(This article has been divided into 3 parts, Advantages, Breakdown, and Match-ups. Check out Part I and Part II here on Beastmodebasketball.com)
In Part II of this article, I broke down each team’s line-ups. Now lets match-up these lineups and see why the 2012 Dream Team would win!
Starters vs. Starters
1. Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant (Although Kobe Bryant is one of the Top 10 ballers of all time however, Michael Jordan is the greatest baller of all time!)
Advantage Jordan – 1 point for 1992 (1 to 0)
2. Magic Johnson vs. Chris Paul (In 1992, Magic was returning from retirement. Magic was slow, older, and only on the team for ceremonial stake. Chris Paul is now in his prime and Magic couldn’t possibly keep up!)
Advantage Chris Paul – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 1)
3. Charles Barkley vs. Lebron James (Both players are similar, however, a slight edge goes to Lebron because of his athleticism. Also, Lebron is an NBA champion and Charles Barkley is not!)
Advantage Lebron James – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 2)
4. Karl Malone vs. Kevin Durant (Karl Malone is a “hall of famer” but only because of John Stockton. Without Stockton, Karl Malone is just an above average power forward. Karl Malone had a great jump shot but was undersized and had no post moves. On the other hand, Kevin Durant has led the league in scoring the past couple of years with a point guard that has a “shoot first pass never” mentality. If Kevin Durant played with John Stockton, Durant would average 40 points per game!)
Advantage Kevin Durant – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 3)
5. Patrick Ewing vs. Tyson Chandler (Patrick Ewing was near his prime in 1992. Also, Patrick Ewing was a beast on both offense and defense. On the other hand, Tyson Chandler is only a defensive threat.)
Advantage Patrick Ewing – 1 point for 1992 (2 to 3)
Key Reserves vs. Key Reserves
6. David Robinson vs. Kevin Love (Although I believe the rebounding edge would go to Kevin Love, David Robinson’s athleticism would allow him to guard Love away from the basket. However, Kevin Love would not be able to consistently guard David Robinson on the post.)
Advantage David Robinson – 1 point for 1992 (3 to 3)
7. Scottie Pippen vs. Deron Williams (Scottie Pippen was an excellent defender and could guard multiple positions. However, Pippen lacked an offensive game and the abiltiy to create for himself. On the other hand, Deron Williams is a good defender but is outstanding scorer! Deron can create for himself and for his teammates. With all that said, for these two players, there is no clear advantage.)
Even – 1 point for 1992 and 1 point for 2012 (4 to 4)
Chris Mullin vs. Carmelo Anthony (Many NBA fans don’t realize that Chris Mullin was the fourth leading scorer on the 92 Dream team. Mullin averaged 13 points per game which was ahead of Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. Mullin also lead the olympic team with three pointers made and three point percentage. Now, lets talk about Carmelo. In the final exhibition game versus Spain, Carmelo Anthony battled with and guarded Spain’s post players and still scored 27 points. It is quite known that Chris Mullin was very weak defensively, especially in 1992. However, Carmelo showed us against Spain, that when he puts his mind to it, he can defend. Moreover, when it comes to the question “Who is the better offensive player?”, the answer is Carmelo! Over a 16 year NBA career, Chris Mullin averaged 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. In comparison, within 9 NBA seasons, Carmelo has averaged 24.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. It’s clear, both the defensive and offensive edge goes to Carmelo.)
Advantage Carmelo Anthony – 1 point for 2012
1992 Dream Team – 4 points
2012 Dream Team – 5 points
When we remove “legendary status” from the equation and truly compare both teams, statistically – the 2012 Dream Team is superior to the 1992 Dream Team. Sorry, Jordan!
If you disagree, I welcome your comments and arguments. Comment below!
Coach Beast
beastmodebasketball 