That group remains the greatest team ever assembled.
When I make that statement, I am not necessarily suggesting that the iconic team could "mop the floor" with any hypothetical opponent it could face. However, I'm not exactly saying they couldn't, either. Since this year's Olympic Men's basketball team is populated by the likes of such present day megastars as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, the current debate has centered heavily on whether or not the '92 team could maintain its legendary reputation against the new guys, or if the '12 team could outdo them.
The opinions are divided, predictably, along generational lines. Bryant, the new millennium's version of Michael Jordan in both competitiveness and hoops skill, stirred the pot a few weeks ago when he opined that he and his mates could "beat [the Dream Team] one time." Newly crowned NBA champion James echoed those sentiments days later. Naturally, Jordan scoffed at the very concept of such a thing when he was asked his opinion. Fellow Dream Teamers Charles Barkley and Earvin "Magic" Johnson also articulated their support for their 1992 selves in a fictional match-up with this year's squad.
Far as I'm concerned, the 1992 team was one of absolute royalty; it doesn't matter that both Johnson and Bird were beyond their prime. What matters is that Jordan was 29 and clearly the most dominant and devastating player on the planet. Pippen was 25 and was at his best as an all-around defensive stopper/versatile athlete and triple-double threat. Barkley was 29 and in full "beast mode" in the low-post. Clyde Drexler was coming off the best season of his career and was a 30-year old "poor man's version" of MJ. David Robinson was a 25-year old, 7'1 center who was quick, athletic and highly skilled on both offense and defense. Patrick Ewing was still in the midst of his best NBA years as was the incomparable scoring/rebounding/passing/defending duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Chris Mullin was about as good as it gets as a sharpshooter and the team's curious choice, Christian Laettner, had just come off one of the most celebrated college careers in recent memory.
I bring all that up to extol the awesomeness of those players and their then-current resumes. A collection of stars as accomplished and highly skilled as those men hasn't been seen since, not even with this current team. Bryant, as outstanding as his 16 years and counting NBA career has been, still isn't as historically significant as Jordan was in half as long (MJ had just completed his 8th NBA season prior to the '92 Olympics), nor has his game ever been as dynamic and brazen. Johnson and Bird, though past their prime still possessed an aura and reputation that trumps anything any other later team possessed. In other words, it was about more than just great skill and talent on that '92 team. It was also about the privilege of watching these indelible, mythical hardwood heroes join forces and witness their transcendence and artistry take over.
I know I sound a little too magnanimous in my praise of those guys, but they left an impression on me, one of reality and fantasy, that I won't soon forget.
And they remain the "gold standard" in the history of team basketball.
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