BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 10 : European Vacation Is Interrupted

Even Dream Teams get the blues.

Every NBA team has its dog days and this one is no different. With Spain behind and Puerto Rico immediately ahead, this is like March 15 of the regular-season schedule.

Coach Chuck Daly called a practice Monday, the team’s first since play began.

The troops said it was needed.

“We’re in the stretch run of being home,” Magic Johnson said. “What have we got, five more days and then we’re back?”

The NBA stars can be expected to pick up when they face Lithuania-Croatia-Commonwealth of Independent States caliber competition.

But first come tonight’s quarterfinals and the Puerto Ricans, whom they trimmed by 38 points in the Tournament of the Americas.

“Well, we’re going to be ready,” Johnson said. “We talked about that. We’ve got to be ready every game. Soon as you let down emotionally, those teams can start getting hot and anything can happen. We don’t want to turn it on, turn it off, turn it on, turn it off.”

Johnson played nine minutes in Sunday’s return. He practiced Monday and said his strained right calf is improving.