MIES (Switzerland) - Everybody in Puerto Rico knows where they were on August 15, 2004. Since Larry Ayuso's first three-pointer of the game, through Eddie Casiano's 4-of-4 shooting from deep, all the way to Carlos Arroyo's general greatness, everybody was glued to TV screens in disbelief.
Puerto Rico, with a population of less than four million people, were destroying NBA stars such as Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Allan Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Richard Jefferson and others.
Final score: Puerto Rico 92, USA 73. They became only the second team to defeat the United States in an Olympic game, following the Soviet Union (twice), but they were the first to do it against NBA players.
That was back in Athens, 20 years ago. Now, the two nations are back together in the same group in France in 2024.
The Roster
There are plenty of stories about Puerto Rico's guards, whether you're a fan of Arroyo, Fico Lopez, JJ Barea, Gary Browne or, nowadays, Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters.
Alvarado finally joined the team this summer, and it paid off instantly. The 26-year-old guard led Puerto Rico to the top of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico, earning the TISSOT MVP award aside from the Olympic boarding pass.
Standing right next to the New Orleans Pelican is Waters, a similar guard who can score and distribute, as evident by his 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per game collected at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Coach Nelson Colon doesn't mind the two of them being the decision makers on the court, especially because they both can create for others, too. During the OQT at home, Colon used a ten-men rotation, with limited minutes and roles for Aleem Ford and Stephen Thompson Jr.
Jordan Howard and Gian Clavell are the two backup options in the backcourt. The frontcourt is loaded with athletes, no wonder they all want to join the rebounding party, with George Conditt IV, Christopher Ortiz, Davon Reed, Ismael Romero and Arnaldo Toro all getting more than four rebounds per game.
Conditt IV is the best scoring option in the middle, and one of only three players who aren't dangerous from beyond the three-point arc, next to Romero and Toro.
All other guys can light it up from deep any time, and Puerto Rico's 38.8 percent three-point shooting on 32 attempts per game is a major reason why they left European juggernauts such as Italy and Lithuania in the rear view mirror.
The Question
Did that 2004 win over the USA actually take away the element of surprise? Because you know nobody will underestimate Puerto Rico ever again.
Instead of playing against relaxed teams, or teams on their off days, Puerto Rico have spent the past 20 years knowing that their opponents are fully focused, and that the opposing coach probably said something along the lines of "these guys beat LeBron and Duncan back in 2004, that's what could happen if we're not ready from the tip-off" just before the game.
The Hope
Puerto Rico aren't here by accident. They've defeated Italy, an Olympic Quarter-Finalist just three summers ago, and Lithuania, the same team that shocked the United States in the World Cup last summer.
If they can take down those two teams, they are allowed to dream they could make it back at least to the Quarter-Finals.
The Fear
Only two third-placed teams will go through to the elite eight phase. Facing medal contenders such as Serbia and the United States, if they lose those two games, they would still need to monitor the points difference, to have a better chance of advancing.
The fear is that even the strongest teams have troubles cutting the margin when Serbia and-or USA are on their usual scoring runs and sequences.
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