However these two USA teams could not be further apart. The 1994 Dream team now sits in the FIBA world basketball Hall of Fame as the greatest culmination of basketball talent ever to be assembled on the same side of the half court.
Sixteen years later, playing for your country is no longer held in high regard. Top flight players such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Chris Bosh all automatic selections passed in on the opportunity to represent their country in order to spend more time relaxing and recuperating for the upcoming season.
Apart from winning an NBA championship the next best honour you can achieve was once to represent your country. However somewhere over the past decade the pride and passion of representing your country has been replaced by the glitz and glamour that comes with earning a contract that is in the vicinity of tens of millions of dollars.
This reason may be just the explanation why the best basketball nation in the world has not reached a final in sixteen years.
That was of course until a young power forward by the name of Kevin Durant entered the building. From the time he slipped on the USA jersey in the opening match Durant has captured the hearts of basketball audiences worldwide. His poise combined with a very refreshing passion make Durant an ideal candidate to lead the USA out of the doldrums and back into the winners circle.
Before tipoff in the championship game Durant will have had the most successful tournament of any USA player in history including the "Dream Team". Perhaps his performances will encourage and inspire other elite players to return to international Basketball and etch a new history.