For all legendary teams ever assembled, the 1992 Dream Team serves as a benchmark for comparison primarily because of its star-studded, Hall of Famers-filled roster. Unsurprisingly, comparisons between the 2024 Team USA - arguably the finest modern-day team - and the Dream Team have commenced.
While many might assume that the Dream Team's gold medal triumph in Barcelona, beating their opponents by an average margin of 44 points , would render them clear-cut winners against any opposition, Paul Pierce boldly countered this notion. Speaking on undisputed, 'The Truth' contended that Steve Kerr's team would 'dominate' the 1992 team primarily because of their more imposing playing style.
Pierce on why 2024 Team USA would beat the Dream Team
Although the Dream Team undoubtedly featured more accomplished players of that era compared to the 2024 Team USA's roster in their respective era, Pierce highlighted how veterans like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were well past their prime. Moreover, he argued that if these players were tasked to guard more aggressive perimeter scorers like Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, their vulnerabilities would only be exposed.
"Larry Bird couldn't play no more. He was done… Magic was done pretty much. Who was their best player?" Pierce asked. "This team this year would dominate that team. Who's gonna guard LeBron? First of all style of play would've been too much for the Dream Team. They couldn't shoot the three. Who did they have down low? They had David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley. We can counter that with Embiid, AD, and Bam. Who's gonna guard Kevin Durant? Who's gonna guard Steph Curry?"
While the 2008 Finals MVP may be correct in asserting that the Dream Team attempted merely 54 3-pointers throughout their Olympic campaign - a figure that the current team might surpass in their group stage fixtures alone, considering they made 18 3-pointers in their opening contest, it's crucial to remember that long-range shooting was not a predominant scoring method in that era.
This could be justified by the fact that three players on Chuck Daly's team didn't even attempt a single 3-pointer, and despite this, five players shot better than 38% from long range. In contrast, Kerr's players have already attempted 32 three-pointers against Serbia. So, it does seem safe to say that had the Dream Team practiced differently, they could indeed have had the potential to be a dominant long-range shooting squad.
2024 Team USA does have more explosiveness
Pierce also mentioned that the 2024 Team USA has more explosive players like Ant-Man, Tatum, and Devin Booker, who can bring energy off the bench. But we must remember that the Dream Team had dominant bigs like Robinson, Ewing, and Malone, who were at their peak and could overpower current injury-prone centers like Adebayo, Davis, and Embiid.
Additionally, given that FIBA's international game rules differ significantly from those in the NBA, where any contact in the paint leads to free throws, the 2024 Team USA could struggle against the Dream Team's defensive grit and grind mentality as they simply didn't allow any team to score more than 85 points against them.
Therefore, comparing the playing styles of these star-studded teams from different eras is highly complex. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that both teams possess strengths that could easily help dominate the other.
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