1972 Olympic Basketball Team - UTEP's Jim Forbes
Munich/1972 Men's Basketball
The U.S. team came to the final having won every game in Olympic play for the past 36 years. But the Soviet Union's team surprised the Americans with an aggressive offense. With just six seconds left, the U.S.S.R. was clinging to a one-point lead when American Doug Collins was deliberately fouled. Collins sank both his free throws, giving the U.S. its first lead, 50-49, with just three seconds left. The Soviets failed to score, time ran out, and the Americans erupted in celebration. But Soviet coach Vladimir Kondrashkin claimed he had called a time-out that was ignored, and Britain's R. William Jones, the secretary-general of the International Amateur Basketball Federation, ordered the clock set back by three seconds. When play resumed, Soviet star Sasha Belov pushed past two U.S. defenders to sink the winning basket. This led to the Cold War on the Court.