Team USA Dream Team = Miami Heat

Heatallica · Post #1 » by **Heatallica** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:32 pm

Before I get killed for this thread let me explain. I was watching a segment on The Dream Team on ESPN.

I am not saying by any stretch that the talent of Miami's big 3 trump the Dream Team back in 1992. At this point I can't say for certain that Miami's 3 are even better than OKCs 3. There are how ever some similarities.

USA was tired of seeing other countries celebrating while our college players couldn't get the gold anymore. At one point even with college players USA won the gold every year but had failed to do it in the prior 2 olympics. USA formed the Dream Team. They were wildly popular and drew attention everywhere. They respesented our county and we loved them for it. They steam rolled over everyone after a reality check when they had lost a scrimmage against college players. They weren't just gonna show up and win on talent alone.

The similaritysare that:
USA selected all the best Pro atheletes to stack the odds in their favor to win gold.
The Heat signed James, Wade and Bosh joined forces to stack the odds in their favor to win a title.

USA created bandwagon basketball fans with the spectacle created and the media circus that surrounded the team
Heat created bandwagon Heat fans in the same manner.

USA was loved by our country and expected to win gold while the rest of the world would have loved to see us lose.
Heat are loved by Heat fans and are expected to win a title while the rest of the league would love to see us lose.

Team USA was thrown together over a summer and expected to win it all. This Heat chapter has not been written yet, but the constant scrutiny this team is under and the dislike is understandable if it were Team USA and the rest of the teams fan bases were other countries.

Side note: you gotta love Charles Barkley. "What do I have to say about Panama, we're taking the canal back" and "I don't know who Angola is but Angolas in trouble".

smith2373 · Post #2 » by **smith2373** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:37 pm

Yeah those are some interesting similarities. Never thought of that.

But prepare to be massacred just because you compared the Heat to the Dream Team, even though most won't even read your whole post.

Jan_Sobieski · Post #3 » by **Jan_Sobieski** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:39 pm

smith2373 wrote:Yeah those are some interesting similarities. Never thought of that.

But prepare to be massacred just because you compared the Heat to a team the Dream Team, even though most won't even read your whole post.

This by a million.

Joao Saraiva · Post #4 » by **Joao Saraiva** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:43 pm

Well... team USA was not that hated. I know a bunch of guys that follow NBA here in Portugal, and despite the diferences we have in teams we root for (I know Boston, Lakers, Bulls, Heat, Timberwolves fans, being myself a Utah Jazz fan) we all wanted team USA to win.

I just hope they end up with the ring also, despite the fact I'm not a Heat fan. But I'm the only one, everybody else is rooting against the Heat

I root for them cause I'm a LBJ fan.

So I don't know if team USA was all that hated.

Btw I hope USA wins the olympics again.

Post #5 » by **kyphi** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:47 pm

this should have been on the Heat board

phd1969 · Post #6 » by **phd1969** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:53 pm

Except Miami Heat are the most hated team but everything else I agree with you.

Wade > Jordan
Lebron > Magic
Bosh > Bird
Haslem = Robinson
Chalmers = Stockton

Heat be winning. PEACE.

Heatallica · Post #7 » by **Heatallica** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:55 pm

kyphi wrote::roll: this should have been on the Heat board

Why? With that kind of rationalization then what makes the General Board. I wanted to get everyone's perspective on it. I know what I'm getting on the Heat board.

Heatallica · Post #8 » by **Heatallica** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:58 pm

kyphi wrote::roll: this should have been on the Heat board

Why? With that kind of rationalization then what makes the General Board. I wanted to get everyone's perspective on it. I know what I'm getting on the Heat board.

MrHidden · Post #9 » by **MrHidden** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:05 pm

phd1969 wrote:Except Miami Heat are the most hated team but everything else I agree with you.

Wade > Jordan
Lebron > Magic
Bosh > Bird
Haslem = Robinson
Chalmers = Stockton

Heat be winning. PEACE.

did you read what OP wrote? :roll:

Post #10 » by **INKtastic** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:13 pm

THe rest of the world didn't want to see the original dream team lose. Pretty much universally people wanted to see them dominate. Some players on the other team even got their autographs.

One similarity is that both generate interest in the sport. People tuned in to watch the Dream Team even though they knew they'd win by blowouts every time. Even people who root against the heat tune in to watch them play.

I want the heat to fail, but realized before game 7 that I'm more likely to actually watch the finals if the heat are in it than if they weren't, again rooting against them. I'm sure I'm not alone.

RexBoyWonder · Post #11 » by **RexBoyWonder** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:14 pm

Bad Thread.

Post #12 » by **kyphi** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:17 pm

Heatallica wrote:
kyphi wrote::roll: this should have been on the Heat board

Why? With that kind of rationalization then what makes the General Board. I wanted to get everyone's perspective on it. I know what I'm getting on the Heat board.

People generally do not view the Heat in a favorable light.
The world loved watching the Dream Team win, regardless of nationality. They had no media scrutiny; they were adored and idolized by everyone, even opposing teams.

Don Ford · Post #13 » by **Don Ford** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:24 pm

Not really all that similar.

1)The Heat have the best player in the league (LeBron), a top 5-7 player in Wade, and a top 15 player in Bosh, and then very average players after that. The Dream Team was absolutely stacked at every position except for Laettner.

2)The Heat were/are expected to win by Heat fans. The Dream Team was expected to win by everybody worldwide.

