Sports and Competition
Sports and Competition
Carlos Arroyo on how Larry Brown revealed 2004 Team USA's weakness to Puerto Rico's coach: "Don't play zone on us"
- T he United States men's national basketball team that competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics will always be remembered for the wrong reasons. Although the disconnect between the mi
The article discusses former NBA player Carlos Arroyo's recounting of an incident during the 2004 Olympics where Team USA, coached by Larry Brown, faced an unexpected defeat against Puerto Rico. Arroyo, who played for Puerto Rico, revealed that Larry Brown, in an attempt to prepare his team for international play, inadvertently disclosed a strategic weakness to Puerto Rico's coach. Brown had instructed his players not to play zone defense, believing it would be ineffective against the more physical and experienced international teams. However, this advice was overheard by Puerto Rico's coaching staff, who then decided to exploit this by playing zone defense themselves, leading to a surprising upset victory over Team USA, which was filled with NBA stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. This loss was a significant embarrassment for Team USA and highlighted the differences in basketball strategies between NBA and international play.
Read the Full MSN Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/carlos-arroyo-on-how-larry-brown-revealed-2004-team-usa-s-weakness-to-puerto-rico-s-coach-don-t-play-zone-on-us/ar-AA1wQH8w ]
Read the Full MSN Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/carlos-arroyo-on-how-larry-brown-revealed-2004-team-usa-s-weakness-to-puerto-rico-s-coach-don-t-play-zone-on-us/ar-AA1wQH8w ]
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