Which Dream Team is better, 1992 or 2012?

[Msmith]

For the team of 1992:

Christian Laettner
David Robinson
Patrick Ewing
Larry Bird
Scotty Pippen
Michael Jordan
Clyde Drexler
Karl Malone
John Stockton
Chris Mullen
Charles Barkley
Magic Johnson

For the team of 2012:

Tyson Chandler
Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Russell Westbrook
Deron Williams
Andre Iguodala
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Love
James Harden
Chris Paul
Anthony Davis
Carmelo Anthony

Bryant and James believed the 2012 team would win against the 1992 Olympic team.

[notorious]

92'

[Direckshun]

1992 would damn near sweep them.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

1992 would damn near sweep them.

And beat them to a bloody pulp in the process.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by notorious

And beat them to a bloody pulp in the process.

Absolutely.

I mean, you just gotta consider what the Dream Team can do that the 2012 team can't.

The 2012 team can't match the in-paint power of the DT. Robinson and Ewing will absolutely kill Howard and not-yet-pro Anthony Davis in the paint, and that's before you even include Malone or Barkley, who were ferocious in the paint. Pippen will have lockdown duties on LeBron. And the 2012 team will have absolutely zero answer for Magic Johnson (who was still extremely dangerous with the ball) and Michael ****ing Jordan at the peak of his power.

I mean, Christ. Just the competitive juices of the 1992 team alone. They were out for goddamn blood. The 2012 team was much more jovial -- really the only player on the whole team that could match the intensity of the DT's starting five would be Kobe. But you've got Jordan locking down Kobe.

What's the 2012 team going to do? Run on the Dream Team? The entire Dream Team with the obvious exception of Larry Bird could run, and they had Magic ****ing Johnson as their starting 1. No team in basketball history could run as well as the DT.

The 2012 team would only have one thing the DT would struggle with: Chris Paul. The DT has no real matchup for Paul when he has the ball. But Stockton was an underrated defender, and it's not like Paul can shoot over Magic, who was 6'9".

Kevin Durant in 2012 was really good, but he's not the All World player he is now.

Barkley rightly said that only three players from the 2012 team would even make the DT.

The DT could outrun, outshoot, outphysical, and outhustle the 2012. In every regard a team could be great, the DT is better.

[loochy]

I think the inclusion of the mighty Christian Laettner really puts the original Dream Team over the top.

[Msmith]

Nice post, Direckshun.

[notorious]

The Dream Team got fisted by the college all-stars in a scrimmage game.

It blew my mind when I saw it in a documentary. The PR people kept it very secret when it happened.

Chuck Daly purposely tried to sabotage the DT in the game to light a fire under their ass. Jordan barely played.

It worked.

[Jimmya]

1992

[Mama Hip Rockets]

92

[Strongside]

Not sure if serious.

[Amnorix]

I don't remember which Olympic team it was -- maybe even the 2012 one -- but someone asked Larry Bird if he thought that the new team could beat the 1992 Dream Team. I really liked his answer.

"Well, they probably could. I haven't played in 20 years and we're all pretty old now."

Pretty funny. That said, the '92 team, and I really don't think it's that close. Bird was well past his prime at that point, so his name is more intimidating than what he brought to the court at that point, but as for the rest of them....whew.

[SAUTO]

this is a no doubter.


92.

only someone that wasn't alive then could try to say different

[chiefzilla1501]

Good god, 92 by a mile. Apart from lebron and Durant, the 2012 team would get eaten alive by the 92 team on defense.

[blaise]

92 but I would expect Lebron and Kobe to say they'd win. I'm sure they think they would.