Magic Johnson: ’08 Redeem Team No Match for ’92 Dream Team

I c u BlackPhantom.

Jordan was an elite defender when focused. Kobe is just above average
Both of them sacrificed defense for offense but Jordan’s ceiling was higher.

“it’s not particularly difficult to imagine Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and company beating a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony-led team.”

NBA 2k11 PC mod idea anyone?

You guys tend to forget that in the final the DT had to beat a very competitive croatian team w players such as Vrankovic, Kukoc, Radja and Petrovic. Yet they have beaten them quite largely while the redeem struggled every bit to beat spain. The redeem would have no chance inside.They’d have a good matchup at PG and at SG (at that time Magic was no more as great, Stockton was injured, Bird too and in my book Lebron can take Pip)All in all the inside depth of the dream team and MJ’s will is good enough. The dream team by 12. L

ok here we go. Malone averaged 28, 11 and 3. Barkley averaged 23, 11 and 4. Ewing averaged 24, 11 and 3 blocks per game. Robinson averaged 24, 12, 2 assist, 2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game. Clyde averaged 25, 6,6 and 6,7. Chris mullin averaged 25, 5 and 3. John Stockton averaged 13,7 assists and 3 steals per game and shot over 40 percent from 3 pnt range while scoring over 15 points per game. Larry Bird averaged 20.2, 9.6 and 6,8 per game. Magic averaged 19.1, 7.0 and 12.5 assist the season he “retired”, Pip averaged 21, 7.7 and 7, 1.9 stl and 1.1 block per and this Jordan guy averaged 30.1, 6.4, 6.1 and 2.3 steals per game. I think team 92 would be a lot more fluid and efficient in their ofense and defense. They were older more savy knew how to win and had comparable talent at the wing even slightly better probably then the 08 team the 08 does have better(read more) point guards but MJ, Bird and Pip could all bring the ball up very efficiently and could bully Paul and Williams in the Post. Stockton would be in trouble on D versus Williams and Paul not so much vs Kidd. Inside.. Boozer, Howard and Bosh. Boozer is too short and while he bangs Barkley and Malone bang harder and smarter(no homo). Bosh could give em some trouble but the number of iso plays he get’s on this team filled with bad shooters who love to shoot (kobe, wade, lebron, all under 35 percent career 3pnt shooters) plus Malone made it hard as a 40 year old for KG, Bosh shouldn’t be a problem. Dwight is good very physical but he was a robot in the post back then. He’s a great help defender but if an old shaq can cross em up Ewing might kill em. Robinson might be even tougher 7’1 guy who can run with the best of em (he was the leading scorer in 92) yeah he’d be trouble. Melo would give em hell at the four though but I think Chuck would hit him in the face or something stupid if he makes 5 shots in a row. The creativity from the wing to score might be better on the 08 team but the 92 team passed for baskets not just to pass around a zone. I don’t think it’d be a blowout but a 8 to 10 point game for the 92 team. Because where the 08 has one great closer (kobe) the 92 team has two (Bird and MJ) plus Pip can guard Kobe and while LBJ can try it with MJ he must remember that this was the shooting over people MJ not the guy with the gorgeous fluid jumper. So to recap again tough matchup for both teams but the team play, expierience and versatility of the 92 team will give the 08 team too much trouble to overcome with the 92 team building up a nice lead early almost giving it away but then overcoming kobe and co and remain as the greatest team assembled. btw the 94 and 96 teams would trash this team even more inside.. young shaq and olajuwan? Kemp, Larry Johnson, Derrick Coleman, Malone, Robinson. But those games would be closer since the talent on the wings is probably bigger in the top 4 guys on the 08 team than on the 94 and 96 teams. Just don’t let Gary Payton read that last sentence.

