Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Dream Team vs. The U.S.A. Olympic Team 2012

So since the Olympics are over and even during everyone wanted to and want to compare this Olympic team to the original Dream Team, so I'm gonna clear the air for all the people that either never saw, or just plain don't believe any team could be that good. On the 1992 team everyone on that team from 1 thru 5 were respectively the best and second best not on there team but in the league and probably ever and that's no exaggeration. I don't even have to discuss Michael Jordan in his PRIME! I'm actually talking about Barkley, Ewing, Robinson, Malone, Pippen, and Mullin. Nobody talks about those guys, Pippen it could be said that he was a even better on ball defender than Michael Jordan I mean there was no getting around this dude when he didn't want you to score(look at what he did to Magic Johnson for the Bulls 1st Championship or what he did to Toni Kukoc in the Olympics in 92'). Ewing and Robinson come from a completely different cloth of Centers not only could they score but they were athletes Robinson had the speed of a guard and Ewing had a shooting touch of pure shooter hence the title he holds as the best jump shooting center ever. Chris Mullin had the fastest left handed jumper I've ever seen not to mention his all around game was ridiculous just think a more athletic Larry Bird. No on to Charles Barkley here's what a lot of people gloss over Michael Jordan was a unstoppable force in his own right, but the world as a collective knew that, but what the world was not ready for was Charles he is and it could be argued that pound for pound he is the greatest Power Forward to ever play, he was 6'4" could put the ball on the floor, post up, shoot the 3 decent, play defense when motivated(during these prime years he was) and just a all out bully in the NBA and excuse my language, but from what I remember he never cared what he had to do to his opponent to beat them. Now on to the rest of the team Magic Johnson true he was past his prime, but his knowledge of the game was so far beyond everyone else's he could still do anything he wanted to do on a basketball court. Larry Bird was far beyond his prime, but he never really got any real run, but if he was on the court you could just count those buckets. Drexler was the second best Shooting Guard in the NBA only Jordan can stop him, I repeat ONLY JORDAN COULD STOP HIM. I will not leave out Christian Laettner he was the best Collegiate Player during this time and against the 2012 team he would've got buckets. Now the only real weakness on this team was quickness on the perimeter, but the weakness brings about it's strength it's size, the frontline on this team at any given time featured 2 shot blockers in Ewing and Robinson.
The 2012 Olympic Basketball Team now don't get me wrong this team has some serious talent. Nobody has seen athletic ability the likes of LeBron, Durant, or Russell Westbrook. LeBron is a physical abnormality, Westbrook may be the most athletic basketball player I've ever seen in the NBA,Durant may be the best pure scorer I've seen since hell...Tracy McGrady, but not as athletic. Now here is the advantage they have over The Dream the Point Guards on this team would literally run circles around the Point Guards on The Dream Team Chris Paul and Deron Williams would give those guys fits, but it would be nothing going on at the rim for those 2. Now Andre Igoudola would be playing the Scottie Pippen roll on this 2012 team, but he's average by comparison. Now the speed of this team would give anybody problems, but where they when in speed they lack in power and defense there inside presence was Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love.....Kevin Love....Kevin Love....Love is a great rebounder, but defensive stopper? LOL!!! Here's where people are gonna go crazy and hate me or love....Kobe Bryant now at this point in his career Kobe is what Michael Jordan was when he was with the Wizards with a better jump shot, that's a very harsh statement, but it's true. At this point Kobe is on the downside of a amazing career, but he's not the Kobe everyone says, now going against The Dream Team of 92' Pippen and Jordan would've ate him alive and I do mean ate him alive, so in a 7 game series I say it goes 5 games only because The Dream would get bored. The team this 2012 team should be compared to is the 1996 Olympic Basketball Team and that team probably would've beat the by 5