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Why the hell would people focus on the Kobe vs Jordan matchup? Kobe is on the downturn and probably wouldn't be able to handle Jordan too well, but you got prime Lebron, Durant and Deron right now against players like Magic and Bird who were at the end of their career.
[QUOTE=RaininTwos]I always thought that 90 Jordan was his peak. The 92 version was pretty amazing as well, but I wasn't talking about a purely physical thing. I would just love to see Kobe's mentality going up against MJ and vice-versa. It would really be a treat to see.[/QUOTE]
I think you'd see the same thing you saw with Wizards Jordan going against the 20-something stars then. A guy who is ultra-competitive get frustrated cause his body can't do what his brain knows will work.
a true basketball god speaks
[QUOTE=G.O.A.T]I think you'd see the same thing you saw with Wizards Jordan going against the 20-something stars then. A guy who is ultra-competitive get frustrated cause his body can't do what his brain knows will work.[/QUOTE]
Yeah something like that, but Wizards Jordan was really a nice player. I love watching him and when he got hot...watch out. I do think Kobe is still a couple steps ahead of that in terms of athleticism though.
[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Yeah something like that, but Wizards Jordan was really a nice player. I love watching him and when he got hot...watch out. I do think Kobe is still a couple steps ahead of that in terms of athleticism though.[/QUOTE]
Yep, feel the same way. Wizards Jordan was a very good player, but it was strange to see an aging MJ get beat on athleticism. I think Kobe would have the same issues against a team of guys between 25-29 who were the premier athletes and talents of their era.
[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Andgar, is this a blow out to you?[/QUOTE]
Naw... not a blow out.
If they played a 7 game series I can see the Dream Team winning 5 of them, at least 2 by a very decisive margin.
Bottom line, it comes down to execution and who can get the easiest buckets.
Players from both sides will have a hard time guarding each other no doubt, but when it comes down to executing in the final moments, the Dream Team will come through far more consistently.
The New Team will have issues with TRUE 'zone' defense, specially zone being played by great individual defenders and high IQ ones. Sure, Stockton and Magic can't guard their counterparts, but with zone it doesn't matter. They're smart enough to know how to play them, and unlike in today's NBA which prohibits the players from clogging the lane, you'll have TRUE big men guarding the lane ready to switch.
The New Team will have to hit a bunch of tough shots, while the Dream Team will get buckets that aren't spectacular, appear to be boring and easy, but very effective.
Do people remember how the Spurs were dismantling teams with their pick and roll? well.. imagine that but with players in their prime, and with nothing but hall of famers finishing, all of which can pass, shoot, move without the ball and have extraordinary high IQs. Let's put it this way... if ANY of the Dream Teamers were to play in this era, each one of them would be the smartest player in the league (canceling each other out of course), and almost all of them would be MVP candidates with ease.
[QUOTE=G.O.A.T]Yep, feel the same way. [B]Wizards Jordan was a very good player[/B], but it was strange to see an aging MJ get beat on athleticism. I think Kobe would have the same issues against a team of guys between 25-29 who were the premier athletes and talents of their era.[/QUOTE]
How exactly?
The guy had [B]the least efficient[/B] season in league history did he not? (of anyone scoring 20+ points per game)
[quote=Punpun]OH MY GOD, ANOTHER COMPETITOR JUST CLAIMED THAT THE OTHER TEAM CANT EVEN TOUCH THEM. SO TOTALLY UNHEARD OF.
:yaohappy:[/quote]
THAT ONE.
:biggums:
The 2012 USA Team lacks size, but i believe the 2008 Redeem Team would have had a chance against the original Dream Team. Someone should ask MJ about that.
And Kobe probably didn't even really mean it when he said the 2012 team would beat the 92 Dream Team. He just wanted to support his current teammates and show confidence in his team...nothing wrong with that.