Look gyuys… Out of everybody on the dream team.. Lebron is probably the only one who could effectively guard mj. Certain people aren’t tripping… Would he lock him down? No mj will get his… But he’s best suited to slowing him down. I think mj might lock Kobe down tho… Just bc he’s so familiar with his game. Pippin can guard melo, but he’d have trouble with him. Offensively… Wade might go off on drexler

Both teams were studs, but I just can’t see the Dream Team being beaten by anyone. They aren’t just the greatest basketball team of all time, they are arguably one of the greatest sports teams ever assembled. Sure, Bird’s back was a mess, but even having said that, in his last year in the NBA he still averaged 20 points a game. If that guy is your gimp then you are looking pretty good.

I’m not disrespecting the Redeem Team, but even considering the more competitive environment of 2008, the Dream Team is still number one.

Co-sign DatKid

So…
Gilbert gives Kobe 60.
Alan Houston gives him at least 50.
Larry Hughes gives him 40.
But, he can contain Michael Jordan. The NBA’s all time leader in scoring averages for his career. Statistically, the greatest scorer in League History.
Hughes wasn’t even an all star in his prime.
Ray Allen sets an offensive record in Kobe’s house. Kobe didn’t even foul out of that game.
But he can contain Jordan. If he’s focused.
NICE!!

Philo FTW!!! Don’t forget how Jamison dropped 50+ on Kobe’s head. And yes, Jordan could contain Kobe. He was damn good in 06′ but not completely unstoppable. Go look up his weak games in 05-06 and you tell me if those defenders were better than MJ. Prove me wrong; I dare you.

….Why is this news?? Everybody knows that. Even I do, and I wasn’t even alive in 2008.

this team beat them back in ’92 do you think perhaps it wouldn’t be as one sided as Magic beleives, that and the fact european ball improved dramatically after the dream team, you only have to look at the influx of europeans to since
http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/mdev_1992.html

Cosign the f*ck out of the philosopher… Mj is a great defender…Kobe is a halfway decent one. get your minds right. And seed? You’re an idiot. So Kobe could take mj when he was with the wizards… Cool. To bad that’s not the same mj we’re talking about.

In 7 game series redeem team FTW. Stockton couldn’t handle cp3 or DWill. Point gaurds male the difference

Well Magic,

don’t go over board with your estimation. I would not be too sure about your assessment. Let’s agree to simply not compare. Todays playersmweren’t whatnthey are without you. However, the game has evolved and you guys made. Kobe, Dwayne and thosnkids learned a great deal from you and got the game ahead even a couple steps further. I would think it would be a awfully close gane, but t the end they would win against you guys, because they are that more talented today – and thats your “fault”. It is like the father will get beat by the son, because the sonis offered so much more weapons fron the get go.

Further, coming from Germany myself, the European competition could hrdly dribble straight. Now we ther are the Nowitzky & Co’s that are NBA MVPs. There is Spain, of which almsot all players are playing in the NBA or will do by next season. International ball is a different beast today – and again, it’s your “fault”! You smashed them so bad, that they went bck home and learned to play ball. they send their plaErs to learn in the NBA and that they did.

Therefore I would not be so big on the point differential. 40something points in 1992 is just as bad as 20 something in 2008.

So stop messin that up, before you will be tested with some weired geek technology that will give a objective analyses of those two teams…

Sure I would love to see that game….

best, Maurice

No you didn’t. If you did, you’d notice where you were supposed to put a comma.

Kobe could get locked down by MJ. If guys like Bruce Bowen gave him trouble, then a one-time defensive player of the year could too. The Seed must swalllow Kobe’s seeds the way he talks crazy. No way Kobe could lock MJ down.

The redeem team would be more of a bomb than “The Decision”

I can’t believe this story generated 200+ posts. There are a lot of youngsters out there with an undercooked, historically dispossessed understanding of the game.

Eboy and others hit it early on, the big difference comes from the skill of the bigs an despite how crazy it may sound MJ wasn’t the Alpha that he is remembered as being. That said it seems the roles were much more well defined on the original squad and that the pieces all fit together better. However; the Dream had it’s pick of the litter with players, not the case in 08′. Throw in Ticket, Ray Ray and any other non-Celtic future HOF’s that weren’t runnin in 08′ and maybe we get an argument…

What’s there to debate about.. It’s not possible when u have not just hall of famers but 3 legends who revolutionize modern basketball. The 08 team should step up and pay respect and say 92 is the greatest ever.

