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Argentina scored one of the great upsets of the 2004 Olympics, beating the mighty United States in the semi-finals then going on to win the gold-medal match against Italy.

It was a humiliating defeat for the so-called "Dream Team", even though they were missing some of their biggest NBA stars.

It also ended an era in men's basketball at Olympic level during which the competition was not so much for gold as for silver and bronze.

So dominant had the United States been that the others were left playing for second place.

Basketball was introduced to the Olympics as a full medal sport in 1936, and the US won seven straight gold medals and 62 consecutive matches.

The sequence was broken in 1972, but even then it took some controversial refereeing decisions to allow the Soviet Union team to snatch a last-second victory.

Since then the US has only been denied on three occasions. In 1980 the Americans boycotted the Moscow Games and so did not compete and in 1988 they were pushed into third place behind the USSR and Yugoslavia.

But since 1992, when professional basketballers were invited to compete at Olympic level for the first time, this disparity in class between the US and the rest has grown even wider.

At Barcelona the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Charles Barclay and Patrick Ewing gave the United States an invincible line-up.

They went on to beat Croatia 117-85 in the final. Of course, the entry of such high-paid professionals into the Olympic arena prompted some criticism, but the superiority of the Dream Team was without question.

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In 1996, although the US was put off its game slightly by some aggressive opposition, the story was similar with the Dream Team comfortably taking the gold.

And in 2000, the Dream Team stuttered - notably in a semi-final against Australia - but still won gold.

This rarely interrupted run of victories made defeat at the hands of Argentina all the more surprising - and painful - for the US.

History

Basketball was invented towards the end of the 19th century by Canadian-born Dr James Naismith.

Looking to introduce some variety into his sports activities at a Massachusetts YMCA, Naismith nailed two peach baskets up at either end of the YMCA's hall.

He may have thought he was inventing an activity, but in reality his idea gave rise to a sport which has become an American icon and is played by more than 100 million people world-wide.

By 1898 the first professional league was underway in the US and basketball was a demonstration sport at the 1904 Games in St Louis.

The sport made its full medal debut at Berlin 32 years later, but that tournament did not go precisely to plan.

Due to a lack of suitable indoor facilities, the basketball competition in Berlin was held outdoors on sand courts.

As the Games were about to kick off, the Spanish Civil War began, causing the Spanish team to withdraw from its matches and return home.

Unfortunately, the competition coincided with some inclement weather in Berlin, and the courts turned into a quagmire.

In the gold medal game a US team beat Canada 19-6 in a match played during a downpour.

That tournament began the American winning streak which ended in controversy in 1976.

In the gold medal game that year, the USSR looked like snatching victory until American Doug Collins fired in two free throws to put the US ahead for the first time, 50-49.

As the game was winding down, there was a stoppage, and with one second remaining on the clock, the Americans thought they had won.

But an official over-ruled the referee and ordered that there were three seconds left.

The Russians took advantage, scoring the winning basket with the game's dying act.

So disgusted were the Americans, or so petulant, depending on your point of view, that they refused to collect their silver medals.

In those days, the professionals from the National Basketball Association (NBA) were unable to play at Olympic level, and the US was represented by college players, many of whom went on to have long and successful NBA careers.

Women's basketball became an Olympic sport in 1976 and the Soviet Union won the first two gold medals.

But since then the United States has been the dominant team, winning gold in 1984, 1998 and 1996 and bronze in 1992.

Despite this strength, the US is by no means unbeatable in the women's competition, as Australia has shown by rattling the Americans on more than one occasion.

But the development of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States, which draws the best players from around the world, has given the US a boost.

But it's also allowed Australia's best players to improve to the point where they are now world champions. With Lauren Jackson - the world's best player - at the helm, the Opals will start favourites in Beijing.