I miss the good 'ol days of the NBA before gangsta street ball took over.

'92 > '12

'92 went out to represent america. '12 is just a fantasy team.

Psycoholic_Slag: I miss the good 'ol days of the NBA before gangsta street ball took over.

LOL, what a stupid comment.

WhoIsWillo Smartest
Funniest
2012-07-13 12:25:25 PM


gamergirl23: Don't forget what happened to the Lakers in '97 and '98 against the Jazz.

The Jazz had one of the greatest point guards of all time and a dominant power forward.



No, they had the best power forward of all time and a really good point guard.

The 2012 team would have a significant edge in size and athleticism. If not height, then width and muscle. And people WAY overrate this stuff about "finishers" or "closing out games". It doesn't matter that Jordan's a better "finisher" than Kobe. Everyone (on either team) can hit a pressure shot at the end of the game. Durant? Sure. LeBron? Okay. Carmelo? One of the best alltime buzzer shooters, believe it or not. No problem with Iguodala taking the last shot. Kevin Love, James Harden, works for me. Westbrook? Deron Williams?

I'd leave Tyson Chandler off the list, but he shot like 70% or something absurd last year. So he's only taking that shot if it's a good look for him.

Actually, now that I look at the lineups, the 1992 team was a good deal taller. Other than Stockton, everyone was 6'6" or above. It's real easy to look back at the past fondly and say the 1992 team was tons better, but that's largely because EVERYBODY gets crapped on in today's NBA.

If I were betting, I'd take the 1992 team, but it'd be close.

/At 6'6", Barkley was the heaviest guy on that team.

mitchcumstein1: Wyckyd Sceptre: Let me get this straight: Kobe, the guy that let the Celtics come back from 24 down, in his own house, thinks his team could beat one with Magic, Bird, and Jordan - three of the most savage finishers of all time? Dude, these aren't female hotel workers you're talking about.

If I was the '92 squad I'd worry a whole lot more about LeBron and Durant than Kobe anyway, they present huge match up problems.

The defense that would be played this game though, on both sides...Jesus farking Christ, I'd pay just to watch that.

I'd say the whole thing is a joke if DT12 doesnt win every game by 50 points or more.

TheJoe03: Psycoholic_Slag: I miss the good 'ol days of the NBA before gangsta street ball took over.

LOL, what a stupid comment.

Go on........

Nice

I don't follow basketball. But that was a really good answer, it deflates the argument.

Mike_LowELL: All this jawing between Kobe and Barkley, I think you have to add the 2002 World Championship team into this discussion. You had Antonio Davis, Raef LaFrentz, and Jay Williams, and Nick Collison coming off the bench.

I don't always get it but I got that and it's hilarious!

Psycoholic_Slag: Go on........

I'm not the one that made an out of touch and baseless comment. If you watched the playoffs last year and all you saw were "gangstas" and "street ball", you're a moron that knows nothing about sports, and probably racist.

Earpj: Everyone in their prime? That would be a great game.

I don't know about that. I mean I know we all tend to remember things from the past as better than they actually might have been, but I think the '92 team would lay the smack down pretty good.

TheJoe03: Psycoholic_Slag: Go on........

I'm not the one that made an out of touch and baseless comment. If you watched the playoffs last year and all you saw were "gangstas" and "street ball", you're a moron that knows nothing about sports, and probably racist.

That's a good one. 9/10

mitchcumstein1: Wyckyd Sceptre: Let me get this straight: Kobe, the guy that let the Celtics come back from 24 down, in his own house, thinks his team could beat one with Magic, Bird, and Jordan - three of the most savage finishers of all time? Dude, these aren't female hotel workers you're talking about.

If I was the '92 squad I'd worry a whole lot more about LeBron and Durant than Kobe anyway, they present huge match up problems.

The defense that would be played this game though, on both sides...Jesus farking Christ, I'd pay just to watch that.

Exactly.

Don't ever, ever forget that Kobe studies MJ's tape to LEARN how to defend. Kobe couldn't take Michael Jordan, at all ever. They just don't have the same blood lust to win. Kobe believes he should win, and he's got the talent to do it. Michael Jordan will slash your tires to win, every time. The real problem would be once Kobe REALIZED that MJ is embarrassing him, you'd never see the ball in anyone else's hands again.

Stockton could defend Chris Paul, as much as I love him. My guess is Larry Bird and Charles Barkley would offense for defense switching off on Kevin Durant and LeBron James, and easily neutralize them. Ewing and Robinson wouldn't even have to leave the bench to dominate Tyson Chandler.

I don't see how, in their prime, this is even a question. The 92 was possibly the best team of all time, possibly the best team ever possible for one reason: They absolutely didn't care about their individual NBA teams for one brief moment, and were absolutely dedicated to proving the NBA could crush the rest of the world, and they were 12 of the most ruthless and competitive players ever put together. The 92 team didn't have to play dirty. They were just willing to, because it wasn't enough to win. They wanted to make sure the rest of the world spent four years recovering from the beatings.

The '92 team was the perfect storm. Damn near everyone on it was in their prime and a star in their own right. The question was not if the '92 team could win, but win by how much.

The '92 team played as a team, the '12 team is individuals that play as individuals.

The '12 team has none of the '92 teams characteristics and I think there is still a question if the '12 team could pull off a bronze medal, much less the gold.

birchman: That's a good one. 9/10

Someone else trolled and you rate me? Interesting.

