Hooray For The Red, White, Black And Blue!

In Milwaukee Dunleavy was on target, calling these games "almost giveaways" because of the pros' lack of cohesion and inability to sustain momentum through "money time." Also, NBAers just don't like being covered on defense so tough for so long; they're used to relaxing. "You relax against us," said Newton, "and you get run over."

Dunleavy, an account executive with Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, took time off to fly into Milwaukee the day of the game. Suddenly he found himself taking another midair flight, on the hurtful end of a frightening, slammo-jammo charge from Ewing. "He missed his dunk, didn't he?" said Dunleavy, who miraculously was still alive and got the number of the helicopter. Not long after, the little Milwaukee Buck had to ward off an enraged Jordan who wanted to fight after Dunleavy slap-tackled him to prevent Jordan from dunking. "I didn't come out here to not play hard," Dunleavy said.

By that time, obviously, the pros were unable to hide their frustration. In the second half of the Suds City slaughter the NBA team committed 30 fouls, including nine by Johnson. Ewing and Jordan seemed to bear the brunt of the NBA offerings. Ewing had been chopped up regularly in the series by the likes of Walton, Mark Olberding, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, and he had handled it well. But on Friday, when Dave Corzine and Schayes belted him around, Ewing exploded and he exchanged murderous glares with Schayes.

Jordan was also rudely treated by his future peers. During the pregame warmups in Indy, Jordan had chased a ball to the NBA end, whereupon Bird controlled it. Did Bird hand it to Jordan? He did not. Without a smile, Bird kicked the ball over Jordan's head, back to the Olympians' end. Jordan didn't seem surprised; he just shook his head. Four nights later, when Jordan crashed to the floor in Milwaukee and Johnson paused to help him up, the NBA coach waved Johnson off. "Get away from him. He's been over our backs all night," shouted none other than Oscar Robertson.

Righto, Big O. Over your backs, across your fronts, on the sides and in your faces. Jordan and the rest of the gang have been taught and they're ready. You played on the U.S. team in 1960 in Rome and won the gold medal laughing. Now it's a different game and a lot tougher. Welcome, Oscar, and you too, world, to Bobby Knight's Olympic team.