Larry Bird Admits Team USA Could Beat Dream Team Because 'I Haven't Played in 20 Years and We're All Old Now'

[Teh One Who Knocks]

by Mike Cole - NESN


Kobe Bryant ruffled some pretty prestigious basketball feathers when he claimed that this year's American men's basketball team would defeat the 1992 Dream Team.

Players like Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan all scoffed at the idea, saying that the Dream Team would lay the wood to this group of young whippersnappers.

Larry Bird, on the other hand, is taking a pretty reasonable approach to the whole thing.

Here's what Larry Legend had to say, thanks to the Indiana Pacers' Twitter page.

http://i.imgur.com/D4sEW.jpg

[Muddy]

Larry Bird was one of the only men Jordan admitted to having some trouble handling on the court..

[redred]

the dream team were just that ,a dream team i didn't follow nba but knew most of the team,i don't think i could name anyone from the us team today

[Hal-9000]

ffs...you're comparing a current sports team to a team that played 20 years ago? :facepalm:




Yeah I could kick the shit out of Rocky Marciano too.....him being all tough and shit sitting in that grave :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

ffs...you're comparing a current sports team to a team that played 20 years ago? :facepalm:




Yeah I could kick the shit out of Rocky Marciano too.....him being all tough and shit sitting in that grave :lol:

That's the way it sounds, but I think Kobe is saying that this team this year would beat the '92 team in their prime :lol:

[redred]

these were better :lol:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyZaJag2Fc

[Teh One Who Knocks]

"I'd like to think that we had 11 Hall of Famers on that team, and whenever they get 11 Hall of Famers, you call and ask me who had the better Dream Team. Remember now, they learned from us. We didn't learn from them."

:burn:

[Hal-9000]

That's the way it sounds, but I think Kobe is saying that this team this year would beat the '92 team in their prime :lol:

Yeah I understand what he's saying. His present team would have beaten their team when they were hot.

But just like your quote from Michael...it's always easy to emulate and improve on something that's already existed. Being a trailblazer is the real key.




All that being said I've never supported any of that shit where they take pro players and create an Olympic team.Kinda defeats the spirit of the Olympics IMO...

[Hugh_Janus]

All that being said I've never supported any of that shit where they take pro players and create an Olympic team.Kinda defeats the spirit of the Olympics IMO...

http://forums.nyyfans.com/images/smilies/new/clap.gif

[DemonGeminiX]

All that being said I've never supported any of that shit where they take pro players and create an Olympic team. Kinda defeats the spirit of the Olympics IMO...

:-s

No it doesn't. We're sending our country's best to play against the rest of the world. It's not our fault that our best just also happens to be the best pro athletes in the game as well.



:d

[Hal-9000]

:-s

No it doesn't. We're sending our country's best to play against the rest of the world. It's not our fault that our best just also happens to be the best pro athletes in the game as well.



:d


Don't tell me my opinion you bastid :x


I thought the Oly's were supposed to be non pro's who didn't get paid for their sports or similar?


kinda like Canadian League Football players :lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

Don't tell me my opinion you bastid :x


I thought the Oly's were supposed to be non pro's who didn't get paid for their sports or similar?


kinda like Canadian League Football players :lol:

:-k

CFL players don't get paid? No wonder TO's bitchin'.


Y'all should do everything in your power to keep him up there.

[Hal-9000]

They get paid, substantially lower than NFL players though.

[deebakes]

only 3 current players would make the '92 roster :hand:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

only 3 current players would make the '92 roster :hand:

And none of them would even start :nono:

[Arkady Renko]

It's not really a rational thing, but it seems to me that most of the members of the original Dream Team had a certain aura about them, they were not just far-above average players but also interesting characters. And, another thing they had in common: almost all of them were the face of a franchsie for many years and didn't quit their original team to "take their talents to south beach" if they didn't get a ring after a few years with their original team. The only members of the original dream team who didn't match that level of excellence were Chris Mullin (at least he went to the allstar game a few times) and particulalry Christian Laettner who was probably taken along for the trip as a token honky because an olympic team with only one or two white guys wasn't all that helpful publicity wise. If it's true that Laettner was picked over Shaq, that's a really bizarre choice.

Anyway, among the currently active players, the only ones who have built similar carreers are Kobe, Wade and Tim Duncan. And let's not forget that except for the 1996 team none of the later editions of the US men's basketball team were nearly as dominant in the tournaments they played as the original dream team were.

[Hal-9000]

Straight up...the original dream team would wipe the court with the current dream team. As Meur mentioned, there were a lot of true franchise players and talent on that team. Maybe Kobe could keep up...prediction for final score - 120 - 78 in favor of the old dream team.

[perrhaps]

It's not really a rational thing, but it seems to me that most of the members of the original Dream Team had a certain aura about them, they were not just far-above average players but also interesting characters. And, another thing they had in common: almost all of them were the face of a franchsie for many years and didn't quit their original team to "take their talents to south beach" if they didn't get a ring after a few years with their original team. The only members of the original dream team who didn't match that level of excellence were Chris Mullin (at least he went to the allstar game a few times) and particulalry Christian Laettner who was probably taken along for the trip as a token honky because an olympic team with only one or two white guys wasn't all that helpful publicity wise. If it's true that Laettner was picked over Shaq, that's a really bizarre choice.

Anyway, among the currently active players, the only ones who have built similar carreers are Kobe, Wade and Tim Duncan. And let's not forget that except for the 1996 team none of the later editions of the US men's basketball team were nearly as dominant in the tournaments they played as the original dream team were.

The powers-that-be back then reserved one spot for a college player. That's why Laettner made the team.

[Leefro]

It wont be happening if they use National Coaches

They might make it to Watford

[Arkady Renko]

The powers-that-be back then reserved one spot for a college player. That's why Laettner made the team.

Shaq was still in college back then, too, wasn't he?