Logansport Pharos-Tribune from Logansport, Indiana • Page 9

Colts TVample Pats Indianapolis romps in Marchibroda's debut, page B2 Giants announce move from San Francisco to St Petersburg, page B3 SUNDAY, August 9, 1992 PlIAROS'lklHUNI PAGE B1 photos by Associated Press The Wait Is Over Above, Magic Johnson, right, hugs Charles Barkley on the medal stand after the playing of the U.S.'s national anthem at the basketball medal ceremony. At right, Michael Jordan (L-R), Patrick Ewing and Scottie Pippen exult during the second half of the U.S.'s gold-medal victory over Croatia Saturday. Dream Team Crushes Croatia For Gold -w- Lopsided victory ends international 'frusi By BILL BARNARD AP Sports Writer BARCELONA, Spain America's long basketball nightmare is over. The Dream Team fulfilled its mission Saturday night, winning the Olympic gold medal with a workmanlike 117-85 victory over Croatia that re-established U.S. dominance after a generation of decline and defeat in international competition.

"We were able to do what everyone expected us to do," said Michael Jordan, who scored a team-high 22 against the Croats. "Now we can be proud of our basketball program again." In the end, Team USA, unstoppable and uncnal- lenged through the first seven games, was merely unstoppable, even trailing 25-23 more than halfway through the first half. "There were about three times (in the tournament) 1 felt threatened, and one of them was tonight in the first half" coach Chuck Daly said. "I made kind of a promise I wasn't going to call a timeout in this tourna- ment, but I came close tonight." He needn't have worried. Charles Barkley hit a 3-pointer, turned toward the opposing bench and pumped both fists as if to tell the Croats they would never see the lead again.

And they didn't. The United States went on to a 56-42 halftime lead, United States 117 Croatia 85 still its smallest of the Olympics, then started the second half with an 11-2 run. The eighth consecutive blowout was assured. The gold medal, only the United States' third in basketball since 1972, was never in doubt again. Playing the best a fragmented world had to offer, the Americans shattered the previous Olympic scoring record and became the first team to score at least 100 points in every game.

They averaged 117.3 points, easily eclipsing the 1960 U.S. team's standard of 101.9. They won by an average of 43.8 points the 32-pomt margin in the final being the closest. When it was over, the players on the bench hugged Daly, and Barkley smiling widely went on the court and gave his warmup jacket to Croat Dino Radja. On the medals stand, Magic Johnson, Jordan and Barkley carried American flags draped over their right shoulders, hiding the Reebok logos on the warmup suits some players had protested wearing because of conflicting commercial endorsements.

The Dream Team was born out of the humiliation of a series of international losses, including the 1987 Pan American Games to Brazil, 1988 Olympic semifinals to the Soviet Union and the 1990 world championships to Yugoslavia. im-i The seeds, though, went all the way back to 1972, when an team suffered its first-ever loss in "63 Olympic games to the Soviets; when the final seconds were replayed three seconds, allowing the winning basket to be scored. That memory served as some final inspiration Saturday night. "Before the game we watched the tape of the 1972 Olympics," Barkley said. Barkley was cut in tryouts for the last U.S.

Olympic champion, the 1984 team that didn't get to play the boycotting Soviets, and he was exuberant with the gold medal around his neck. "This is the greatest athletic event in my hie, Barkley said. "My only other ambition in life as far as athletics is to win an NBA championship." Johnson, too, was enthused. He won the NCAA title at Michigan State and five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring last season after learning he had contracted the virus that causes AIDS. "This is the best," Magic said.

"You can combine them all together and it still wouldn't rank with this. "This is for everybody in America and especially those in California and Michigan." Barkley, the team's leading scorer through the Olympics, finished with 17 against Croatia. Patrick Ewing had 15. Associated Pressj Croatia's Zan Tabak, left, and Dino Radja try toj ward off Charles Barkley in the first half i photos by Associated Press Carl Lewis strains, smiles, celebrates and takes a victory lap with 4x100 relay teammates Mike Marsh, second from left, Leroy Burrell and Dennis Mitchell. The U.S.

team won in a world-record 37.40 seconds. Jinal Day At The Track Relay Gold Rush By JOHN NELSON AP Sports Writer BARCELONA, Spain It was just a fluke, folks. Despite faltering in the U.S. Olympic trials, Carl Lewis is still The Man in the fast-forward -world of American track. Saturday, The Man showed why.

Lewis anchored a world-record 400-meter relay, winning his eighth gold medal in three Olympics, and oh, by the way the Dream Team beat Croatia 117-85. Steve Lewis anchored another world- record as the Americans won the 1,600 relay by nearly half the length of a football field, and oh, by the way, the Dream Team made it look ridiculously again. The United States won three of four relays, picked up another gold in women's tennis, Keep up on all saw a courageous young man from East Los Angeles box to victory in the memory of his late mother, and oh, by the way, the Dream the Dream the Dream Team, Wake up, America. The dream is finally over. On Saturday, the Dream Team stopped by the Palau d'Esports to pick up the medal it won two months ago, when it was first assembled.

"I love you, mom, I'll be in Alabama soon," Charles Barkley yelled, and that was about all there was to the celebration. The Dream Team walked off the court, job done. It was a day of triumph and disappointment for America, and a day when the last vestige of the old Soviet sports machine stubbornly refused to pass the baton of Olympic supremacy to the United States. With just one day left in the Games, the Unified Team led the United States 109-105 in total medals. The Unies had 45 golds, America 37.

While the United States and Unified Team battled for the medals lead, Spain celebrated a little of its own Olympic prowess Saturday. Winner of only four medals at Seoul in 1988, the home team had two gold, including a 3-2 soccer victory over Poland, and three silver Saturday, and beat the powerhouse American team in the water polo semifinals. That gives Spain 13 golds and 20 medals overall. "This is the most important day of my life," said Spain's Fermin Cacho, winner of the men's 1,500 meters. "I think I've lived up to everybody's expectations." Without a doubt, so did the Dream Team.

It was hailed as the greatest basketball team ever put together, 11 NBA all-stars and one college All-American, "We were able to do what everyone expected us to do," Michael Jordan said. "Now we can be proud of our basketball program again." The 32-point margin of victory was its smallest of the Games, one less than when it beat Croatia in the preliminary round. Jordan scored 22 points, and, leading just at halftune, the Americans went on an 11-2 run for a lead with 17:37 to play. As each of their names were announced on the medal stand, the crowd cheered briefly, with Barkley and Magic Johnson seeming to get the loudest responses. They all had the collars of their warmups snapped back to hide the Reebok logo just keeping their own sponsors happy.

"This is the greatest athletic event in my life," Barkley said. When the medals all were in place, Johnson, a U.S. flag draped over his shoulder, lifted both arms to acknowledge the crowd, then punched his right fist into the air. During the anthem, he closed his eyes, while Jordan and Clyde Drexler chewed gum. "This is for everybody in America and.

especially those in California and Johnson said. The relay gold was sublime redemption fof Lewis, the 100-meter world record-holder who failed one month ago to even make the Olympic team in his specialty. He now has two gold medals here and eight in his glorious career. "After the worst month of my life tively, I could never imagine the ending with two gold medals and a worlo record," Lewis said. See GOLD RUSH, Page 'HAROS- 1 KWl by calling (219) 722-5000..