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I had contemplated recently about all time best non USA squads. I mean: men national teams only.
So far, two best generations of international bball are Yugoslavia from late 80s (1988-1991) and Spain (2006-13) of nowdays. Both of them dominated the game, but in different eras:

1) Yugoslavia never played against US squads made from NBA pro players and it's winning span was stopped because of political breakup, but that team ruled european basketball (1988 OG* silver, 1989 EC** gold, 1990 WC*** gold, 1991 EC gold) and was widely regarded as the best white team ever assembled, international bball has ever seen in XX century.

2) Spain made some impressive results also. After many semifinals, finals, bronze&silver medals...it was big in Japan (WC 2006 gold), where their domination started. They won 6 medals in next 7 years - two golds (EC2009&2011), three silvers (WC2007&OG2008,2012) and one bronze (EC 2013). This spanish team is the only team that can play close games against USA teams and it's widely regarded as the best international non USA team in this century.

Players that played for YUG in those years: Dražen Petrović, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa, Žarko Paspalj, Predrag Danilović, Stojan Vranković, Jure Zdovc, Zoran Čutura, Zdravko Radulović, Zoran Radović, Mario Primorac, Zoran Savić, Velimir Perasović, Aleksandar Đorđević, Arijan Komazec, Zoran Sretenović, Zoran Jovanović; Coach: Dušan Ivković.

Players that played for ESP in those years: Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Rudy Fernandez, Carlos Jiménez, Carlos Cabezas, Bernardo “Berni” Rodríguez, Felipe Reyes, Marc Gasol, Alex Mumbrú, Sergio Rodríguez, Ricky Rubio, Víctor Claver, Fernando San Emeterio, Serge Ibaka, Víctor Sada; Coach: Jose Vicente “Pepu” Hernández/Aíto García Reneses/Sergio Scariolo.


So, in 10 matches who would win more between this two superteams: YUG 1988-1991 or ESP 2006-2013?

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*OG=Olympics
**EC=European Championships/Eurobasket
***WC= World Championships

I think it would be real close, although I don't know enough about all those Yugo players.

How well would their guards match up would be my biggest question?

Yugoslavia, without a doubt.

Are we talking about those teams in a specific year or can we put together 2006 Garbajosa and Jimenez with 2007 Calderon, 2008 Rudy, 2009 Pau, 2011 Navarro, 2012 Sergio Rodriguez and Marc, etc...

I'm a spaniard, so maybe a little biased. As good as the Yugoslavian team was, I think the spanish team will win, clearly.
That Yugoslavian team was a joy to watch, incredibly fun basketball and Drazen was unstoppable, but it was a time when teams in Europe played little defense. The Spanish team is a "modern" basketball team, that in their best performances, built the offense from a great defense. Talent-wise both teams are equally good, but if you could face the teams as they played in their respective eras, the spanish team will expose the yugoslavian team deficiencies more than the other way. The spanish front court is vastly superior.

You cannot compare basketball from almost two decades away, each team dominated during his prime with their own style, and both team deserves recognition. Probably that yugoslavian team faced tougher competitors, as the U.S.S.R team was very good by the time, and Italian, Greek and Spanish teams were not bad at all, it was the most entertaining time for European basketball that I remember.

p0peye wrote:Yugoslavia, without a doubt.

LOL

Yugoslavia for me, they simply had the most talented players

Their first five would include Divac Radja Kukoc and Petrovic

Only Pau Gasol is on the same level from the Spanish team.

Both teams are very deep and Yugos have the superior coaching staff.

Keep in mind this is a FIBA game, guys like Marc Gasol and Ibaka may have outstanding NBA careers
but they have not been as impressive in fiba competitions as Divac or Kukoc for example

yugoslavia easily more talented

I watched Petrovic and Kukoc against the USA team in Barcelona. And I watched the catalonian guys against the USA teams.
Men, we should not overate the past players. Pau is better than any yugoslavian player ever. And Marc and Ibaka are at Kukoc step.

