It would have been a historic upset since no National Basketball Association team has ever lost to a foreign club.
Smith gets a second chance on Oct. 20, when the Golden State Warriors play Joventut, the European club champion, at the Olympic Pavilion in the Barcelona suburb of Badalona. It is the same arena at which the U.S. national team dominated the world in the 1992 Olympics.
"Maybe it could happen. I'd still like to be part of history," said Smith, 31, a Brooklyn, New York, native. "It would be an upset, a long shot, but that's OK with me. This is mostly entertainment, fun for the fans -- but we'll be out to win and get a place in history."
The pre-season game is one of three in Europe, and one of an NBA record 11 outside the United States this fall.
The Warriors play the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 18 in Paris, then travel south for the Badalona game. The European tour concludes Oct. 21 when Charlotte visits defending Italian league champion Buckler Bologna.
While those two NBA clubs are busy in Europe, nine other NBA teams will play pre-season games in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. The NBA regular season opener will be Nov. 5 in Yokahama, Japan, between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trailblazers, followed by a second game between the two teams the next day.
"This is the most extensive and largest variety of teams and countries in our history. I would expect we can count on even more in the future," said Ray Lalonde, the NBA's European spokesman.
Lalonde said the 1995 McDonald's Open -- held every two years -- would feature for the first time the NBA champion against national club champions. He said Britain was the likely site, with Spain also possible.
Smith, a 1.96-meter forward, knows Joventut is no match on paper for Don Nelson's Warriors. Golden State was the NBA's most improved team last season. Its lineup includes Rookie of the Year Chris Webber, Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway.
The Spanish club, led by Smith and Spanish internationals Jordi Villacampa and Rafael Jofresa, has started sluggishly under new coach Pedro Martinez.
"We're the defending European champions and there's pressure on us -- but it also should give us more motivation," Smith said. "So far, the motivation seems to be working for the other teams. Maybe we'll have motivation to play up to another level against Golden State."
It is Mullin's first return to Badalona since playing for the U.S. national team at the Olympics. He is the healthiest he has been in two seasons, and the European trip could provide a glimpse of just how good the Warriors will be.
"I'm really looking forward to it, not just getting back in the gym where we won the gold medal but also to walking around Barcelona," Mullin said. "It will bring back great memories."
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