Bill Simmons on 2012 team vs. the Dream Team

[NYC Rebel]

This whole "they only won by" argument against the current US team is pure bullshyt. We're holding up who the 92 team faced as being on par with the teams the 92' squad faced?

stop it. Bringing up the "they only won by" argument is ass. You completely overlook the obvious differences between the team they faced in 92 compared to now.

The Spain team alone had more NBA players on it than the entire foreign field the 92 team faced.

 

[Malta]

yea, so ridiculous they winning 6 and 7 pt games vs argentina and spain lol

you have to factor in the original dream team is not nigeria or angola fam, they are 5x the teams that spain and argentina is. its easy to get hot with fernandez or navvaro sitting in your face. try getting hot like that with pippen or jordan in your face and they on the other end busting yo azz.

but real talk, all this comes down to whats on paper and eye test, and on paper dream team was better, and with the eye test the original dream team just played better together.

Spain and Argentina are better than any team the Dream Team ever played against, also both of those teams have been together for a decade.

So, Pippen and Jordan are supposed to guard everyone? You have to pick and choose, who do you put them on, cause Drexler, Mullins and Bird damn sure aren't going to stop Melo or Durant from scoring, considering both of those guys were almost always on the floor with Kobe/LeBron.

 

[Malta]

Also, the Dream Team has a major advantage inside, but who do they have to keep Deron, CP3 and Westbrook in check? The only guy they had on the roster that could guard them was Stockton, and he barely even got to play.

 

[cornercommission2k12]

So now the Dream Team had better perimeter defenders overall? Outside of Pippen and Jordan, who were even good defenders? Stockton only played in 4 games, so listing him is pointless, Bird was done, Drexler was never good defensively and Mullins couldn't guard his own shadow. Give me Westbrook, Iggy, Durant and LeBron over anyone not named Pippen or Jordan.









Who said anything about being "great" defenders? You don't need to be great defensively to be better than a broken down old version of Larry Bird, or slow footed Mullins.

dude you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders, you made it a point to one up one over the other. the only defender on the perimeter even being worth mentioned is bron. past that the '12 team was not this shut down perimeter defense. lets take this year for what it was, it was a jump shooting contest for the whole world and the u.s.a had better jump shooters. if you telling me that beats the original dream team than you just have personal beef with this argument and wont face facts.

and you bringing up bird and mullins when im talking mike and scottie. you cant name 2 defenders comparable to those two on this '12 team without totally over exaggerating the premises. you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders and then want to run to mullins and bird lol thats like me saying the '12 team has better post up players and running to stockton lol

 

[NYC Rebel]

dude you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders, you made it a point to one up one over the other. the only defender on the perimeter even being worth mentioned is bron. past that the '12 team was not this shut down perimeter defense. lets take this year for what it was, it was a jump shooting contest for the whole world and the u.s.a had better jump shooters. if you telling me that beats the original dream team than you just have personal beef with this argument and wont face facts.

and you bringing up bird and mullins when im talking mike and scottie. you cant name 2 defenders comparable to those two on this '12 team without totally over exaggerating the premises. you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders and then want to run to mullins and bird lol thats like me saying the '12 team has better post up players and running to stockton lol

Mike and Scottie couldn't guard everyone on the perimeter. And you seem to look past Russell Westbrook being a great defender.

You seem more interested in categorizing the 2012 team as something than making points.

 

[OG Talk]

Semantics man. One or two of them were guaranteed to get hot in a game.



They were up ten with 50 seconds left. Second, I clearly stated that the 92 squad had a clear advantage in the low blocks, much like Spain did.

I don't think the 2012 team could beat the 92 squad in a 7 game series, but I can see this squad winning a few games. They were that good shooting wise.

On another note, I think the big ass triangle FT line being taken away by FIBA last year opened up the game a lot more the US team.

Okay understood... There seems to be two conversations here that were confusing me..

Is '12 a better team than '92? No...

Could '12 beat '92? Of course..

The 7 game series is the only result that I would be interested in... Getting hot and winning a 1 off wouldn't answer the ultimate question imo...

 

[TheNig]

All it would take is one of those blackout shooting nights from the 2012 team, the centers are the huge advantage for the 92 team, but when this current teams gets hot there's absolutely nothing you can do.

This. Kobe dropped 20 in a half and chilled.the fukk out afterwards. Melody out the throwing the ball up his eyes closed and shyt. And don't get me started on Durant.

And who the hell staying in front of Westbrook.

 

[Malta]

dude you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders, you made it a point to one up one over the other. the only defender on the perimeter even being worth mentioned is bron. past that the '12 team was not this shut down perimeter defense. lets take this year for what it was, it was a jump shooting contest for the whole world and the u.s.a had better jump shooters. if you telling me that beats the original dream team than you just have personal beef with this argument and wont face facts.

The 2012 Team does have better perimeter defenders, just cause the Dream Team had the two best doesn't mean they are better. Using your logic, the Sixers (Nuggets) are a better perimeter defensive team than the Bulls, because the Sixers (Nuggets) have 1 great perimeter defender to the Bulls zero

And how are there any facts in a hypothetical situation

and you bringing up bird and mullins when im talking mike and scottie. you cant name 2 defenders comparable to those two on this '12 team without totally over exaggerating the premises. you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders and then want to run to mullins and bird lol thats like me saying the '12 team has better post up players and running to stockton lol

Let me get this straight, I need to name two guys as good as Mike and Scottie defensively in order to say a team with a bunch of 8's is better than a team with two 10s? There's less leakage from the team that has 4 good perimeter defenders as opposed to 2 great ones. Your argument makes zero sense, I mean, stop and re-read what you're saying. The fact is the 2012 team can have 4 really good perimeter defenders on the floor at the same time, the Dream team only had 2 great ones, and then some horrible (MULLINS) ones next to them.

