Dream Team Still the Gold Standard

HAVING EASILY WON the gold to “redeem” the United States‘ reputation on and off the basketball court, there is but one question remaining about the 2008 men’s Olympic basketball team.

Who would win: the so-called Redeem Team or the Dream Team?

There really isn’t a wrong answer, since we’re talking about two great squads. Yet there are some facts to consider.

First, the 2008 gold-medal run was more impressive than the 1992 championship because the competition was far better. There would have been no shame in losing to Spain or Argentina, and still the United States dominated until a tight championship.

Second, the 1992 stars were superior in the paint. Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Karl Malone — all in their primes — would dominate Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer. And that’s not even mentioning Charles Barkley.

Also, the Dream Team had better shooters in the form of Chris Mullin, Larry Bird (even with a bad back) and some guy named Michael Jordan.

The best argument for the Redeem Team is that today’s players are faster and more athletic than the players 16 years ago were.

In the end, though, I’m not convinced the disparity is so great that Jordan and Magic Johnson wouldn’t have found a way to put up tons of points.

If they played one game, I still wouldn’t pick against Jordan in favor of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. In a series, the size and shooting of the Dream Team would prevail in six games.

Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images