was the case with Muhammad Ali.
IOC cracks down on doping
One of the things that is obvious is that drug testing has become extremely sophisticated. You better be clean because the chances of getting caught are a lot higher.
The Olympic committee is all over this and is looking to catch anyone who attempts to break the rules.
Athletes who are clean aren't worried about getting tested themselves, but do speak out about the enhanced performance of athletes who 18 months earlier where not competing at the same level. And athletes won't complain about the testing unless there is a world record is thrown out the window. Track and Field and swimming will be two interesting events to watch.
There was a tremendous program that aired that discussed the terrible
effects of prolonged drug use of East German women, who turned out
record-breaking performances during the 1970s in track and field.
The women were involved in drug treatments dating back to their childhood and were led to believe that the drugs acted as vitamins.
Interesting stories to watch
Looking at the Olympics through Australian eyes, the most interesting story is the Australian swimming team. The U.S. swimming team is strong, but so is the Australian team. It should prove to be an interest venue.
Marion Jones is a good story that everyone is watching. The Australian press quoted her as being greedy to win five medals. I took that to be a negative remark.
This isn't a high-impact sport, but the rowing venue should be interesting because it'll take place in the Sydney harbor and the terrific backdrop of Sydney. The waves and the wind have been causing havoc, which makes things interesting.
Also, the triathlon venue will take place in and around downtown Sydney as well.