Dream Team vs. '07 Team

[Indazone]

Dream team...Man that team was loaded. Magic, Bird, Jordan could all hit treys. They could all drive and create. Robinson and Ewing in the Middle...it's not even close. Pipen and Jordan were both great defenders. I'd say Dream Team in 5 games.

[Brutalis]

re ed they dont even compare. drob, jordan, bark, pip, ewing, i mean come on...

[JamStone]

you failed to mention a 34 year old HIV positive player with 5 rings, 3 MVP's, and a 36 year old with 3 rings, 3 MVP's. Chris Mullin was lights out from anywhere on the court, Clyde the Glide was still the man in Portland, and Scottie Pippen was the , and the level of competion was better than the any era in NBA history. seeing the new crop of superstars have failed miserably (with respect to Dream Team III) to reach the bar set by the Dream Team, i'd say it's a premature to label these guys contenders with the greatest team ever assembled in anything.

I could also mention how that 33 year old HIV patient did NOT play even one single minute of the 1991-92 NBA season leading up to the 1992 Olympics. And, I could mention that lights-out shooter Chris Mullin shot 36.7% from three-point range in the 1991-92 NBA regular season (33% in the 1992 playoffs). While, Michael Redd shot 38.2% from three-point range last season.

And, I'll argue that in 1992 the NBA was not even close to the best level of compe ion in NBA history. Magic and the Lakers were done. Larry and the Celtics were done. Isiah and the Pistons were done. It wasn't 1983-85. This was 1992.

I didn't say the original Dream Team wasn't the greatest team ever assembled. But, they are definitely viewed with an overrated reverence without regard over facts as I mentioned, like Magic not even having played the 1991-92 NBA season prior to the 1992 Olympics, Larry Bird's back all but broken, and John Stockton not even healthy enough to really play any significant time.

The original Dream Team is better. I didn't say they weren't. I'm saying it's not a landslide.

[Medvedenko]

Dream Team 1 in their primes...better....however in 92, most of those players were starting to fade....Still, I would lean towards them....I guess we'll see in 2012.....

[JamStone]

Notes:

In the 1992 Olympics, Michael Jordan started all 8 Olympic basketball games and led the team in field goal attempts by 30 more shot attempts than any other player on the team. He also shot 45.1% from the field (51-113). The only other Dream Team Olympian to shoot under 50% from the field for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team was Christian Laettner. (In comparison, Kobe shot 55%, Carmelo 61%, LeBron 76% from the field respectively)

John Stockton was injured and only played 4 of the 8 1992 Olympic games.

Magic Johnson missed 2 of the 8 Olympic games. If I remember correctly, there were Olympic basketball teams that refused to play against a player who had HIV.

The Dream Team shot a solid but modest 40% from three-point range (54-135) for that Olympics. Michael Jordan shot 4-for-19 from three-point range in those Olympics. In comparison, the 2007 Olympic team shot 47% from three-point range (147-313).

[SRJ]

International ball now is light-years ahead of what it was back in 1992 - and I think the original Dream Team had a lot to do with bringing that level up to what it is now. Great as they were, the Dream Team wasn't blowing out teams that are as good as today's international squads.

In a seven game series, my guess is that 1992 wins in six, most of the games being close.

[TheZackAttack!]

Dream Team would hand this 07 team their ass, and it would'nt be funny

[Spurminator]

Some really insightful takes on the "Dream Team is Better" side of the argument...