1992 Dream Team vs. 2012 Dream Team

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by Say Chi Sin Lo

Agreed, I was watching the documentary on NBA TV about The Dream Team. They said something about the 1992 Dream Team taught the world how to play basketball.

Seemed to Inspire the rest of the world to play basketball. And to beat us at our own game.

[TennisLovaLova]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo

Seemed to Inspire the rest of the world to play basketball. And to beat us at our own game.

Drazen Petrovic (rip) and Arvidas Sabonis disagree

If yougoslavia didnt implode the whole original team could have beaten the dream team
Who btw lost to a college team before the olympics

[jamesblakefan#1]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

Drazen Petrovic (rip) and Arvidas Sabonis disagree

If yougoslavia didnt implode the whole original team could have beaten the dream team
Who btw lost to a college team before the olympics

That's only part of the story.

The scrimmage lost to the college players was a fix, part of Coach Chuck Daly’s plan to demonstrate to a team loaded with 11 future basketball Hall of Famers that they could lose in international competition.

“He threw the game,” Mike Krzyzewski, who assisted Daly, along with Wilkens and P. J. Carlesimo, said in the documentary. Daly calmly told Krzyzewski during the scrimmage, “We’re all right.”

(In 2008, Krzyzewski made similar remarks when he said, “Chuck wanted them to lose.”)

In the documentary, he said: “If you look at how much Jordan played and how he subbed the guys in, not picking up, not making any adjustments; he knew what he was doing.”

Asked why Daly did not confide his intentions to his assistants, Krzyzewski said: “We probably would have screwed it up.”

Before the news media filed in after the scrimmage, Daly ordered that the result be banished from the scoreboard. At their next, and final, scrimmage, the Dream Team trounced the collegians.

And Jordan played a lot more.

http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.c...-nytimessports

Oh and Sabonis was Lithuanian, not sure why you mentioned his name alongside Petrovic & Yugoslavia

[TennisLovaLova]

I know he was lithuanian but at the time he was one of the most dominating players in europe that's why

[jamesblakefan#1]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

I know he was lithuanian but at the time he was one of the most dominating players in europe that's why

USA did play Lithiuania in 92, won 127-76. Sabonis went 4-17.
http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa...statistic.html

[volleygirl]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

Drazen Petrovic (rip) and Arvidas Sabonis disagree

If yougoslavia didnt implode the whole original team could have beaten the dream team
Who btw lost to a college team before the olympics

HAHA The 92 Dream team would not have even been challenged by Yugoslavia. Youre Dreaming if you believe that.

Dwight Howard is not even as good as Ewing or David Robison were when they were playing in 92 IMO.

[TMF]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

I know he was lithuanian but at the time he was one of the most dominating players in europe that's why

LOL...the 1992 Lithuanian wouldn't even be able to sniff the Bronze against the current level of competition, even if you take the US team out !

[Leelord337]

larry bird, michael jordan, hakeem olajuwon, among other All star hall of famers vs kd and lebron, lol

[soyizgood]

Originally Posted by Leelord337

larry bird, michael jordan, hakeem olajuwon, among other All star hall of famers vs kd and lebron, lol

Olajuwon didn't play in '92. But yeah, 11 HOFers vs a Kobe/Lebron/Durant-led squad. If the Dream Team needed another wing player, 'Human Highlight' Wilkins could have been added.

[TennisLovaLova]

Originally Posted by soyizgood

Olajuwon didn't play in '92. But yeah, 11 HOFers vs a Kobe/Lebron/Durant-led squad. If the Dream Team needed another wing player, 'Human Highlight' Wilkins could have been added.

Just why pick chris laetner instead of Shaq in 92? That year Duke won the final four ok, but imagine the DT92 with Shaq.... Dunkorama

[volleygirl]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

Just why pick chris laetner instead of Shaq in 92? That year Duke won the final four ok, but imagine the DT92 with Shaq.... Dunkorama

The 92 team not win impressive enough already? If you dont remember, Laettner was one of the greatest college players in hostory, Shaq wasnt. They picked him based on what he did in college, not for his pro potential.

[droliver]

I think this is a coin flip between these two teams.

