It seems like only yesterday I was watching Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone and the 1992 Dream Team on television. To show how much time has passed by, I watched Pippen and Malone back when I was still in grammar school(it's been 13 since I graduated college.) When the '92 Barcelona Olympics took place it was the summer between my sophmore and junior years in high school.
I have this weird ability to vividly remember random things from the past. So as much as I saw Pip and Malone back in the day, I specifically remember watching The Dream Team. The olympics started while my family was vacationing in San Jose, CA with the rest of the Cid family. It was great watching those games together. The first game was against Angola and my cousins BJ, Anne, Jace, and brother Lou and sister Glayn watched up in the bedroom of my Lolo and Lola. Tita Ray would also pop in and out of the room to catch a glimpse. Tito Butch and Tito Mitch arrived later and watched downstairs while we were up(I believe they missed the beginning of the game because they went to the flea market.) That game was so lopsided to watch, but at the same time was one of the most exciting. Between Charles Barkley bullying the Angolan players, and me catching the replay of Magic's no look pass to MJ for the tomahawk jam(I was taking a dump when it happend live) that moment stood out from my childhood/teen years.
My second fondest memory of The Dream Team was watching them take on Croatia during pool play while eating dinner. Team USA would play Croatia twice, once in pool play and then again in the Gold Medal game. When Team USA won the gold, I was already back in Chicago from my Cali trip and I had to watch the game recorded on VHS because I had to work at Venture that Sunday afternoon. But that first time, the family eating and watching the game was a great bonding time. I remember getting the chills watching MJ and Pip take turns guarding Toni Kukoc, and although I idolized Jordan, I also remember shouting "ball hog" when I thought he wasn't passing enough and missing some jumpers. My frustration wasn't anger at MJ in as much as I was expecting a highlight reel quality play every trip on offense(that was how high the expectations were for the Dream Team.)
Anyway, here's to basketball memories of my youth. I'll always love seeing Pippen, Malone and Dream Team highlights cuz it takes me back to the days before I was an "adult."
Big "Congratulations" go out to the 2010 Inductee class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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