On September 3, 1972, the United States men's basketball team controversially lost the gold medal game against the Soviet Union at the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. The game, which is often referred to as the "Munich Massacre," is considered one of the most controversial finishes in Olympic history.
With just three seconds left on the clock, American guard Doug Collins sank two free throws to put the U.S. ahead 50-49. However, the Soviet team claimed that they had called a timeout before Collins' shots. Amidst the confusion, the game clock was reset to three seconds, giving the Soviet team another chance.
On the ensuing play, the Soviets inbounded the ball and missed a shot. The horn sounded, and the U.S. team believed they had won the gold medal. However, the officials once again reset the clock to three seconds, claiming that the clock had not been properly reset on the previous play.
Given a third opportunity, Soviet player Ivan Edeshko heaved a full-court pass to teammate Aleksandr Belov, who caught the ball and scored the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Soviet Union a 51-50 victory and the gold medal.
The U.S. team, feeling cheated, refused to accept their silver medals and filed a formal protest. To this day, the silver medals for the 1972 U.S. men's basketball team remain unclaimed and sit in a vault in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The controversial finish to the 1972 Olympic men's basketball final remains a topic of discussion among sports fans and historians, with many questioning the officiating and the fairness of the game's outcome.