Mike_LowELL: Psycoholic_Slag: I miss the good 'ol days of the NBA before gangsta street ball took over.

Oh look. It's somebody who watched basketball during the seventies, eighties, and/or nineties claiming that basketball has an image problem. Like Kermit Washington's fist, this talking point is shattering new territory.

...Wow. This deserves a medal.

lol - larry bird with the burn!
nothing but net

TheJoe03: birchman: That's a good one. 9/10

Someone else trolled and you rate me? Interesting.

Yeah, I completely misread your comment. My bad.

/off to get more coffee

84Charlie: The '92 team was the perfect storm. Damn near everyone on it was in their prime and a star in their own right. The question was not if the '92 team could win, but win by how much.

The '92 team played as a team, the '12 team is individuals that play as individuals.

The '12 team has none of the '92 teams characteristics and I think there is still a question if the '12 team could pull off a bronze medal, much less the gold.

I personally think the entire intent of this is the '92 team trying to get the '12 prideful enough to PLAY like the '92 team.

Mr Guy: Ewing and Robinson wouldn't even have to leave the bench to dominate Tyson Chandler.

This. Ewing alone could stop Chandler by just staring at him.

Mr Guy: 84Charlie: The '92 team was the perfect storm. Damn near everyone on it was in their prime and a star in their own right. The question was not if the '92 team could win, but win by how much.

The '92 team played as a team, the '12 team is individuals that play as individuals.

The '12 team has none of the '92 teams characteristics and I think there is still a question if the '12 team could pull off a bronze medal, much less the gold.

I personally think the entire intent of this is the '92 team trying to get the '12 prideful enough to PLAY like the '92 team.

Good point. It has been a problem in recent years getting them to play as a team together.

siddfinch: Reminds me about a statement attributed to Ty Cobb when asked about how we would hit modern pitches:

"Oh about .300, but you got to remember I am 73 years old" (Or something along those lines).


Louis Prima: With all the great players playing ball right now, how well do you think you would do against today's pitchers?
Ty Cobb: Well, I figure against today's pitchers I'd only probably hit about .290
Louis Prima: .290? Well that's amazing, because you batted over .400 a... a whole bunch of times. Now tell us all, we'd all like to know, why do you think you'd only hit .290?
Ty Cobb: Well, I'm 72 farking years old you ignorant son of a biatch.

Louis Prima: With all the great players playing ball right now, how well do you think you would do against today's pitchers?

Ty Cobb: Well, I figure against today's pitchers I'd only probably hit about .290

Louis Prima: .290? Well that's amazing, because you batted over .400 a... a whole bunch of times. Now tell us all, we'd all like to know, why do you think you'd only hit .290?

Ty Cobb: Well, I'm 72 farking years old you ignorant son of a biatch.

The weakness would still be at the 5 for the 12 team. Tyson Chandler? The 12 team should have Bosh, Howard, and maybe Duncan holding down the middle.

Shouldn't have taken the time to put in the bold tags LOL

But look at the roster. Clearly 92 team at that year was younger than this team. And the who on this year is guarding Jordan in his prime? Who plays center against Robinson and Ewing? Kevin Love? Tyson Chandler? poor bastard would get run out of the gym- Robinson/Ewing could put up 30 a piece and 15 rebounds on the 2012 centers. The 2012 team lacks toughness in comparison. You think Carmelo is tough like Barkley? Tyson Chandler/Durant/Harding is tough like Ewing, like Malone??

Russell Westbrook or Clyde Drexler?

The 2012 squad has maybe 3 guys that could make the 92 team, and they probably wouldn't start- Le Bron, Kobe, Durant. I mean are you starting Durant over Larry Legend? Le Bron/Kobe might get the nod- but not over Jordan and they have to get over on Clyde/Pippen/Johnson.


1992 Dream Team: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson ,Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton.

2012 USA basketball team: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams

In their primes, there is no question, 92 would rock 2012. Today, 2012 would beat 92- but only because those guys have been retired for 10 years+.

This reminds me of when Toots Shor used to ask how well Cobb would hit against "today's" pitchers, and then answer his own semi-rhetorical question by musing that Cobb would hit maybe .310 or .320, some appropriately high number below Cobb's average (he never hit below .323 for a full season). When a sceptical or incredulous interlocutor would ask "Oh, .320? That's all?," Shor would answer, "Well, remember, Cobb today would be 74 [or whatever the actual age was] years old."

The film Cobb did this sort of exchange some justice ("I'm 72 f*&%ing years old, you ignorant son of a b*&#h!"), but Toots used to make a habit of asking this kind of question. Glad to see Bird getting in on the action.

Mike_LowELL: Psycoholic_Slag: I miss the good 'ol days of the NBA before gangsta street ball took over.

Oh look. It's somebody who watched basketball during the seventies, eighties, and/or nineties claiming that basketball has an image problem. Like Kermit Washington's fist, this talking point is shattering new territory.


In my opinion it's not an image problem it's a fundamental problem. The game has changed to suit players who grew up watching Michael Jordan single-handedly destroy teams with his exceptional skills. Everyone wanted to be like Mike. Now players more inclined to shoot the ball before looking for the open man. What few teams focus on defense seem to succeed more than the others yet we still see run-and-gun offences as more exciting to watch and hey, who doesn't want to make the highlight reel every night?

BTW, I grew up watching Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain so...yeah, get of my court lawn.

The world competition was weaker in 92. Teams just looked at the Dream Team in awe. They got autographs before the game.

1min in

/'92 Team needs to make their own video