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A few weeks ago Kobe Bryant said he thought this year’s Team USA Basketball would beat the 1992 “Dream Team.” It sparked much debate. And now Lebron James has said the same thing.
Common perception is that the ’92 team would win for two reasons: It had Michael Jordan, the greatest player to ever live; and the current team has far inferior centers (Tyson Chandler and college kid Anthony Davis) than Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. I loved the 1992 team. When I was 15 years old, watching Charles Barkley dunk all over helpless Angolans in the Olympics was one of the coolest sports things I’d ever seen. They were (and probably always will be) the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled; for their time period.
I hate the fact that I have to agree with Lebron, but if you could somehow put the ’92 guys exactly as there were then in a gym today with the current Team USA, the new guys definitely would win. NBA players are bigger, faster, and stronger than they were 20 years ago. They have better nutrition, better training/workout programs, and better medical science keeping them healthy.
In 1992 the world record in the hundred meter dash was held by Carl Lewis; 9.86 seconds. It’s now only 9.58 seconds (Usain Bolt). Twenty years ago Matt Bionde held the swimming record for fastest 100 meter freestyle at 48.42 seconds. Now some guy named Amaury Leveaux has done it in 44.94. And finally the world record for the marathon in 1992 was 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 5 seconds. Today it is 2 minutes and 27 seconds less than that.
The greatest athletes in the world are just better at what they do now than they were two decades ago. Why should basketball be the exception? Remember this old Scottie Pippen commercial? I used to think that was what would happen if you put him in the 1950′s NBA with the likes of Bob Cousy. Well guess what Scottie, this time you’d be in black and white.
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I presume that both sides would have access to modern training techniques. Furthermore (A) Every pro player on the 1992 team went into the HOF. I have trouble seeing more than 6 players on the 2012 team doing so and B) the 4s and 5s on the 1992 team would dominate their counterparts here and I’d take the 1992 backcourt too. Magic would post these guys up all day. LBJ would outpoint Pippen, but he would be facing a great defensive player.
75 out of 100 games , I’d expect Dream Team dominance.
If could let the 1992′ team have all these facilities (better nutrition, better training/workout programs, and better medical science keeping them healthy) I think the 1992 team would win more than 90 of 100 games. Every player in 1992 team had a perfect basketball knowledge, good skills… they were that good because they really know the game. Their moves were almost perfect everytime. The current team… well, most of them are only a mass of muscles made on the gym, they are strong and fast, but they don’t play good basketball. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul could make the team. And Lebron James because of his amazing physical skills. But the others… Let’s check the match ups (remember I suggested all of them could acces to the same nutrition, medical science, training…etc)
Magic Johnson > Chris Paul
Michael Jordan > Kobe Bryant
Charles Barkley Carmelo Anthony
Patrick Ewing > Tyson Chandler
John Stockton > Deron Williams
Clyde Drexler > Russell Westbrook
Scottie Pippen James HArden
David Robinson > Anthony Davis
Chris Mullin > Andre Iguodala
Christian Laettner < Kevin Love
You can't desagree with me in a couple of match ups, maybe, but being fair, with luck, the 2012 team would win 3 or 4 of the 12. I think it's quite clear… came on.
Oh! Excuse my bad english! (I wrote quite quickly and I didn’t take lot of care of it, just wanted to be understood)
Blasphemy.
My point has nothing to do with the players themselves, just the fact that the best athletes in the world are better at what they do now than they were 20 years ago.
http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_08_12_archive.html#6858763974491597236