LeBron James scored five points in the most disappointing loss of his legendary career.
Carmelo Anthony didn't make a basket, while Carlos Arroyo -- who never made an NBA All-Star team -- scored a game-high 24 points in a 19-point blowout.
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The 2004 Olympics and a shocking 92-73 opening-round defeat to Puerto Rico didn't just change the future of Team USA basketball
It proved that the best basketball country on the planet could be beaten on the biggest stage -- and that the United States wasn't the king of the world anymore.
"I'm humiliated," USA coach Larry Brown said. "I can always deal with wins and losses. But I'm disappointed because I had a job to do as a
coach, to get us to understand how we're supposed to play as a team
and act as a team, and I don't think we did that."
Richard Jefferson, who only hit 3 of his 16 field-goal attempts, was equally let down by the first loss in Team USA basketball history that featured professional players.
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"We couldn't hit anything," Jefferson said. "I shot two off the side of the backboard. Never in my life have I done that. This was a worst-case scenario."
A stunning third-place finish during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece ended with an almost worthless bronze medal for Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Lamar Odom and Stephon Marbury.
It also led to the creation of the Redeem Team in 2008 and changed the direction of pro basketball in the United States.
"We (were) kind of surprised that he (Kobe Bryant) even wanted to be a part of Team USA after everything that went on (in 2004)," James said.
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In August of 2004, there was only pain and seething disappointment for a squad that just 12 years prior had been a Dream Team featuring Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Puerto Rico led for more than 33 minutes and was ahead by 22 points at halftime.
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"We're a small island with a big heart," Elias Ayuso said.
Arroyo played 10 seasons in the NBA averaging 6.6 points and 3.1 assists for seven teams.
Against the US, his pedestrian NBA career was replaced with a legendary performance.
When the win was finalized, Arroyo pulled at the "Puerto Rico" on his jersey with pure pride.
"I think Puerto Rico right now is celebrating big because of this," Arroyo said. "By far it's the happiest victory of my career."
Amare Stoudemire didn't score in two minutes of court time for Team USA.
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A 19-year-old James was 1-of-3 from the field, while Anthony was 0-of-2 and Iverson was 5-of-14.
As a team, the US shot just 34.2 percent and was an abysmal 3-of-24 on 3s.
In the end, the only number that mattered was 19 in a total blowout.
"Anybody watching that game who enjoys basketball should get a
thrill out of it," Brown said. "From our perspective, all we can
do is figure out what we're made of. I'm anxious to see if we'll be
able to do that."
Led by the addition of Kobe Bryant, it took Team USA four years to recover from losing to Puerto Rico in the first game, then dropping contests to Lithuania and Argentina.
"I'm tired of watching y'all lose," Anthony remembered Bryant saying.
Brown screamed "No!" while NBA commissioner David Stern watched the league's superstars fracture against stronger competition.
James has won two gold medals since and is aiming for his third this summer in Paris.
But 20 years ago in Athens, Puerto Rico pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.
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The unbelievable loss is a reminder for the USA of everything that can go wrong in the Olympics.
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