Who do you think has a better chance of slowing down the other, Durant on Mullins, or Mullins on Durant.

 

[cornercommission2k12]

Spain and Argentina are better than any team the Dream Team ever played against, also both of those teams have been together for a decade.

So, Pippen and Jordan are supposed to guard everyone? You have to pick and choose, who do you put them on, cause Drexler, Mullins and Bird damn sure aren't going to stop Melo or Durant from scoring, considering both of those guys were almost always on the floor with Kobe/LeBron.

dude spain and argentina compared to who the dream team faced is not the argument. its what yall hang on to to make a point for the current team.

the '12 team and playing against who the dream team went against, they playing the damn dream team, so the argument is spain, argentina vs the damn dream team. and as i stated, the dream team is 5x the team spain and argentina is.

so in comparison, if you saw games where the '12 team struggled offensively against those teams, what the hell you think go happen if they struggle in the least bit vs the dream team, and prime, hungry mj on the other side deciding to take they hearts out cause of the hype you giving them? are yall serious here?

then once again, nobody has countered my turnover to transition argument, who is the '12 team forcing turnovers on? and lastly in a close game who closing out a game better than prime jordan?

the best argument, and for better words hope you have is that the '12 team will get extremely hot from 3 and how confident can you be that they would get that hot vs the dream team?

so for my safe bet, im more confident that malone, barkley, ewing and robinson could chop the '12 team front line up, more confident that magic, stockton jordan and pippen wouldnt allow turnovers to occur at a high rate, and more confidence that mj would close the deal out in a close game, than i have confidence that melo, durant or kobe would get extremely hot from 3 vs the dream team and break the game open with that 3 flurry.

 

[NYC Rebel]

dude spain and argentina compared to who the dream team faced is not the argument. its what yall hang on to to make a point for the current team.

Yes it is when you say

so ridiculous they winning 6 and 7 pt games vs argentina and spain lol

It clearly is when they're facing BETTER COMPETITION than the 92 team.

LOL at "it's what yall hang on to to make a point for the current team" as if you said something to take away from that point.

 

[holidayinn21]

croatia had 2 players on an NBA roster in 92, and one of them hadn't even played a game yet.

spain had 7 players with NBA experience, and that's not counting rubio.

can't compare the competition whatsoever.

 

[NYC Rebel]

croatia had 2 players on an NBA roster in 92, and one of them hadn't even played a game yet.

spain had 7 players with NBA experience, and that's not counting rubio.

can't compare the competition whatsoever.

And the Dream Team "only led" that Croatia team by one after the first quarter. If Croatia had five, who knows.

But don't say it "too much." Niqqas in here are keeping count rather than deconstructing that point.

 

[cornercommission2k12]

The 2012 Team does have better perimeter defenders, just cause the Dream Team had the two best doesn't mean they are better. Using your logic, the Sixers (Nuggets) are a better perimeter defensive team than the Bulls, because the Sixers (Nuggets) have 1 great perimeter defender to the Bulls zero

And how are there any facts in a hypothetical situation







Let me get this straight, I need to name two guys as good as Mike and Scottie defensively in order to say a team with a bunch of 8's is better than a team with two 10s? There's less leakage from the team that has 4 good perimeter defenders as opposed to 2 great ones. Your argument makes zero sense, I mean, stop and re-read what you're saying. The fact is the 2012 team can have 4 really good perimeter defenders on the floor at the same time, the Dream team only had 2 great ones, and then some horrible (MULLINS) ones next to them.

Who do you think has a better chance of slowing down the other, Durant on Mullins, or Mullins on Durant.

your argument is null and void because you keep saying they have more but cant even name me 2. im not talking about westbrook, iggy etc guarding calderon lol im talking them guarding the hall of famers.

now re read what you posted because you said the '12 team had better perimeter defenders. okay, name those perimeter defenders that are so much better than the dream team? hell i can look like a great defender guarding scrubs. so regularly in the nba season, we know damn well nobody but lebron is stopping anybody. iggy is a decent defender but he not stopping nobody on the dream team.

 

[OG Talk]

True '12 has better perimeter and individual defenders and '92 has better post and team defenders..

You ask who's gonna keep Westbrook out of the paint?


I ask who's gonna keep Robinson and Barkely off of the block?

And what's Westbrook gonna do when he gets to the paint is is met by two shot blocking 7 footers (Not Gasols)


'92 is a better rebounding team (especially at the guard positions)

'92 is a better passing team

'92 moved better without the ball

'92 had to walk 10 miles in the snow to get to practice everyday


get mad

 

[Cladyclad]

Paul, Kobe, or Lebron

Who does Bird & Magic guard?

As much as a advantage 92' got wit da bigs. 12' got the perimeter on lock. Stockton stayed gettin torched by Zeke so wat is gon do wit Russ, Paul, & Dwill. 12' Pgs would feast on 92'. Show me pgs wit speed size & athletism like Dwill & Russ in the 80's & 90's