Ranking Dream Team's 10 Most Memorable Moments

It's been 20 years since the original Dream Team took the world by storm, and the United States will look to field yet another elite squad for this summer's 2012 London Olympics.

With NBA TV's recently-aired documentary, called "The Dream Team," taking a look back at the what made this collection of superstars so rare, what better time than now to take stock of the 10 most defining moments that gold-medal quest had to offer.

In case you forgot, these were the guys behind all that greatness.

PF		Laettner, Christian			Duke
C		Robinson, David			San Antonio Spurs
C		Ewing, Patrick			New York Knicks
SF		Bird, Larry			Boston Celtics
SF		Pippen, Scottie			Chicago Bulls
SG		Jordan, Michael			Chicago Bulls
SG		Drexler, Clyde			Portland Trail Blazers
PF		Malone, Karl			Utah Jazz
PG		Stockton, John			Utah Jazz
SF		Mullin, Chris			Golden State Warriors
PF		Barkley, Charles			Phoenix Suns
PG		Johnson, Magic			Los Angeles Lakers

Not a bad roster.

10. The Dream Team Loses a Scrimmage

The Dream Team wasn't quite as undefeated as you might have thought.

Sort of.

During a training-camp scrimmage against a team of top-shelf NCAA prospects, like Grant Hill and Chris Webber, Team USA looked uninspired and disjointed.

As the Grio's Todd Johnson explains, there may have been something more to it: 

"

Mike Krzyzewski, who was an assistant coach under Daly, claims the head coach ‘threw’ the game as a way to send a message to his players. Larry Bird questioned why Michael Jordan didn’t play much during the scrimmage. Wherever the truth lies, the loss did wake up Team USA. They went on to defeat their Olympic opponents by an average of nearly 44 points per game.

"

Regardless, the struggles obviously didn't last long.

9. Charles Barkley Rolls Brazil with 30 Points

In the fourth game of Olympic competition, Charles Barkley dropped 30 points on Brazil, handing them a 127-83 loss in the process.

Six others on the Dream Team scored in double-digits, and Team USA eradicated any doubts that they could be touched on the path to a gold medal.

For his part, Barkley ultimately led his team in scoring for the duration in Barcelona, and this performance showed why.

Meanwhile, Brazil was reminded that it's much better off on the soccer field than the hardwood.

8. Charles Barkley Becomes a Big-Time International Star

It wasn't just Charles Barkley's scoring that set him apart in Barcelona—it was his incomparable charisma and sense of humor.

The same traits that have made him an Emmy Award-winning television analyst for TNT began to emerge front and center of the media attention in 1992.

Barkley's career may have ended without an NBA title, but that didn't change the fact that he was one of the NBA's all-time great players—and all-time most entertaining personalities.

7. MJ Saves Ball with Behind-the-Back Pass to Larry Bird

In a sign of things to come, Michael Jordan showed the world he wasn't just a dominant scorer against Cuba in the Tournament of the Americas.

With an errant pass from Magic Johnson halfway out of bounds, Jordan ran down the ball and spun it behind his back to a wide open Larry Bird.

Bird knew what to do from there.

The play was the epitome of what made MJ so great. It wasn't just his talent and athleticism—it was the fact he never gave up.

Even on plays he could afford to give up on.

6. Clyde Drexler Putting on a Show

Don't let the hairline fool you. 

Clyde "The Glide" Drexler was as much fun to watch as anyone on the Dream Team, and he racked up an impressive assortment of highlights in the open court.

After playing for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1983 to 1995, Drexler finally won an NBA championship upon being traded to the Houston Rockets.

But, he'll be remembered most for joining the likes of Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins as one of the most highlight-prone athletes of his generation.

5. Magic Johnson's Behind-the-Back Pass to MJ vs. Angola

In the grand scheme of the Dream Team's epic thumping of Angola, one dunk didn't make that much of a difference.

It looked oh so good, nevertheless.

In a breakaway play that would become commonplace through the Summer Games, Magic Johnson caught a touchdown pass under the basket and threw it over his head to Michael Jordan.

What happened from there is no secret.

What the play lacked in significance, it more than made up with style.

4. The Dream Team Beats Angola 116-48

Yes, you read that correctly.

In the Dream Team's first game, Angola lost by an unbelievable 68 points.

In other words, Angola could have doubled its scoring output and still lost by 20.

The thrashing made an unmistakable statement at the outset of the Summer Olympics. This team wasn't just a collection of All-Stars—it was dominance incarnate.

It cruised through the next six games and wound up winning by an average of 44 points—a number helped in large part by this first one-sided victory.

3. The USA Creates Separation in the Finals vs. Croatia

The Dream Team didn't get off to an especially impressive start in the gold medal game against Croatia, trailing 25-23 midway through the first half.

The sluggish start didn't last long, though.

After Charles Barkley's three-pointer that regained the lead, Team USA's defense tightened up and turned the game into the series of fast-break highlights that had come to dominate the previous contests.

The United States ended up winning by 32 points, led by Michael Jordan's 22 and the ensemble scoring effort that had come to typify the team.

For its part, Croatia put up a solid fight when compared with the rest of the Dream Team's prior competition. Led by the likes of Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, Croatia was a deserving silver medalist.

It just didn't stand a chance against the United States.

2. Dream Team Beats Lithuania and Advances to Gold Medal Game

The second-to-last victory for the Dream Team was memorable for a number of reasons. 

Most obviously, the 127-76 victory over Lithuania secured the United States a spot in the final game and an opportunity to win the gold medal along with it.

Perhaps more importantly, Lithuania was finally able to play as its own free nation after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The team—which featured big names like Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis—went on to win the bronze medal, a symbolically-loaded achievement for the formerly-occupied nation.

Lithuania may not have put up much of a fight against the U.S., but they had the opportunity to play as its own team rather than for Soviets.

That bronze medal game was all the sweeter for one more reason: it was the Russians that Lithuania beat to secure third place.

1. The United States Is Awarded Its Gold Medals

In the first Summer Olympics in which USA Basketball afforded its professionals to participate, the Dream Team didn't disappoint.

After non-stop domination, the medial award ceremony became the most iconic moment of all. Never before had a collection of such elite basketball players lined up together on the world stage, and we may never again see such a collection.

The teams since assembled have featured some historic talent to be sure, but none have been nearly so legendary. From the greats of the 1980s, like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson to the MJ himself, this team had it all—and won it all.