(no subject)
Nocioni's dreaming
The Bulls' Andres Nocioni recently said on a radio show that the Argentina team that won the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics is approaching the magical, rarified air that only Birds had occupied previously.
"We're not the Dream Team, but we're close," Nocioni said in the interview.
No way, Nocioni.
But don't blame him. It's the fault of USA Basketball (not to mention, the media) for allowing the teams that came after the original to keep the name. These alleged "Dream Teams" got progressively worse and now don't even compete for the gold. Just because you have NBA players doesn't mean you have a Dream Team, and now the concept has been watered down.
But the 1992 Dream Team didn't just have NBA stars, it had legends. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and David Robinson. Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin. Karl Malone and John Stockton. And for some reason, Christian Laettner got to tag along as the token college player.
That group won its eight games in Barcelona by an average of 44 points. Forty-four points. The team won the gold medal by 32 over Croatia. Opposing players watched in awe and took pictures before, after and during the games.
In Athens two years ago, Argentina beat Greece by only five points, beat New Zealand by just four, and lost to Spain and Italy in the preliminary round on its way to winning the gold.
So no, 'Noce,' your Argentina team is good, but it's not the Dream Team. Not even close.
Thank you somebody for finally saying it. The 1992 Team USA was probably the best combination of players we will ever see in any sport. Except maybe some of those Yankees teams from like the 20s and 30s.
The Bulls' Andres Nocioni recently said on a radio show that the Argentina team that won the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics is approaching the magical, rarified air that only Birds had occupied previously.
"We're not the Dream Team, but we're close," Nocioni said in the interview.
No way, Nocioni.
But don't blame him. It's the fault of USA Basketball (not to mention, the media) for allowing the teams that came after the original to keep the name. These alleged "Dream Teams" got progressively worse and now don't even compete for the gold. Just because you have NBA players doesn't mean you have a Dream Team, and now the concept has been watered down.
But the 1992 Dream Team didn't just have NBA stars, it had legends. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and David Robinson. Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin. Karl Malone and John Stockton. And for some reason, Christian Laettner got to tag along as the token college player.
That group won its eight games in Barcelona by an average of 44 points. Forty-four points. The team won the gold medal by 32 over Croatia. Opposing players watched in awe and took pictures before, after and during the games.
In Athens two years ago, Argentina beat Greece by only five points, beat New Zealand by just four, and lost to Spain and Italy in the preliminary round on its way to winning the gold.
So no, 'Noce,' your Argentina team is good, but it's not the Dream Team. Not even close.
Thank you somebody for finally saying it. The 1992 Team USA was probably the best combination of players we will ever see in any sport. Except maybe some of those Yankees teams from like the 20s and 30s.