Olympics – 1984 Los Angeles – Basketball – Mens Final – USA VS Spain – 1st Half Pt 2

DOG COMMENTARY:

In my continuing belief that this USA Olympic men’s basketball team was the best team ever in USA Olympic history…..as evidenced by the guards not named Michael Jordan on the team as follows:

Stephen Todd Alford is an American basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team.  Alford led Indiana University to a national championship in the 1987 NCAA tournament…when Keith Smart hit the winning jump shot against Syracuse University…a game that Bone Daddy saw live at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.  At Indiana, Alford earned first team All-Big Ten honors three times….while becoming Indiana’s all-time leading scorer at the time he graduated.  Alford played four years in the NBA, for the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. After retiring as a player in 1991….he became a collegiate basketball coach. He has coached at Manchester University, Southwest Missouri State University, the University of Iowa and the University of New Mexico….before heading to UCLA.  Alford was Olympic Coach Bobby Knight’s floor general for the 1984 games.

Vern Fleming is an American former professional basketball player….who played twelve seasons in the NBA from 1984 until 1996. Born in New York City….Fleming grew up in the Queensbridge Housing projects in Long Island City.  As a college player at the University of Georgia….Fleming won a gold medal as a member of the United States men’s basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles….and then commenced his professional career as the 18th overall selection in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.  At 6’5″, he played point guard with them for eleven years….often sharing starter duties with both Haywoode Workman and Mark Jackson….before rounding out the final year of his NBA career with the New Jersey Nets.

Alvin Cyrrale Robertson is a retired American basketball player….who was a member of 1984 U.S. Olympic gold-medal team…..who played in the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 1993….and for one final season in 1995–96. Robertson holds the record for the most steals per game played, averaging 2.71 steals per game for his career. He is also one of four players in NBA history to have recorded a quadruple double.  Best known for his defense….the 6’3″ Robertson played for ten years after being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the seventh pick in the 1984 NBA Draft out of Crowder Junior College and the University of Arkansas. After five seasons with the Spurs….he finished out his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors. In 1986, Robertson became the inaugural winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award. This also marked the first of four National Basketball Association All-Star Game appearances for the guard (the others coming in 1987, 1988, and 1991). He also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1986….leading the league in steals in 1986, 1987 and 1991. Robertson still holds the top career steals-per-game average in the NBA, with 2.71 per contest over 779 career games.

Osie Leon Wood III is an American former basketball player….who played for the gold medal winning USA basketball team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics…..who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1st round (10th overall) of the 1984 NBA Draft….was a 6’3″ shooting guard from Saint Monica Catholic High School and California State University-Fullerton, Wood played in six NBA seasons for six different teams….76ers, Washington Bullets, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings. In his NBA career, Wood played in 274 games and scored a total of 1,742 points (6.4 points per game).  Wood also played several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association….where in 118 games over 4 seasons, Wood averaged 18.1 points and 8.5 assists per game for his CBA career and was named second-team All-CBA in 1990.  Wood is currently an NBA official.

When you add Michael Jordan back into the 1984 Olympic guard position….can you say AWESOME….