Out of the numerous sports that the United States has historically dominated in the Olympics, basketball would undoubtedly take the top of the list.  This particularly became evident in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the concept of Olympic “dream teams” were introduced that used the NBA’s most established talent. Despite their relentless domination, in 2004 it was discovered that U.S. Olympic basketball was not invincible after all.

On this day, August 27th, in 2004, the US men’s Olympic basketball team, lost to Puerto Rico.  The loss marked the third time in history that the U.S. Olympic team had ever been defeated.  The United States lost the game by a whopping 19 points with a final score of 92-73.  The team and coach were humiliated by the loss.

The chance for gold in the 2004 Olympics was not destroyed by the loss to Puerto Rico, but it did irreconcilable damage to the team’s confidence.  The U.S. would lose to Argentina in the semi-finals and was forced to face Lithuania to win the bronze metal.  The 2004 team received the regrettable moniker, “The Nightmare Team.”