Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2012 USA Olympic team can beat the 1992 Dream Team?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 2012 USA Olympic team can beat the 1992 Dream Team?

    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ey...otherexpletive

    LAS VEGAS -- After setting off the debate and taking his licks from a number of NBA legends, Kobe Bryant wasn't about to let anyone else get the last word.

    Earlier this week, Bryant told reporters that the 2012 USA Basketball team could defeat the 1992 Dream Team.

    "It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out," he said.

    The comment elicited quick responses from members of the Dream Team, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen.

    Jordan told the Associated Press that he "absolutely laughed" at Bryant's statement and that there was "no comparison" between the two teams.

    "So what? He knows I'm a bad mother[expletive]," Bryant said. "I'm not really tripping."

    The Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard went on to say acknowledge that the Dream Team, which went undefeated on its way to gold in Barcelona, had a size advantage on the 2012 squad, which is competing without four possible big men ( Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin) lost to injury.

    "The fact is, they have [Patrick] Ewing and [David] Robinson and those big guys, it's tough. If you're asking me, 'Can you beat them one game?' Hell yeah, we can beat them in one game. You didn't ask me if we could beat them in a 7-game series. In one game, we can beat them. No question about it."

    Like Jordan, Barkley said that he laughed at Bryant's assertion during a radio interview.

    "Their point guards weren't going to beat us. That's a no-brainer," Barkley said "I just started laughing... Other than Kobe, LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant, I don't think anybody else on that team makes our team."

    On Thursday, Johnson and Pippen chimed in on Twitter.

    "The 1992 Dream Team had 11 Hall of Famers, 23 championship rings and the greatest player of all time in Jordan," Johnson tweeted. No chance this years team would take us. Our '92 team had too many winners, were too smart and too competitive to lose to Kobe and the 2012 team. I am excited to watch them though."

    "I respect Kobe and his confidence in this year's USA Basketball team," Pippen tweeted. "But the Dream Team was special. Unbeatable."

    Pippen attended Thursday's exhibition in Las Vegas with fellow Dream Teamers Clyde Drexler and Chris Mullin. Bryant left Team USA's bench to shake hands and joke with the trio when they were acknowledged during the game.

    "it was nothing, just a little friendly talk," Bryant said of their chatter.

    Click here for a position-by-position breakdown of the 1992 squad versus the 2012 squad.

    Bryant finished with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 2-for-6 shooting in 15 minutes during Team USA's win.
    Hmmmmm. I'm not so sure Kobe, one game? I doubt it.
    13
    Hell No. Kobe what are you saying?
    69.23%
    9
    Of course! Kobe, LeBron, and Durant have a good chance!
    30.77%
    4
    Twitter: @ReubenJRD • NBA, Raptors writer for Daily Hive Vancouver, Toronto.

  • #2
    one team has michael jordan and the other doesn't. this is kobe talking out his ass. robinson would handle dwight or any center 2012 puts out. malone would out muscle and elbow blake or bosh. i would take stockton over cp3 and williams. 2012 would need lebron to be better than jordan and jordan hates losing when it counts so he just never did. i think it would come down to how well lebron plays d on jordan and scores on scottie. i don't even think kobe would matter in the game

    Comment


    • #3
      I picked the current team because they are all business. No partying all night or doing 36 holes of golf before the game.

      Comment


      • #4
        mj and the boys played D it would be a 30 pt blow out no joke

        Comment


        • #5
          I don't know, from this point, there are possibly 3-4 future fall of famers' on this team in Lebron, Kobe, Durant and maybe CP3.

          While the 1992 Dream Team, basically everyone was a HOF. It doesn't matter about individual awards and judgments, but it's not looking so well for the Redeem Team...
          Twitter: @ReubenJRD • NBA, Raptors writer for Daily Hive Vancouver, Toronto.

          Comment


          • #6
            stretch wrote: View Post
            I picked the current team because they are all business. No partying all night or doing 36 holes of golf before the game.
            That is just how much better the true Dream Team was, they did not have to take the fun out of their lives to dominate the competition. I am sure that had there been a team to challenge them they would have buckled down and tore the 2012 team a new one.

            Tyson Chandler at the 5 spot vs. Ewing and David Robinson
            While I really like Kevin Love, Malone and Barkley get the ege here as well./
            The wing spots would have the best match-ups as teh 2012 team is very deep here, but I would put Jordan and Pippen up vs any combination of the 2012 players.
            Point guard would be a tough match up for the 92 team, Westbrook and Paul are super quick, and Deron Williams is a load, but this is where the beauty of Pippen comes in as a guy at 6'7" who regularly guards PG's helps the 92 team.
            Twitter @WJ_FINDLAY

            Comment


            • #7
              Can't believe three out of eight voters actually pick the 2012 version of the team. I have to believe that they never saw any of these guys play.

              I will give it to the 2012 version. All of them probably work out harder, and more continuously through the year than any of the Dream Team. It is a little scary to think what those players from 20 years ago would have been like if they had the coaching, nutritionists, shooting/ball handling/strength coaches of today's athletes.

              Comment


              • #8
                Puffer wrote: View Post
                Can't believe three out of eight voters actually pick the 2012 version of the team. I have to believe that they never saw any of these guys play.

                I will give it to the 2012 version. All of them probably work out harder, and more continuously through the year than any of the Dream Team. It is a little scary to think what those players from 20 years ago would have been like if they had the coaching, nutritionists, shooting/ball handling/strength coaches of today's athletes.
                Don't kid yourself, as much time as Jordan spent playing golf, he used to put in tonnes of time working on his body and his game. MJ made sure that his team mates were also working as hard as him, he pushed Pippen to be great, got everything he could out of Horace grant, theses guys worked hard on their craft.
                Twitter @WJ_FINDLAY

                Comment


                • #9
                  WJF wrote: View Post
                  Don't kid yourself, as much time as Jordan spent playing golf, he used to put in tonnes of time working on his body and his game. ...
                  I'll give you that. But I also think there is better knowledge and techniques available to players now.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Kobe said in a single game the could beat them. In a series, probably not.

                    lets not forget the expansion Toronto Raptors beat what was arguably the best team in the history of the NBA.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Craiger wrote: View Post
                      Kobe said in a single game the could beat them. In a series, probably not.

                      lets not forget the expansion Toronto Raptors beat what was arguably the best team in the history of the NBA.
                      To be fair, we only beat them by 1 and we wouldn't have won it if Damon wasn't so money on 3s.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Craiger wrote: View Post
                        Kobe said in a single game the could beat them. In a series, probably not.

                        lets not forget the expansion Toronto Raptors beat what was arguably the best team in the history of the NBA.
                        so we are in a hypothetical super league where each team plays 82 games? or is it a one game series all or nothing or a 7 game series.

                        if its a league thing then yes they could win a game of regular season ball, you never know what can happen. if it's a one game winner take all, no way they win and if it's a seven game series they could win a game before they are out but that's it to me.

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X