Russian+Basketball

Soviet Impact on Basketball
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__**The Rise of Basketball during the Cold War:**__ --The rise of Russian basketball was caused entirely by the United States' interest and love of the game. Following World War II, the United States and the U.S.S.R. engaged in an arms race known as The Cold War. Scientific research in firearms, space travel, and further advancement in medicine were all prominent. However, the Cold War was about more than just weapons, as the two countries competed in just about every category. The fierce competition between the countries even extended to athletics, such as basketball. Under Gorbachev, The Soviet Union rised to new heights in basketball, even competing with American teams. The controversial 1972 Olympics in Munich marked a giant step in the level of basketball played by the Soviets (see below). Legendary Soviet coach Alexander Gomelsky coached the [|CSKA Moscow] players to an 82-76 Olympic victory over U.S. college players, coached by John Thompson. This victory for the Soviet Union led to the Americans bringing the "Dream Team" four years later to Barcelona, Spain for the 1992 Olympics.

1972 Olympic **__ Basketball Championship in Munich- USSR vs USA __**

--The highly contreversial 1972 basketball Olympic Championship game pitted Cold War rivals against each other. Up to this date, the United States had never lost basketball in the Olympics, having won seven gold medals in the sport. However, the Soviets brought an experienced team to the Munich games and were hungry for victory. The team had played over 400 games as a unit and developed team chemistry the Americans couldn't quite parallel. The Americans trailed early, the deficit even reaching double digits early in the second half. However, two free throws with three seconds left in the game gave the Americans a one point lead. The Soviets then proceeded to pass the ball in, allowing the clock to run down to one second before the refs stopped play. The stoppage was due to a claim by Soviet coached that they had called a timeout between the second free throw and the inbounds play. The clock was to be reset to three seconds, and the Soviets would have a second chance. The Soviets failed to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded on their second chance. American players began celebrating on the court after beating a bitter political rival. Once again the refs intervened, calling the players back onto the court. It was declared that the clock was not reset correctly, and the Soviets would get a third attempt with three seconds remaining. This time the Soviets were able to capitalize, completing a full court pass that led to a buzzer-beating layup. A panel of five judges ruled in favor of the Soviets after an American appeal of the results. Three of the five judges were communists. The vote was three to two. It is because of this politcal influence, that even today there are differing views on which country should have recieved the gold medal. The Americans refused to accept their silver medals, as the medals lay in a vaul in Switzerland today. One player even put it in his will that neither his wife nor children could accept the medal in future years. [see a video below, showing the contreversial end of game events, although the video is in a foreign language it is easy to see such events as the celebration of American players (at about 33 seconds in the video)] __**Addition of National teams after the breakup of the Soviet Union**__

--The collapse of the Soviet Union effected a lot more than just politics. The collapse of the Soviet Union allowed basketball to spread, as new countries such as Yugoslavia, Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania were formed. As these countries developed, so did their national basketball teams. Yugoslavia became one of the more successful post-Soviet countries, even with a claim to an Olympic gold medal and several other high finishes in the Games. This country, which is primarily present-day Serbia, has produced the likes of NBA successes Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Vladimir Radmonivic. The addition of these teams also influenced the success of the Euroleague, with more teams to participate and compete. Yugoslav basketball players:

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