by Doug Haller - Jul. 31, 2012 04:08 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
As you may have heard, Kobe Bryant feels pretty good about the USA team that is competing for gold in the London Olympics. So much so, the Lakers star took aim at what many consider the best basketball team ever assembled: The 1992 Dream Team. Yes, the one that won gold in Barcelona.
"Well, just from a basketball standpoint, they obviously have a lot more size than we do," Bryant said, noting original Dream Teamers David Robinson,Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone. "But they were also -- some of those wing players -- were also a lot older, at kind of the end of their careers. We have just a bunch of young racehorses, guys eager to compete. It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out."
First, it might be wise for someone to point out to Bryant that he is 33, four years older than Michael Jordan was when he dribbled -- and soared -- in Spain. Second, someone probably should pull aside Bryant and tell him: "Hey, Slick, let's win in London before taking on the best basketball team of all time."
Still, it's an interesting debate.
As you can imagine, the original Dream Teamers think pretty highly of themselves. They don't rank as high as the 1972 Miami Dolphins on the obnoxious meter, but they're close. When he first heard of Bryant's comments, Jordan told reporters he "absolutely laughed."
Magic Johnson tweeted: "The 1992 Dream Team had 11 HOFs, 23 champ rings and the greatest player of all time in Jordan. No chance this year's team would take us."
Said Charles Barkley in a radio interview: "Other than Kobe, LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant, I don't think anybody else on that team makes our team."
The unfortunate part is, we'll never know the truth. Still, through Whatifsports.com, it's possible to get an idea of how the two teams matchup. Whatifsports.com gives fans a chance to settle these kinds of things. You can pit teams of different eras against each other and see how they fare, complete with box score.
For this purpose, The Heat Index matched up the 2012 team against the original Dream Team in a best-of-seven series. The simulated result:
A Dream Team sweep.
Yes, it was ugly. Check out the results:
Game 1: Magic leads seven Dream Teamers in double figures with 19 points in a 124-97 win. Clyde Drexler (everyone always forgets about him) added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. LeBron topped the 2012 team with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Game 2: Jordan scored 22 points and Ewing added 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 115-106 win. This one was close. With 6:14 to go in the fourth, James Harden converted a 3-point play to give the 2012 team a 98-94 lead. Alas, Jordan scored nine points in the final two minutes to help the Dream Team pull away. Carmelo Anthony led the 2012 team with 16 points.
Game 3: Barkley scored 15 points off the bench to lead the Dream Team to a balanced 105-88 win. Magic and Chris Mullin each added 14 points. Robinson contributed 12 points and five blocked shots. LeBron led the 2012 squad with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Game 4: Magic had 21 points and seven assists as the Dream Team finished off the 2012 stars with a 115-103 win. Robinson and Ewing each added 17 points. Tyson Chandler topped the 2012 team with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
So as you can see, the original Dream Team won with depth. It had a different leading scorer (Magic, Jordan and Barkley) in three of the four games. Meanwhile, the 2012 team never shot better than 48 percent.
It's not definitive proof, but it might be enough for Bryant to concentrate on what's in front of him instead of targeting something out of reach.
Reach Doug Haller at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4949.
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