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Ruzious wrote:Physically, today's players could probably match up with the Dream Team, but mentally, the Dream Team had such a swag factor advantage that I don't think a 7 game series would have even been close. By the 4th quarter of game 6, you'd see Jordan and Magic laughing on the bench watching young L8ner finally get some PT.
Ruzious wrote:Physically, today's players could probably match up with the Dream Team, but mentally, the Dream Team had such a swag factor advantage that I don't think a 7 game series would have even been close. By the 4th quarter of game 6, you'd see Jordan and Magic laughing on the bench watching young L8ner finally get some PT.
fishercob wrote:Ruzious wrote:Physically, today's players could probably match up with the Dream Team, but mentally, the Dream Team had such a swag factor advantage that I don't think a 7 game series would have even been close. By the 4th quarter of game 6, you'd see Jordan and Magic laughing on the bench watching young L8ner finally get some PT.
So Magic is going to use his mental powers to stay in front of Derrick Rose? Magic is one of the greatest ever -- maybe THE greatest PG ever. But the game as changed, and Magic at his age, would have been in real trouble defensively against the explosively athletic, high skilled guys like Rose, Williams and Westbrook (not even mentioning Paul).
They highlighted in the doc what success Bobby Hurley had against them in that first scrimmage and made specific mention about how their Achilles heel was small, quick guards. They didn't play against anyone within the stratosphere of Rose, et al.
Too bad they left Isiah off the team; he could have helped
Kidding aside, Magic would have been in real trouble defensively, as would have Stockton. And it's not like you could have switched MJ or Pippen on to the defensive point because they would have been toiling with some combo of Kobe, Wade, Lebron, Durant and Melo. Howard would have given Ewing fits. Barkley would have been physically over matched, if not dominated. Malone could certainly have been effective, but again, there's serious depth of athleticism and skill on the '12 squad.
Severn Hoos wrote:Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's asking the wrong question.
For example, if one were to make the statement this way: "The current Olympic team is a greater collection of talent than the '92 Dream Team" then I think it would be absolutely false. I think that we will never see a poem as lovely as.... I mean we will never see a "collection of talent" like that team. Sorry, but Derrick Rose will never be the level of player that Magic was, and you could go down the list one-by-one, and the '92 team would take it hands down - maybe even in a sweep.
So - if the question is - "Would the '12 team beat the '92 team if each played at the level they were playing at their respective Olympics?" Then I think it's more plausible that the current team would win. But you might also have been able to put together a team of younger players in '92 (NBA and college) who might have beat the actual Dream Team in real time. Starting with Isiah at point, adding younger guys like Shaq, Webber, Mourning, Gary Payton, Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond - you just might have won a game on the physical aspects alone.
The comparable team today to the '92 team would include Duncan, Kobe, Vince, Brand - guys who were given their spots for a lifetime body of work, not for how they were playing at that moment.
So yeah, LeBron and Wade and Rose and the rest might win a game against MJ and the Geezers. But they will never approach the greatness that was on that single squad.
Severn Hoos wrote:fish, I'm not disagreeing with you - I tend to think hat this year's team would beat the '92 team. (Although I think MJ and Scottie would have something to say about the final outcome.) It's just that I think that statement sounds more impressive than it actually is - which was the point I was clumsily trying to make by saying that you might have been able to beat them with the "second team" from contemporary players, due to the advanced age of Magic/Bird/etc.
But beyond that, there's an existential question involved. Would Ty Cobb bat .300 against today's pitching, let alone .400? Could Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs? Would Bob Cousy be a Steve Nash clone, or would he be simply overmatched physically against today's players? Guys like Gale Sayers, Fran Tarkenton, and Crazy legs Hirsch would all look anemic next to their modern day counterparts.
So do we judge players and teams relative to their times? If so, the Dream Team will still be the best team ever, unless another team regularly wins games by the half-century mark. But I also think it's at least plausible that the current version would beat the 92 team head-to-head.
How's that for straddling the fence with a both-and response?
Ruzious wrote:Very well done. It was interesting to see how much attention Barkley got and how little Stockton got - and seeing the contrasts between good Barkley and bad Barkley. Magic - there will never be anyone remotely like him, imo. Jordan was easily the best player and a freak of nature, but Magic made that group magic.
Severn Hoos wrote:Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's asking the wrong question.
For example, if one were to make the statement this way: "The current Olympic team is a greater collection of talent than the '92 Dream Team" then I think it would be absolutely false. I think that we will never see a poem as lovely as.... I mean we will never see a "collection of talent" like that team. Sorry, but Derrick Rose will never be the level of player that Magic was, and you could go down the list one-by-one, and the '92 team would take it hands down - maybe even in a sweep.
So - if the question is - "Would the '12 team beat the '92 team if each played at the level they were playing at their respective Olympics?" Then I think it's more plausible that the current team would win. But you might also have been able to put together a team of younger players in '92 (NBA and college) who might have beat the actual Dream Team in real time. Starting with Isiah at point, adding younger guys like Shaq, Webber, Mourning, Gary Payton, Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond - you just might have won a game on the physical aspects alone.
The comparable team today to the '92 team would include Duncan, Kobe, Vince, Brand - guys who were given their spots for a lifetime body of work, not for how they were playing at that moment.
So yeah, LeBron and Wade and Rose and the rest might win a game against MJ and the Geezers. But they will never approach the greatness that was on that single squad.
