ISTANBUL -- Russia's coach believes the Soviets were right in 1972. The Americans say he's got it all wrong.

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski responded to David Blatt's opinion that the Soviet Union's victory in the controversial Olympic gold-medal game was fair by saying that Blatt should have that belief as a Russian -- either forgetting or ignoring that Blatt was born and raised in the U.S.

NBA executive Mike Bantom, who played for that U.S. team, says the issue could be debated, but "if you lived it, and you were there, you know that it was wrong."

The U.S. plays Russia on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the world championship on the 38th anniversary of the Soviets' 51-50 victory in Munich.

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