| REVIEWER | RATING & REVIEW |
 | excelsior30 (8)
02/19/2008 | Ay, Munich, this and the Israeli deaths, we can see how horrible the Olympics were that time, but the game was less important than the deaths. This one was clearly rigged, and I do not blame the team to not accept the silver. This was way more scandulous than the figure skating incident involving Canadians Pelltier and Sale in 2002 because it was clear that the US won in regulation and no fouls were committed for the USSR to take a shot-and the clock was strarting when the ball was inbounded. Come on, a USSR player missing from 3/4 court and his teammate tries to it tip in after the buzzer sounds with no goaltend to get some free chances is clearly purposely orchestrated by the officials and William Jones, then FIBA secretary general (who vehemently protested that the clock did have an error in starting) -THEY wanted the American streak to end. Totally ridiculous.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | mrr (1)
07/03/2007 | While not as bad as the Israeli shootings, this was a bad moment in olympic history. The referees would do ANYTHING imaginable to let the USSR win. However, the player who hit the last shot that clinched it fought to the end to get the ball in that basket with just three seconds to shoot.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | frenchy42 (0)
06/14/2005 | As sickening as this was, the absolute tragedy that took place earlier in the same Games has a way of putting this into perspective. The US lost(?) a basketball game. Some people lost lives.
(0 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | alpepper (21)
02/04/2005 | A fitting end to a dreadful Olympiad (though Frank Shorter's marathon victory was kind of a salve). The U.S. was jobbed so many times in so many events, it was pathetic. I have a suspiscion the Soviets would have probably gotten twelve more chances until they put one in. As a Philly guy, I particularly feel bad for Mike Bantom from St. Joe's and Doug Collins, a member of the Sixers.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | EschewObfuscation (61)
02/04/2005 |  UPDATE: Further to IJR's point, several of the athletes, now middle-aged men, who played on the team have codiciles in their wills that prevent their heirs from accepting their silver medals after their deaths. For many of them, this was to be one of the proudest moment of their lives. ORIGINAL COMMENT 11/21/04: This is the most appalling athletic moment, as opposed to the Munich disaster, which was the worst overall Olympic moment. Appalling for Americans, it really should be appalling to anyone with a sense of fairness. Remember, the American athletes were all college kids, no professionals, unlike the USSR. The fact that they had to use the dishonesty of the referees to win, and the Olympic Committee let the victory stand, was an indication that the US was generally resented and even reviled by some. It was an enormous propaganda victory for the USSR, in the context of the Cold War (keep in mind, the Vietnam War was still going on) and contributed to the awful malaise and discontent in the US.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | VirileVagabond (32)
08/26/2004 | Much has been written and discussed about this game, played at the height of the Cold War and detente. Another comment gives a play-by-play of the last seconds, which I will assume is correct; however, if true, there is an inconsistency. If the rules say no timeouts after three seconds, then there should have been a technical foul on the Soviet coach for calling the timeout (the disturbance at the scorer's table). Nevertheless, this event doesn't compare to some of the other events on this list (eg the Israeli massacre).
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Solenoid DH (19)
08/25/2004 | I won't give it 5 stars, because for sheer atrocity, the murder of those Israeli athletes was the worst Olympic moment of all time. But when it comes to blatant thievery, that basketball game was in a class all by itself. The refs kept replaying the ending of the game over again until the Russians were able to get ahead, and then declared the game over. If the Russians were truly proud of that win, then they were morally bankrupt. It's hard to believe that grown men would be so dishonorable as to cheat in a game like spoiled children. (I also remember the imposter who tried to keep Frank Shorter from winning his race - those Olympics were probably the worst ever).
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
| TriSec (2)
08/20/2004 | Grand Larceny on the highest scale. When we beat the Russians in 1980, we did it HONESTLY!
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | numbah16tdhaha (147)
08/05/2004 | Screw job. The Miracle was our revenge.
(9 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | CanadaSucks (45)
07/29/2003 | ARRRGH! It still bugs me. Watching the godless commies sneak out a win over the USA in basketball defies all logic. It is a great story, but I hate the thought of having deserving athletes robbed of their just due. And those hideous short shorts. . .
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | StanUzbeck (14)
07/28/2003 | What a joke. Get over it already. Are you people that insecure that you constantly need affirmation that you are the world's best at everything? Yes, the US was robbed and the officiating was corrupt, but that hasn't changed, and has even gotten worse. I refuse to watch the olympics anymore, since I am disgusted with all the politics involved in an area where there shouldn't be any.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Pikamyface (0)
07/09/2003 | IF MCARTHUR HAD HIS WAY THIS CALL WOULDN'T HAVE MATTERED, you know why because the USSR would be a subserviant to the US. They would have been like a state, only those commiew wouldn't have gotten a star. What we should have done is blasted those reds out of the water, damn their frozen country. DAMN THE SOVIETS, DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL. SUBMIT
(0 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
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