Argentina was the team that scored the most points against the Dream Team in Portland. They also had the most fun: their bench applauded one of Michael Jordan's dunks. From that night came a photo that Hernán Montenegro kept for decades.
87 points, the tournament's best mark
Looking for consolation, Argentina has a legitimate one: their 87 points were the highest score anyone put on the Dream Team in the Americas Tournament. No other opponent in Portland broke 81.
The team was coached by Walter Garrone and featured a generation of names that defined an era in the Argentine Liga Nacional: Marcelo Milanesio, Héctor Campana, Juan Espil, Hernán Montenegro, Sebastián Uranga, Esteban de la Fuente, Miguel Cortijo, Luis Villar, Diego Osella, and Esteban Pérez.
Across the court, a Michael Jordan who was the game's standout player. That detail has historical significance: it was the only matchup in which Jordan faced the Argentine national team during his NBA career.
The bench that applauded the opponent
There's a scene that sums up the entire summer better than any statistic. Jordan threw down a dunk and the Argentine bench erupted in celebration. Not the American one: the Argentine one.
Hernán Montenegro, "El Loco," put it into words afterward with a phrase that has endured: that he had played with enormous joy against the monsters.
https://youtu.be/h4taf5JgF3U?si=ly1nFks84zK0EyDF
The cover
The next day, Montenegro woke up, opened the Portland newspaper, and found himself on the front page: him above, arm stretched out, and Jordan right below.
He kept the clipping. Years later, in a bar conversation with a skeptic, he pulled it out and placed it on the table as documentary proof that yes, he had played against Michael Jordan. He told the story himself on ESPN. The story ended with a whisky bought by the house.
It's a minor anecdote and, at the same time, exactly what the Dream Team was all about: a team so far above the rest that opponents stopped competing against it and started collecting it.
End of the group stage
With this result, the United States closed Group A with a perfect 4-0 record: 481 points for and 257 against, a differential of +224 over four games. As group winners, they skipped the quarterfinals and waited directly in the semifinals.
Argentina finished 2-2 and missed out on the Olympic berth.
DATA BOX
| Game | United States 128 - 87 Argentina |
| Competition | 1992 Americas Tournament (Olympic qualifier), group stage |
| Date | July 1, 1992 |
| Venue | Memorial Coliseum, Portland (Oregon) |
| Player of the Game | Michael Jordan |
| Coaches | Chuck Daly (USA) / Walter Garrone (Argentina) |
| Fact | Argentina's 87 points were the most the United States allowed in the entire tournament |
| Final USA Group A | 4-0, 481-257 (+224) |
| USA Record | 4-0 |