With the 20th Anniversary of the 1992 Dream Team being all the rage, the hot topic in Las Vegas and across the Internets is how the 2012 USA Olympic basketball team would fare against what many considered the greatest team ever assembled.
Now, I don't think it's as clear cut as some seem to believe. The thing people often forget is that the 1992 team wasn't grabbing every player in their prime. Larry Bird and others were at the tail end of their careers, whereas the 2012 team pretty much has everyone (minus maybe Kobe) in their prime.
[PREVIOUSLY: Sir Charles Fists Were His Security: The Dream Team 20 Years Later]
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I'd still go with the Dream Team, but in a seven game series I'd say the 2012 would push it to a sixth or seventh game. What say you?
With Andre Iguodala making this summer's team and hoping to earn gold, he was asked to weigh in on the '92 vs. '12 debate. Not surprisingly, Dre said he'd want to d-up the greatest player ever, Michael Jordan.
From Spike Eskin:
If given the choice, Iguodala said he’d take the challenge of guarding
Jordan. How do you guard the greatest player of all time? “His first
step was so quick. I don’t think people imagine how quick his first step
is. It’s quicker than anybody we’ve ever seen,” Iguodala said. “And he
was so strong at getting to the basket. And he shot so well too. He
really didn’t have any weaknesses. When I try to guard those guys I try
to keep them outside of the paint, keep them on the perimeter. And make
them take a defended shot and hope that they miss. That’s the key to
playing defense. You just have to play solid and know that you’re not
going to stop guys.”
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Never one to back down from guarding anyone, that Dre. I'd have to give MJ the edge in that matchup though. Just a bit.
Read more of Dre's thoughts on this year's team as well as the Dream Team here.