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The United States' men, coached by
Georgetown's John Thompson, once again entered the 1988 Olympics as the
co-favorites to win the gold. However, a semifinal loss to the Soviet Union
ended the USA's dreams of gold, but the U.S. rebounded to win the bronze and
finished with a respectable 7-1 record.
Dropping Spain 97-53 in the opener, 11 of the USA's 12 players scored, led by
David Robinson's 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The U.S. closed out its pool play with a 102-35 thrashing of Egypt as
Robinson and Majerle led the U.S. with 18 points each.
The long awaited USA-USSR Olympic matchup finally occurred, but it was in the
semifinals. The game was the first Olympic matchup between the superpowers since
the controversial 1972 Olympic finals. With just over a minute left, the U.S.
pulled within three, but again the Soviets turned back the U.S. rally and held
on for the 82-76 win. Robinson led the U.S. with an outstanding 19-point,
12-rebound effort.
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