3) The Heat are disliked by most other team's fans and even several current and ex-players have come out against some of the Heat's antics (early celebration, not 1, not 2, not 3, etc). The Dream Team was liked by just about everybody, even the teams they played against.

4) The Dream Team more than lived up to all expectations, winning the gold medal with an average victory margin of 44 points. The Heat are looking for their first championship and have been far from dominant through the playoffs this year with a point differential of +7.7, though they did play most of the Boston series without Bosh.

fishfuego. · Post #14 » by **fishfuego.** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:49 pm

kyphi wrote:
Heatallica wrote:
kyphi wrote::roll: this should have been on the Heat board

Why? With that kind of rationalization then what makes the General Board. I wanted to get everyone's perspective on it. I know what I'm getting on the Heat board.

People generally do not view the Heat in a favorable light.
The world loved watching the Dream Team win, regardless of nationality. They had no media scrutiny; they were adored and idolized by everyone, even opposing teams.

I disagree.
People tuned in not to see the Dream Team win, but to see what the hype of pro-NBA basketball was about when facing the World's best.
The curiosity is what generated the interest, and of course, being a bunch of superstars ala movie stars and being on the same court was the reason for the autographs, but they USA was still hated, lets not kid our selves. The USA sentiment was and still is alive.
OP makes a good point when comparing it to the Heat team. But the hate will fade away once other fans realise that other teams can be just as good or even better in time. IMO it was a panic mode set by the summer of 2010 hype, that set up some type of false expectation that those 3 players were unbeatable.
No one is unbeatable, and the league made it even harder on the Heat, by implementing the hard cap..I mean, the over excessive luxury tax penalty. And due to the tax, Miami is just another contender and nothing more. Just my 2 cents.

EscapoTHB · Post #15 » by **EscapoTHB** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:03 pm

I really hope our guys don't play in the olympics this year. Lebron's the only one who is healthy enough, and he's played so many minutes, I think he would be risking his season next year to do it.

Probably the same for the Thunder too.

But team usa can't win gold without Durant and Lebron at the very least going.

I'll be really worried if Wade plays this summer.

fishfuego. · Post #16 » by **fishfuego.** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:09 pm

Don Ford wrote:Not really all that similar.

1)The Heat have the best player in the league (LeBron), a top 5-7 player in Wade, and a top 15 player in Bosh, and then very average players after that. The Dream Team was absolutely stacked at every position except for Laettner.

2)The Heat were/are expected to win by Heat fans. The Dream Team was expected to win by everybody worldwide.

3) The Heat are disliked by most other team's fans and even several current and ex-players have come out against some of the Heat's antics (early celebration, not 1, not 2, not 3, etc). The Dream Team was liked by just about everybody, even the teams they played against.
4) The Dream Team more than lived up to all expectations, winning the gold medal with an average victory margin of 44 points. The Heat are looking for their first championship and have been far from dominant through the playoffs this year with a point differential of +7.7, though they did play most of the Boston series without Bosh.

C'mon now let's be real here, the Heat are hated for reasons similar to why the Lakers are heated lol, and not necessarily because the not 1, not 2, not 3 etc reasons, or what ever the hating bunch will make you believe.
There is alot more to it then just the perty celebretion. For once, there were at least 2 major media market Teams (Nicks, Bulls) going nuts to adquire the services of James, plus others such as the Nets. Now add to the fact that teams such as Cavs, Raptors were losing their stars and those same stars ended in one team that already ghad a superstar to begin with, is what genetated a massive hate out of pain and dissapointment. The party was just one more excuse used to decorate and promote the hate towards such team that had just burn miltiple expecting but let down fan bases.

Heatallica · Post #17 » by **Heatallica** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:17 pm

Your right about everyone outside of the USA loving the Dream Team. I'm sure the rest of the world enjoyed our guys destroying other countries by plus 40 every game. Everyone says that team was internationally loved because of what, the autograph hounds and media whores? How is that any different then Miami selling out every arena accross the country. Everyone attends because it's a spectacle but everyone outside of Miami wants to see them lose. I guarantee you when Jordan and Pippen were killing Tony Kukoc, Croatia was not a fan of Team USA.

Post #18 » by **INKtastic** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:53 pm

Heatallica wrote:Your right about everyone outside of the USA loving the Dream Team. I'm sure the rest of the world enjoyed our guys destroying other countries by plus 40 every game. Everyone says that team was internationally loved because of what, the autograph hounds and media whores? How is that any different then Miami selling out every arena accross the country. Everyone attends because it's a spectacle but everyone outside of Miami wants to see them lose. I guarantee you when Jordan and Pippen were killing Tony Kukoc, Croatia was not a fan of Team USA.

You clearly didn't live through the era - the Dream Team was immensely popular world wide. Opposing teams and their fans were thrilled they were part of the Olympics. It was probably the most significant single event for worldwide basketball popularity ever.

Heatallica · Post #19 » by **Heatallica** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:45 am

I'm 37 so actually I watch all the games that were televised around a school schedule. You're looking at it from an American/American media perspective. They were celebrated for their greatness and wildly popular but can you make the argument that basketball fans were rooting for them over their home country?

The Heat tour last year had a whole lot of hype and they sold out all arenas but they were hated outside of Miami. Miami=USA, every other bb city=rest of world.

bostonfan34 · Post #20 » by **bostonfan34** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:55 am

Here's why it's not the same:

The players on team USA had one team to play for - team USA or nothing. That was their only option. The Heat players had a choice and chose to all play together on a single team, instead of 29 other teams. My point isn't that what the Heat did was bad, just how it's different.