"Dream Team" matchup

[mauconnfan]

LOL @ Barkley and Malone being able to check LeBron.

Look, the Dream Team was great, and I mean really great. Legendary. But, some of you older folks are sensationalizing them a little bit, almost to the point where you scoff at any players of today being able to compete with them, as if they were not mortals.

Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook are better pure athletes than any of the guys on the 92 team. It's just basic evolution. Players like those mentioned above simply did not exist 20 years ago, so to act like players like Jordan and Magic would not have any trouble adjusting his absurd. I still think the Dream Team beats the 2012 team 7 or 8 out of ten, but the players in today's game are much better than many of the older fans would like to give them credit for.

They're superior athletes and most very good players but not great players!! Steve Nash was the best PG in the league for years was he a great athlete? What the younger fans don't realize is just because the wore Chuck Taylors along with shorties doesn't mean they couldn't play the game. And I as an "old timer" like some of the players nowadays and do admit to them being fantastic players. But I know of only 3 on that team who would definitely have seen time on 92.........Russell Westbrook is certainly a pure athlete but wouldn't have made the team and neither would Howard. LeBron a no-brainer as well as Durant and Kobe.....the rest are either "no-way" or toss ups!! Oh and what a ridiculous statement that they were better pure athletes than anyone on 92...hope you're joking?

 

[Hugo]

2012 did not have a team approach? Did you watch any of the games?

Of course, why else would I make that statement. If you call one pass followed by a 25 footer without even looking to make a second pass or Westbrook or Melo not even looking to pass but jacking up a shot every chance they got, a team approach then you and I have different opions on what constitutes playing as a team. Their superior skills and athletic ability allowed them to win, not their ability to really have a solid team approach. I will give Lebron, CP and probably Durant a pass here, but no way did they play as a group anywhere near a team game as the 1992 team.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Of course, why else would I make that statement. If you call one pass followed by a 25 footer without even looking to make a second pass or Westbrook or Melo not even looking to pass but jacking up a shot every chance they got, a team approach then you and I have different opions on what constitutes playing as a team. Their superior skills and athletic ability allowed them to win, not their ability to really have a solid team approach. I will give Lebron, CP and probably Durant a pass here, but no way did they play as a group anywhere near a team game as the 1992 team.

I'm pretty sure both Durant and Melo were hot and were given the green light to catch and shoot if open.


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[Excalibur]

For the kids, a bit of education and information. The difference in athleticism in the league is not that big from 1992 to now. Nowhere near the leap that it took in the 10 years previous to that. The only exception I'd make is at the power forward position, where trucks like Oakley and Horace Grant have been replaced by leaner, more athletic guys that put the ball on the floor and fill the lanes. In terms of quickness, if Stockton could guard Isaiah Thomas, Gary Payton and Kevin Johnson, he can do a passable job on Chris Paul. Don't confuse Stockton's being white with his not being quick.

 

[lavuuk153]

Stockton = Steve Nash + the ability to play defense. And all this talk on putting Lebron at the 4 and no PF being able to stop him...I'll concede that. Of course that means Lebron has to guard Barkley in the post. I would simply spread the floor and keep feeding him until Lebron got into foul trouble. Also, the difference in size completely negates whatever advantages the '12 backcourt has. I've got no problem if they put Lebron on MJ instead of Barkley and saying he makes it very difficult for him. However, that means Ewing and Barkley (being guarded by who now?) are there for a lot of rebounds and easy 2nd chance points that the '12 team can only overcome with a hot shooting night. Pau Gasol dominated the US team and his supporting cast is nowhere near what the Dream Team is rolling out.

In a 7 game series it's 4-1 or maybe 4-2 to the Dream Team.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Stockton = Steve Nash + the ability to play defense. And all this talk on putting Lebron at the 4 and no PF being able to stop him...I'll concede that. Of course that means Lebron has to guard Barkley in the post. I would simply spread the floor and keep feeding him until Lebron got into foul trouble. Also, the difference in size completely negates whatever advantages the '12 backcourt has. I've got no problem if they put Lebron on MJ instead of Barkley and saying he makes it very difficult for him. However, that means Ewing and Barkley (being guarded by who now?) are there for a lot of rebounds and easy 2nd chance points that the '12 team can only overcome with a hot shooting night. Pau Gasol dominated the US team and his supporting cast is nowhere near what the Dream Team is rolling out.

In a 7 game series it's 4-1 or maybe 4-2 to the Dream Team.

Barkley was a bull but wasn't that tall. I don't see why Melo who has a similar body type to Barkley but taller couldn't guard him.


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[mets1090]

Barkley was a bull but wasn't that tall. I don't see why Melo who has a similar body type to Barkley but taller couldn't guard him.


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Because Barkley was better than he is.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Because Barkley was better than he is.

I'm gonna disagree. Barkley couldn't guard Melo. Now Pippen? Or Jordan? Yeah. But Barkley? Nah I don't agree.


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[UConn990411]

Melo is a bad defender at SF, so yeah, I don't think he could guard Barkley. But he does have about a 4-inch height advantage, so he would be able to shoot right over the top of him.

Still, I'm taking Barkley in that matchup by a decent margin.

 

[mauconnfan]

Barkley was a bull but wasn't that tall. I don't see why Melo who has a similar body type to Barkley but taller couldn't guard him.


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Barkley couldn't do a great job on Melo because Melo wouldn't take him inside......again PF from 92 to now plays a different game so the match ups on both ends would be difficult......Barkley was always undersized when he was playing offense too but back in the day against the players excalibur pointed out in Oakley, Malone, Grant and such he was still able to score seemingly at will. Melo would be candy...........

The reality is 12 would have to shoot like they did in the Olympics to play with 92, they proved they could for a few games so who knows......but career stats tell me otherwise........

 

[Hugo]

I'm pretty sure both Durant and Melo were hot and were given the green light to catch and shoot if open.


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I have no peoblem with Durant having the green light, but I mentioned Westbrook as being shot-happy. Some guys deserve the green light such as Durant and Kobe, but others like Melo and Westbrook tend to abuse it and can try to take over a game all by themselves despite how poorly they may be shooting.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I'm sorry, but Dwight Howard, Rose, and Wade have no place in this discussion. They were not on the team, regardless of why. What I keep seeing from the pro-2012 people is that the current team's PGs would be able to go right around Stockton, Magic, etc. First, if you've got Pippen an Jordan on the floor, you can mix and match just fine defensively. Second, even against significantly less athletic opponents, they turn into a jumpshooting team in international play. They had the athletic mismatch and still took threes this year. And if they do pull it down and get around whoever, they're still looking at a heck of a defensive front court and dominant rebounding.

 

[caw]

I'm sorry, but Dwight Howard, Rose, and Wade have no place in this discussion. They were not on the team, regardless of why. What I keep seeing from the pro-2012 people is that the current team's PGs would be able to go right around Stockton, Magic, etc. First, if you've got Pippen an Jordan on the floor, you can mix and match just fine defensively. Second, even against significantly less athletic opponents, they turn into a jumpshooting team in international play. They had the athletic mismatch and still took threes this year. And if they do pull it down and get around whoever, they're still looking at a heck of a defensive front court and dominant rebounding.

Not to mention the 1992 bigs would be waiting down low to block the crap out of the guards from 2012. Stockton was a very good defender.

 

[UConn990411]

I'm sorry, but Dwight Howard, Rose, and Wade have no place in this discussion. They were not on the team, regardless of why.

Hence why most people here acknowledge the 2012 team would not have beaten the Dream Team.

The argument was that, with a healthy Howard and Wade, we would have had a debate. Not sure how that was so hard to understand...