Uh, no. Petrovic and Kukoc played against an NBA led team that was much better then the last few years where the league is so watered down with immature lack of college experience players. The guys that star now, like Marc Gasol would be 12th men on NBA teams in the 90's. To further prove the point we have seen many foreign players you did pretty decent here not fair well in Europe. Rudy Fernandez for one seems to be putting up crappy numbers in Spain. Tony Parker can dominate games in the NBA but playing for France. The Yugoslav's take the edge here an done can even argue that the Soviet team of that era was even better.

So Pau is not better than any Yugoslav player, he's just playing against weaker talent. Same way Lebron plays against weaker talent than did Jordan.

Honrable mention to the Greek team of 87 that beat both the Yugoslavs and Soviets LOL

And a footnote on the 2006 Championships, Spain was very very fortunate that they went up against a very tired Greece team that was just over-psyched by having just beat the US. Psychologically Greece had won the championship right there by beating a US team with Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Howard, Anthony so it was a bummer that they lost to Spain the next game. Had Spain played the US in the final it would have been a rout.

My point. The 87 Greek team was much better than the 2006 team. The peak of talent level was from 1980-2000. Then the NBA got watered down with so many expansion teams and players coming out of college too soon.

The Spanish team is not as good as the Serbian side of the late nineties (Divac, Danilovic, Paspalj, Savic, Bodiroga, Djordjevic) let alone a combined Yugo team from that era.



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Yugs

Spain is just physically much more evolved than those Yugoslavian teams (who are more talented). Spain would just grind their way to victory.

It's been a while since I'd seen a wronger post around here:

Dr Music wrote:Uh, no. Petrovic and Kukoc played against an NBA led team that was much better then the last few years where the league is so watered down with immature lack of college experience players. The guys that star now, like Marc Gasol would be 12th men on NBA teams in the 90's.

Hahahahahahahaha.

How ridiculous is that assertion on Marc Gasol? Taking one of those 90s seasons so deep at the center position, he would start in every single team but in those were Olajuwon, Robinson, O'Neal, Ewing and Mourning played. We could only have a conversation about him starting (or not) over Divac and Mutombo (and it's really only about Divac, because Mutombo was sooooo limited offensively that there's no possible discussion).

Dr Music wrote:To further prove the point we have seen many foreign players you did pretty decent here not fair well in Europe. Rudy Fernandez for one seems to be putting up crappy numbers in Spain. Tony Parker can dominate games in the NBA but playing for France. The Yugoslav's take the edge here an done can even argue that the Soviet team of that era was even better.

Are you taking about the Rudy Fernández that has won back-to-back first team mentions at both the Euroleague and the ACB League these past two seasons? Are you talking about the Tony Parker named MVP in the last Eurobasket that he also happened to win it?

Point proved...

Dr Music wrote:So Pau is not better than any Yugoslav player, he's just playing against weaker talent. Same way Lebron plays against weaker talent than did Jordan.

This is a cheap assertion with no basis to sustain it. I could say it the other way around and it would be as (not) valid as yours.

Dr Music wrote:Honrable mention to the Greek team of 87 that beat both the Yugoslavs and Soviets LOL

That was a great victory, but the Yugo team was a transition one, full of kids. They had 5 players 20 years old or under, and a sixth one just 21 years old. Two years later, when those kids had grown up a little bit, Yugoslavia eviscerated Greece, as they did with every single team they faced.

Dr Music wrote:And a footnote on the 2006 Championships, Spain was very very fortunate that they went up against a very tired Greece team that was just over-psyched by having just beat the US. Psychologically Greece had won the championship right there by beating a US team with Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Howard, Anthony so it was a bummer that they lost to Spain the next game. Had Spain played the US in the final it would have been a rout.

I happen to agree with most here, but the last sentence. Spain has never been routed in a final by the USA, and they played better US teams than the 2006 one; as usual you throw assertions with no basis. Anyway, I would've love to see a focused Greece play that game. It could've been a great battle.

Dr Music wrote:My point. The 87 Greek team was much better than the 2006 team. The peak of talent level was from 1980-2000. Then the NBA got watered down with so many expansion teams and players coming out of college too soon.

I don't agree. I don't think the 1987 Greek team wouldn't been able to handle the 2006 version's depth and pace (they could flat-out run if needed, like they did with Germany in 2005 or USA themselves in 2006).