After the United States Olympic basketball team ran its preliminary round record to 3-0 with Wednesday's 111-68 dismantling of Germany, Karl Malone revealed that a big part of the Dream Team's nightly game plan is to key on the opposition's top player. The theory being that if you stop him, you stop his team.
Wednesday's target was Germany's Detlef Schrempf, whose regular job is with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA. Schrempf was held to just 15 points by the Americans, 10 below his 25-point Olympic average."I would hate to be the guy we target," said Malone. "Tonight I'd have hated to be Detlef. The other night (against Croatia) I'd have hated to be (Toni) Kukoc (four points). Friday I wouldn't want to be Oscar Schmidt."
Schmidt is the leader of the Brazilian team that is scheduled to meet the U.S. late Friday night in the fourth game of the preliminary round.
Malone explained that assistant coach P.J. Carlissimo, of Seton Hall, assembles the scouting report on the targeted opponent. "He tells us what he likes to do, where he likes to go," said Malone. "And then we go out and try to shut the guy down."
In Wednesday's win over Germany, Schrempf was limited to just five points in the opening half as the U.S. cruised to a 58-23 advantage. The 35-point cushion was below the 48-point lead the U.S. held over Angola after the first half in its opening Olympic game, but Germany was a better opponent and Malone called it "the best first half we've played. As a team, we really worked well together."
The Dream Team relaxed in the second half en route to its 43-point win. In the process, Malone scored 18 points, second high to Larry Bird's 19, and had a team-high five rebounds. At 16.3 points per game, he remains the team's second leading scorer behind Charles Barkley.
Friday's game with Brazil comes more than a month later than originally expected. The Brazilians were anticipated to be the U.S. team's opponent in the finals of the Tournament of the America's last month in Portland. However, a last-second loss in the semifinals to Venezuela kept Brazil out of that final. At the time, several of Brazil's players, expressed a strong desire to meet the Americans.
"They wanted us rather badly in Portland and they didn't get the opportunity," said Chuck Daly, the head coach of the U.S team. "I'd say that makes this kind of an interesting game."
"It's turned out we had to cross the ocean to get a chance to play them," said Malone. "We're looking forward to playing them because they have talked around the globe."
It's possible that Malone's Utah Jazz and Dream Team teammate, point guard John Stockton, will see some action against the Brazilians. Stockton participated in warmups for the first time Wednesday and said it's possible his leg - broken with a hairline fracture in the Tournament of the America's - has healed sufficiently.
"I was able to hobble through warmups so that's a start," said Stockton. "I doubt the crowd, other than my wife, noticed. It just felt good to get out on the floor."
"I'm hopeful about Friday," Stockton said, "but I'm not that hopeful about being very good. I don't expect to be 100 percent but I hope to be there."
As Stockton noted, Wednesday's easy win over the Germans pointed out that the U.S. can win even without a dozen healthy bodies, or any point guards. With both himself and Magic Johnson, the team's other point guard, nursing injuries on the bench, the team didn't miss a stride. Michael Jordan filled in at the point and had a dozen assists as well as 15 points.
"When I play it will just take minutes away from the other guys," said Stockton. "This team isn't going to miss anybody if they're out."
Stockton sat next to Johnson on the bench during the Germany game, where they compared point-guard notes.
"It's fun sitting there with Magic," said Stockton. "We talked about the plays on the floor, about what we saw developing. I see things, he sees things. I'm not above learning from him. He sees some things I don't see."