You have to look past the names and look at the matchups. No team ever would match up well to the skills Lebron, Kobe, and Kevin Durant as they're all kind of freaky hybrids in size and athleticism for their positions and allow a lot of flexibility of lineups. Those 3 + Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Westbrook, or Deron Williams on the floor would make the 1992 team have to go smaller to defend the speed and sacrifice their size advantage. That 1992 team did not have an abundance of super quick players and I don't know who they'd trot out as point guard (? Jordan) as Magic and Stockton are major defensive liabilities in any scenario. It's an interesting dilemma!

Also, keep in mind that by 1992 Magic and Bird were shells of the players they'd been and not really among the best in the league at that point.

[Andres]

Magic and Stock major D liabilities? I disagree 300%.

[LeeD]

Magic can't guard Kobe.
Kobe can't guard Magic if it's near the paint. Tossup, whoever is playing good that day.
Stockton can't guard Westbrook.
Westbrook won't bother to guard Stockton. Tossup, whoever is playing good that day. Westbrook can score 35 one day, then go 5 for 20 the next. Stockton can score 18 one day, then disappear with 12 the next.
Nobody can defend Lebron and Durant. They will get their 29's.
OTOH, nobody can defend the old centers, who can push and shove, then hit 20 footers at will.
Barkley.... wild card...can be taken out of his game by tall long guys, can tool anyone when he feels like it.
Malone...just bigger, heavier and leans on you.

[Andres]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Magic can't guard Kobe.
Kobe can't guard Magic if it's near the paint. Tossup, whoever is playing good that day.
Stockton can't guard Westbrook.
Westbrook won't bother to guard Stockton. Tossup, whoever is playing good that day. Westbrook can score 35 one day, then go 5 for 20 the next. Stockton can score 18 one day, then disappear with 12 the next.
Nobody can defend Lebron and Durant. They will get their 29's.
OTOH, nobody can defend the old centers, who can push and shove, then hit 20 footers at will.
Barkley.... wild card...can be taken out of his game by tall long guys, can tool anyone when he feels like it.
Malone...just bigger, heavier and leans on you.

Pippen and Jordan can defend both Lebron and Durant. Specially Scottie.

[jamesblakefan#1]

Stockton wasnt a scorer (only avg 15 ppg his career). Don't know what the relevance of saying he'd go for 18 one game and 12 the next is, he's the quintessential pass first PG. Which of course is perfect when you have Jordan, Pippen, Drexler, Mullin, ect around you.

Seriously though

G: Magic, Stockton, Drexler, Jordan or Paul, DWill, Westbrook, Harden, Kobe

People forget Drexler was like a Jordan-lite in his prime, carried Portland to the finals. One of the more underrated players, probably better than anyone on USA G side other than Kobe.

F: Pippen, Bird, Barkley, Malone, Mullin, Laettner or Bron, Durant, Melo, Iguodala

Pippen was one of the best defenders of the 90s, it's not like Bron and co would walk over him. Does 2012 have anyone to guard Barkley and Malone in the post? They may, but then there's...

Big Men: Robinson, Ewing or Chandler, Love, Davis

I doubt this year's team would be able to guard the bigs. Double and you have Mullin and Drexler and Jordan going off from the perimeter. DT could just go big and win.

[TennisLovaLova]

And drexler reached the finals before mj and lost to detroit in 90

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

And drexler reached the finals before mj and lost to detroit in 90

Portland's team was loaded unlike any of these current teams.

[droliver]

people, you had a 33 yo HIV+ Magic and a 36 yo Bird who could barely walk at that point on that team and was retired. They were liabilities on the court (relatively speaking). Stockton is overmatched against any of the PG on the court from 2012 team. They'd be lacerating the dream team off the dribble all day.

[jamesblakefan#1]

Originally Posted by droliver

people, you had a 33 yo HIV+ Magic and a 36 yo Bird who could barely walk at that point on that team and was retired. They were liabilities on the court (relatively speaking). Stockton is overmatched against any of the PG on the court from 2012 team. They'd be lacerating the dream team off the dribble all day.

Stockton can't play D? He holds the all time record for steals. I guess bc he's white people think he'd be overmatched. You would be wrong.