What are some unpopular basketball beliefs that you have?

The bigs are pretty much the main difference with Dream Team 92 and most of the other teams. The 96 team is the one that would give the 92 bigs all they could handle, with Hakeem, Admiral, Shaq, and late prime Malone/Barkley. Vs the 2012 team, I would be running through Ewing, Robinson, Malone and Barkley from the outset to get the opposing bigs out of the game and open things up for Jordan/Drexler/Pippen to attack the paint with little resistance. The more modern teams would have the edge of incorporating the 3 more, and the pre 2012 teams simply weren't build that way, so it's never an X's and O's matchup with the whole '3>2' aspect of modern basketball.

In these matchups I figure they'd take turns beating each other over a series. Just depends who shows up that given day and which team better executes the X's and O's.

[QUOTE=Phoenix;15021248]The bigs are pretty much the main difference with Dream Team 92 and most of the other teams. The 96 team is the one that would give the 92 bigs all they could handle, with Hakeem, Admiral, Shaq, and late prime Malone/Barkley. Vs the 2012 team, I would be running through Ewing, Robinson, Malone and Barkley from the outset to get the opposing bigs out of the game and open things up for Jordan/Drexler/Pippen to attack the paint with little resistance. The more modern teams would have the edge of incorporating the 3 more, and the pre 2012 teams simply weren't build that way, so it's never an X's and O's matchup with the whole '3>2' aspect of modern basketball.

In these matchups I figure they'd take turns beating each other over a series. Just depends who shows up that given day and which team better executes the X's and O's.[/QUOTE]

Speaking of ‘96. I think they won their games by a bigger margin of victory compared to ‘92. The ‘92 team was obviously great, but some just look at the names on the roster and consider them unstoppable without even bringing up Magic and Bird were past their primes at that point, especially Bird. Both were retired from the NBA at that point.

2012 in my view is basically the perfect FIBA team. They lacked size compared to the 90s teams but that didn’t stop them from handling the Gasol brothers and Ibaka in the gold medal game.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers;15021254]Speaking of ‘96. I think they won their games by a bigger margin of victory compared to ‘92. The ‘92 team was obviously great, but some just look at the names on the roster and consider them unstoppable without even bringing up Magic and Bird were past their primes at that point, especially Bird. Both were retired from the NBA at that point. [/QUOTE]

Magic was only really slightly past his prime. He balled out at the Olympics. He was still really good when he came back in 1996 when he was about 30lbs heavier than his playing weight. The only member of the team that was there because of the name was Bird but that only because his back was shot. He still played well and was efficient.

The 1992 Dream Team had no weakness. Everyone was in their prime, great defenders, unlimited scoring, camaraderie. The full package in every way. The 2012 team was great but as you said, its bigs were Tyson Chandler and college AD. It just can't compare for that reason alone. It can't even compare to 96. The only thing that hurts the 96 Dream Team is that the members of the 92 team on it were slightly worse, older versions of themselves and of course, the best player in the world wasn't on it.

I'm surprised as part of MJs comeback tour, he didn't play on that 96 team. That said, the 96 team had prime Pippen, Penny and Grant Hill as established all-nba level guys, Payton coming off the finals and DPOY, Reggie and Richmond for spacing, Stockton was older but he was healthy unlike 92. MJ aside, that's a better overall collection of perimeter guys. Barkley and Malone were older but the Mailman was closer to his prime than Sir Charles was, Hakeem and Robinson weren't quite their 93-95 selves but obviously still elite( and I'd probably take 96 Robinson over his 92 version just from the experience edge), and 24 year old Shaq. I think that team on paper gives the 92 team way more problems, even when you consider the more modern teams perimeter-cetric approach. 92 can't leverage an interior edge on 96.

[QUOTE=plowking;15020750]So a hypothetical that didn't come close to occuring is a statement to Jordan's greatness?

Right.[/QUOTE]

I literally said right before that it has just as much if not more to do with the east being as weak as it was.

Unpopular beliefs usually don’t have a lot of strong evidence behind it. That's why they’re unpopular. That’s kind of the point of the topic. :oldlol:

1992 team averaged 117 PPG while giving up 74 ppg

2012 team averaged 116 PPG while giving up 83 ppg

'92 Dream team faced 9 NBA players in the Olympics

'12 Team team faced 29 NBA players in the Olympics

Prime Chris Paul was better than Prime Magic Johnson and would easily have 5 rings if got to play on a team as stacked as the 80s Lakers

[QUOTE=Norcaliblunt;15020855]Jordan vs LeBron vs Curry vs Pippen vs your mom 12 plus pages of so called unpopular opinions.

Y’all are a disgrace to the human race.[/QUOTE]
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[QUOTE=Manny98;15021525]Prime Chris Paul was better than Prime Magic Johnson and would easily have 5 rings if got to play on a team as stacked as the 80s Lakers[/QUOTE]

Lol, Magic is like a foot taller than dude. Imagine Paul shooting a skyhook over Parish and McHale in the Finals.

[QUOTE=L.Kizzle;15021571]Lol, Magic is like a foot taller than dude. Imagine Paul shooting a skyhook over Parish and McHale in the Finals.[/QUOTE]

Imagine him playing center with kareem out. Poor manny :roll:

[QUOTE=L.Kizzle;15021571]Lol, Magic is like a foot taller than dude. Imagine Paul shooting a skyhook over Parish and McHale in the Finals.[/QUOTE]

Imagine '92 version Magic playing defense.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers;15021574]Imagine '92 version Magic playing defense.[/QUOTE]


When he was retired with hiv

[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;15021579]When he was retired with hiv[/QUOTE]

Thought we were kinda discussing '92 vs '12.


Idk if the Lakers still win 5 rings with CP3 instead of Magic, but I can see them easily winning at least 3-4 with a healthy CP3.

Lakers were stacked and played in a cake walk conference. Only time the West seemed to have had some legit teams in that era was in '88, Utah & Dallas gave the Lakers hell in those playoffs.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers;15021584]Thought we were kinda discussing '92 vs '12.


Idk if the Lakers still win 5 rings with CP3 instead of Magic, but I can see them easily winning at least 3-4 with a healthy CP3.

Lakers were stacked and played in a cake walk conference. Only time the West seemed to have had some legit teams in that era was in '88, Utah & Dallas gave the Lakers hell in those playoffs.[/QUOTE]

They were so loaded they couldnt win before or after magic. Maybe he made eveyone better? :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;15021572]Imagine him playing center with kareem out. Poor manny :roll:[/QUOTE]

Magic playing center that game is a myth. He repped LA on the opening tip and that was the extent of it.