[QUOTE=Indian guy]Yeah, I don't think you know what you're talking about. Guarding PGs, especially one with CP3's quickness and handle, wasn't a strength of Pippen's. Quite the opposite, in fact. Team USA would be much better off putting Pippen on Kobe and MJ on CP3.[/QUOTE]
Yea cause you always know what you're talking about :oldlol: . Maybe I exagerrated. I would agree that that would be a better alternative. I was also taking into account that on the other end CP3 would be a liability since he wouldn't be able to guard anyone from that lineup. In fact, the more I think about it, Westbrook would probably be better in that matchup,but that brings a whole new set of problems and he wouldn't really be able to guard anyone either.
Jordan is right on this one, Kobe just talking trash. Everyone with any knowledge of basketball knows this match-up would be unfair.
[QUOTE=RaininTwos]In terms of skill/peak, I think that the MJ/Kobe gap is like splitting hairs. I always wonder if people here actually play basketball because people tend to think that players of Jordan's caliber are unbeatable.
[/quote]
First off, skill and peak are two entirely different things. Just because one is skilled doesn't mean they have impact. And Kobe is most certainly NOT as skilled as Jordan. Maybe in terms of strictly 1-on-1 ability [B]with[/B] the ball he's close and arguably superior, but in terms of total basketball skill? No way. Jordan's off the ball game alone destroys Kobe's, and he was a far smarter player in general about using defender's momentum, his teammates' bodies etc. to get good looks. Better rebounder by a good margin, better passer/playmaker, better post player, better defender (vastly better team/help defender, actually). It adds up to at least a 10% difference in impact prime vs. prime and especially peak vs peak. No version of Kobe is seeing '89-'92 Jordan, and especially '90 or '91 Jordan.
[quote] Drazen didn't fear Jordan at all, dude dropped 40 on him the next year as a Net if I am not mistaken.[/QUOTE]
Petro never scored more than 26 on the Bulls, and that was on 40% shooting. He did have a couple of good games in the low-mid 20's against them, though. Regardless, players like Petrovic are in many ways harder to stop than players like Kobe, because he plays without the ball, is a better shooter, and was a smarter player. Kobe's strengths as an offensive player, by contrast, play right into Jordan's strengths as a defender. He'd get sucked in to a 1-on-1 battle and Jordan would pretty handily get the better of that matchup.
[QUOTE=Harison]Jordan is right on this one, Kobe just talking trash. Everyone with any knowledge of basketball knows this match-up would be unfair.[/QUOTE]
Kobe probably has more basketball knowledge then 99.9% of the people in this thread.
[QUOTE=rhythmic
[QUOTE=OldSchoolBBall]First off, skill and peak are two entirely different things. Just because one is skilled doesn't mean they have impact. And Kobe is most certainly NOT as skilled as Jordan. Maybe in terms of strictly 1-on-1 ability [B]with[/B] the ball he's close and arguably superior, but in terms of total basketball skill? No way. Jordan's off the ball game alone destroys Kobe's, and he was a far smarter player in general about using defender's momentum, his teammates' bodies etc. to get good looks. Better rebounder by a good margin, better passer/playmaker, better post player, better defender (vastly better team/help defender, actually). It adds up to at least a 10% difference in impact prime vs. prime and especially peak vs peak. No version of Kobe is seeing '89-'92 Jordan, and especially '90 or '91 Jordan.
Petro never scored more than 26 on the Bulls, and that was on 40% shooting. He did have a couple of good games in the low-mid 20's against them, though. Regardless, players like Petrovic are in many ways harder to stop than players like Kobe, because he plays without the ball, is a better shooter, and was a smarter player. Kobe's strengths as an offensive player, by contrast, play right into Jordan's strengths as a defender. He'd get sucked in to a 1-on-1 battle and Jordan would pretty handily get the better of that matchup.[/QUOTE]
Please ban this clown, all he ever talks about is Jordan or dissing Kobe.
That's all, don't need his one-dimensional homerism in here.
At least that jlauber guy just mostly defends Wilt, this guy genuinely dislikes Kobe and consistently has bias rants about him.