Anyone watching this USA basketball game??

[Foval21]

I for one am so sick of the comparison between this team to the dream team. IMO, there is no comparison simply based on the fact that all the other nations around the world actually know what the sport is at this point and the global game is light years ahead of where it was then. If we're going to base the argument strictly on the fact that the original dream team blew out every team they faced and walked away with a gold and no competition lets at least remember the fact that the competition they faced was the equivalent of the Chicago school for the deaf and blind.

how about we go off the fact that the dream team had an average age of 29 yrs old (so they were in their prime...majority of them). there were 11 hall of famers on the team. and this team has no way to guard the likes of robinson, ewing, malone. oh yeah and they had a guy who could guard lebron (scottie pippen) and some dude named michael jordan on their team (btw mj wasnt even the leading scorer on the team that was barkley).

i will give you the competition thing but be honest usa almost lost to the worst lithuania team since the dream team played.

 

[kicker22]

how about we go off the fact that the dream team had an average age of 29 yrs old (so they were in their prime...majority of them). there were 11 hall of famers on the team. and this team has no way to guard the likes of robinson, ewing, malone. oh yeah and they had a guy who could guard lebron (scottie pippen) and some dude named michael jordan on their team (btw mj wasnt even the leading scorer on the team that was barkley).

i will give you the competition thing but be honest usa almost lost to the worst lithuania team since the dream team played.

I get your argument and definitely understand where your coming from. And I wasn't justifying anything at all based on their performance against Lithuania. All I'm saying is in this day and age with the growth of basketball on a world level the Dream Team may have came across a few bumps in the road as well. Not saying they're a better team, not saying they're worse, simply stating that its about more than margin of victory and unlike when the Dream Team played teams are good enough now to win games if we're not bringing it every night.

 

[Foval21]

the main reason that the comparison of 92 and 12 is asinine and the 92 team would win (easily) is how the teams were constructed. 12 has 2 post players and neither are capable of being compared to any of the posts from the 92 team. on the perimeter this team is almost as good as the 92 team but i look at the make up of the teams. lithuania showed how to beat the usa team...crowd the lane and make them shoot out of their minds. spain will really challenge this olympic team and i dont believe spain could come within 20 pts of the dream team.

the dream team had it all...post dominant players, ball handlers, shooters, defenders, slashers, everything. this team is lacking and has a lot of one on one players that are very ball dominant. the 92 team utilized each other better.

 

[kicker22]

Maybe I'm delusional, but I'm still not convinced that the Dream Team would route this team. I'm just tired of the fact that this current team can't have their own identity and has to be compared to the Dream Team all the time and tehn get's chastised for the fact that they truly believe that they could play with them. I think against Lithuania they got a wake up call because after their two previous games I think they thought they could just show up and get the job done.

 

[Scorpio79]

stopped reading and caring after Duff's last post LOL

 

[Tmoney12]

Maybe I'm delusional, but I'm still not convinced that the Dream Team would route this team. I'm just tired of the fact that this current team can't have their own identity and has to be compared to the Dream Team all the time and tehn get's chastised for the fact that they truly believe that they could play with them. I think against Lithuania they got a wake up call because after their two previous games I think they thought they could just show up and get the job done.

If the 12 team would stop saying they would beat the dream team this would all go away...

 

[kicker22]

If the 12 team would stop saying they would beat the dream team this would all go away...

It wouldn't go away, and IMO I have no problem for them believing it. The only difference is that the Dream Teamers can say all they want because they no longer have to back it up. It's easy for Barkley to run his mouth all he wants when his playing days are behind him and everyone knows it. I have no problem with Kobe or any of this teams players believing they could beat them and honestly I'd be disappointed in them as competitors and elite athletes if they felt otherwise.

 

[Foval21]

Maybe I'm delusional, but I'm still not convinced that the Dream Team would route this team. I'm just tired of the fact that this current team can't have their own identity and has to be compared to the Dream Team all the time and tehn get's chastised for the fact that they truly believe that they could play with them. I think against Lithuania they got a wake up call because after their two previous games I think they thought they could just show up and get the job done.

kobe is the reason this happened. it was their own fault. kobe wants so much to be mj that he made a claim that he knew would get talked about (and i think his hope to compare him to mj more). of course the competition is better now...but all olympic teams now want to be like the dream team...they started it so no matter what they are the litmus test and no world championship or olympic team has consisted of the greatness on that 92 team...maybe some day a team will but i dont see 11 hall members on this team.

btw the college team that daly intentionally had the usa team lose to then route the next time could have competed with this olympic team.

 

[kicker22]

btw the college team that daly intentionally had the usa team lose to then route the next time could have competed with this olympic team.

Based on the results they competed with the dream team as well. And Daly benefitted by the fact that he ended the scrimmage while they were losing. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't say intentionally lost to them, I'm not familar with many scrimmages at any level in which the team that is supposed to benefit from it is told ahead of time to lose and not try. Fact is, that the Dream Team didn't come to play that day and got beat, given the game was called early, but they got outplayed. Whether they benefitted from it or not when you don't come out to play no matter who you are don't be suprised when your opponent does.

 

[Foval21]

btw the college team that daly intentionally had the usa team lose to then route the next time could have competed with this olympic team.

Based on the results they competed with the dream team as well. And Daly benefitted by the fact that he ended the scrimmage while they were losing. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't say intentionally lost to them, I'm not familar with many scrimmages at any level in which the team that is supposed to benefit from it is told ahead of time to lose and not try. Fact is, that the Dream Team didn't come to play that day and got beat, given the game was called early, but they got outplayed. Whether they benefitted from it or not when you don't come out to play no matter who you are don't be suprised when your opponent does.

daly intentionally put bad match ups on the floor to show the dream team that teams could beat them. he threw the game not the players. he didnt adjust...then when they played a full game he did and they dominated. btw jordan played almost none in the first scrimmage.