Jukai:
That’s all I’m really saying. Stockton was not locking up anyone.
Period.
This was one of the reasons that there were people were calling him “dirty”, and what not because, he couldn’t guard anyone. He had to get by.
Just like Reggie Miller…
Now, as far as his hands are concerned, he had good hands.
They were huge for his size. Like, he had REALLY big hands.

The DT mixed up their starting lineup, but assuming their olympics finals starting five it would be:
PG – Magic 8ppg, 5.5apg
SG – Jordan 14.9ppg 4.8apg
SF – Pippen 9ppg, 5.9apg (leading the team)
PF – Malone 13ppg, 5.3rpg
C – Ewing 9.5ppg, 5.3rpg
Barkley is the 6th man, the tournament’s best player and USA’s leading scorer at 18 per game. People tend to forget Mullin’s significance on the team, 12.9 ppg, 3.6 apg and 54% from three. The two players playing the least were Stockton and Laettner. Drexler and Bird started 3 games each as well and chipped in 11 and 8ppg respectively. Robinson essentially split the time at center 50/50 with Ewing, posting 9 and 4 per game. Match ups position by position:
PG: Magic would post up any of the Redeem Team PGs except maybe Kidd, he wouldn’t be able to stop Paul or Williams though, but with Robinson/Ewing behind him that wouldn’t be a problem. Stockton was better than any of the Redeem Team PGs at this point in his career, top three passer of all time, excellent shooter, great defender and a tough nail (put up 16ppg 14apg and 3spg for the Jazz in 91-92):
EDGE: DT
SG: Jordan vs. Kobe – Skills wise a wash, but MJ’s the best ever because of his determination and mindset. Drexler vs. Wade: Again very even, Wade’s probably got the upper hand here, but only slightly (I’ll rank these 5th and 4th all time at the 2). Redd could get some time, probably matched up against Mullin, but that’s a duel he’s bound to lose anyway.
EDGE: DT
SF: Pippen vs. James: James would have to work against Pippen and vice versa. Mullin and Bird vs. Anthony (who primarily has played the four internationally, but will see time at the three as well) and Prince: Prince is a very good defender, but he’s never been anywhere near the player Mullin was. Anthony is arguably better than Bird at this point, but without the intangibles. Anyway…
EDGE: Almost EVEN, but i’ll give this one to the Dream Team as well unless Anthony sees a lot of time at the SF, in which case it tips the other way (slightly).
PF: Malone vs. Anthony: Malone could possibly struggle against Melo on the perimeter, but come on, Anthony doesn’t hold a candle to the Mailman. Boozer would surve nicely as Barkley’s halftime snack. Laettner would only get garbage minutes.
EDGE: DT
C: I believe DH could end up being the better player of all the centers on these teams, but at their respective points in their careers this is pretty even. Howard would probably do alot of damage, but it’s basically two against one and a half (Bosh).
EDGE: DT. Dream Team would win it.

Armando… I feel you. Except I’d give the sf edge to the dream team, i’ve said before that an angry motivated Lebron James is just too quick and strong for Scottie pippin to contain and idk if Dwight Howard ends up being better than either of the dream team centers…also @flipnoyce idk if they would want to double team mj… There’s too many other offensive threats. So kobe/wade/Lebron would all have to take turns guarding him.. And while I don’t think they’d stop him, they can slow him down a little

As they said above, Kobe wouldn’t be a threat to MJ. The only years he was a good defender he let Arenas Jamison and others have 50-60 point games. Wade is another overrated defender. Mj would use his advantage of quickness, big hands, and length to blow by him. Wade’s ball handling is so sloppy that MJ would lock his ass down if he was guarding Wade. Bron is the only one with chance to give MJ serious trouble.