The United States just completed a successful run in men's basketball at the Paris Olympics. A team that featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant was able to come through with clutch victories in the semifinals over Serbia and the championship round over France to gain the gold medal. The triumph allowed Team USA to take its spot with other gold medal winning American teams, including the famous “Dream Team” of 1992 that featured superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler and several others.
Many observers believe the Dream Team was the greatest basketball team ever assembled. Whenever Team USA has followed with a gold medal performance in the Olympics since then, the winning team has been compared to the Dream Team.
Both teams were filled with superstars, but Drexler does not believe that the 2024 men's basketball team is at the same level as the 1992 team. He appeared on the Rich Eisen show and the Hall of Famer did not hesitate to support his former squad.
“It doesn’t get any better when you talk about the original Dream Team. I think they were special first of all because they were first, and second because of the talent that’s on that team. It’s arguable that the ‘96 team was just as good, but I haven’t seen any other team in my opinion that could beat either one of those teams.”
It seemed as though Drexler was firing a shot at the James-Curry-Durant team, because he also shouted out the 1996 team as possibly being higher on the ladder than the most recent gold medal winner.
Drexler and 1992 Dream Team rolled over every opponent; '24 Team USA was tested in Olympic competition
The 1992 team is often credited with turning basketball into a worldwide game. Fans throughout Europe and Africa were so enamored with stars like Jordan, Johnson, Drexler and Larry Bird that it opened their eyes to what was widely perceived as an American sport. The growth of basketball on an international basis clearly accelerated when the Dream Team stepped on the floor in the 1992 Olympics.
That team won every game by significant margins. Head coach Chuck Daly kept this team of superstars focused on the task at hand, and the stars produced masterpieces in every Olympic Game.
The Dream Team rolled to victories in Group A against Angola, Croatia, Germany, Brazil and Spain. The closest win was a 33-point triumph over Croatia. Team USA followed with one-sided wins over Puerto Rico and Lithuania in the quarterfinals and semifinals. They earned the gold medal with a 117-85 triumph in a second meeting with Croatia.
The 2024 team rolled to a quarterfinal win over Brazil but where pushed to the limit by their last two opponents. That may be give Clyde Drexler some fuel for his argument that the Dream Team was the best, but the close games may have hardened the latest version of Team USA and given them an extra boost.
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