The 1992 USA Basketball Team is considered the greatest collection of talent ever assembled to play on the hardwood. With all-time greats such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird leading a team of MVPs and All-Stars, it’s very hard to argue against it. It’s why they earned the “Dream Team” moniker.
During the offseason, the Golden State Warriors decided to create their own version of the Dream Team when they acquired All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to man the middle for their superstar-laden cast. As soon as the injured Cousins gets healthy, the Warriors will be fielding an insanely loaded starting lineup made up of five All-Stars with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins.
If we were to pit this Warriors team against the Dream Team, would they have a shot at winning a game in a seven-game series?
Let’s take a look at both teams more closely.
The 1992 Dream Team
Starters
G – Magic Johnson
G – Michael Jordan
F – Larry Bird
F – Charles Barkley
C – Patrick Ewing
Reserves
G – John Stockton
G – Clyde Drexler
F – Scottie Pippen
F – Chris Mullin
F – Karl Malone
F/C – Christian Laettner
C – David Robinson
There has never been a US team that has come close to putting together a mega-talented team quite like the one we saw grace the floor in Barcelona in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Some questioned the inclusion of Laettner on the roster, but the 1992 College Player of the Year was no pushover.
The only real “issue” for this team was the age of some of their players (Magic and Bird, most notably) and the injuries they endured during the Olympics (Johnson, Bird and Stockton were injured).
Nevertheless, the Dream Team was loaded with players who were named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players list. It’s almost a joke to consider any team capable of beating them one time much less in a seven-game series. They were excellent in every facet of the game and basically had no weaknesses.
Offensively, everyone could score, and the roster boasts all-time great playmakers with Stockton, Johnson, Jordan, Pippen, Bird and Mullin. Shooters abound everywhere with Stockton, Jordan, Drexler, Mullin and Bird as the primary shooters, with Pippen, Barkley, Malone, Ewing and Robinson capable of knocking down shots from mid- to long-range.
Defensively, there are tough and feisty defenders at every position with Stockton, Jordan, Drexler, Pippen, Malone, Ewing and Robinson. The team also boasts players who are excellent rebounders at their respective positions, led by top-10 all-time rebounders in Barkley, Malone, Ewing and Robinson.
The Dream Team was coached by the late, great, two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer, Chuck Daly, who is considered one of the best coaches of all time.
The 2018-19 Warriors
Starters
G – Stephen Curry
G – Klay Thompson
F – Kevin Durant
F – Draymond Green
C – DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves
G – Shaun Livingston
G – Quinn Cook
G/F – Andre Iguodala
F – Alfonzo McKinnie
F – Jonas Jerebko
F/C – Kevon Looney
F/C – Jordan Bell
C – Damian Jones
This is a team that won a league-record 73 games in the 2015-16 season and added former MVP Kevin Durant immediately in the offseason. The Warriors have won two consecutive championships since pulling that off.
This past summer, the Warriors once again put the league on notice when they signed Cousins, one of the best big men in the game. If the injured Cousins joins the Warriors earlier than expected and he plays like an All-Star right off the bat, they have a shot at fielding five players in the 2019 All-Star Game. It probably will not happen, but they would be the first team in league history to do so.
The Warriors own today’s NBA. The current rules and recent rules changes favor them tremendously, making their dynastic vision very much within reach. The franchise’s management has been one step ahead of the entire league over the past few years. They were able to add two superstars (a rarity) after having historic seasons while impressively managing salaries and egos at the same time.
The Warriors have almost always been in the top 10 in offensive and defensive rating since the 2014-15 season. This season, they are first in offense and 10th in defense, per NBA.com. Coach Steve Kerr’s offensive system is bolstered by arguably the best shooting backcourt tandem in Curry and Thompson, and the all-around brilliance of Durant.
Cousins, though he hasn’t played a minute of Warriors basketball, has proven to be one of the best centers in the NBA. Before he was sidelined in January for the rest of the 2017-18 season, Cousins was averaging MVP numbers for the New Orleans Pelicans with 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. He was even shooting 35.4 percent from 3-land, an impressive percentage for someone who makes a living down low.
Their defense, though it has wavered slightly from its peak, is still one of the best. It’s anchored by Green, who's lobbying to be named the Defensive Player of the Year again after first winning the award in 2017.
Golden State's bench is a good mix of young guys and veteran role players. Iguodala and Livingston aren't what they once were, but guys like Jerebko, Jones (currently starting for Cousins at center), Looney and McKinnie are stepping up. They may not be household names, but they get the job done on a nightly basis when the starters rest.
Head-to-Head
Let’s face it, the Warriors would have no chance at all to win a seven-game series against the Dream Team. But if there’s any team in the league’s recent history that would have a shot at winning a single game in a series versus the Barcelona Boys, it’s these Warriors. It may be a one-in-a-million shot, so they would have to play a perfect game.
It all starts with their shooting. The Warriors are able to space the floor with Curry, Thompson and Durant. One mismatch they could take advantage of is Curry versus Johnson. Despite Magic's size, Curry would just run rings around the former Laker and hoist a 3 at any given time. Daly may have to make an adjustment and put a stronger defender on the two-time MVP, whether that's Stockton or somebody else.
Thompson would have his issues with Jordan draped all over him, and facing Clyde Drexler would be no picnic either. The Washington State University product would be hard-pressed to score in bunches like he’s used to with defensive players of this caliber.
Durant, meanwhile, could be a problem. He’s listed at 6-foot-9 but he’s really closer to being a 7-footer. As a small forward, he would cause problems for Bird and Mullin to guard. Even if Daly countered with Pippen, the Chicago Bulls legend is still five inches shorter than Durant. Durant may have never met a perimeter defender quite like Pippen, but the Warriors forward would be a handful for any player the Dream Team could throw at him.
At the power forward spot, Green would do battle with two of the best power forwards in league history, and he would likely get worn out as the series progresses guarding the likes of Barkley and Malone in the post.
No matter how good Cousins is at center, he’d be facing giants unlike any pair of centers he has ever matched up against in the league. Ewing and Robinson would eat Cousins alive with their all-world defense, and Boogie would be fortunate to be able to slow down both of them, much less just one of them.
Forget about the Warriors’ bench doing any kind of damage against the Dream Team’s bench. The fact is, the only way for the Warriors to win a game would be by playing their starters heavy minutes, somewhere between 40-42 minutes a night. Their best chance would be to do this in the first two games when they’re still fresh because the longer this series goes, the less chances they would have at surprising their opponent. Curry and Durant would have to be at their best from the get-go and take advantage of their matchups whenever possible.
Conclusion
Could the Warriors win? Their best and only opportunity would be to steal Game 1 of the series from the Dream Team. Both teams would be trying to get a feel for the other one from the beginning, and this could keep Team USA from breaking away immediately.
In 1992, Daly’s goal of never calling a timeout during the Olympics was almost ruined by the Croatians playing very good team basketball. They lost by “only” 33 and 32 points, respectively, in their two meetings with the Dream Team, compared to 38 points or more all the other teams suffered at the hands of the Americans. It shows that a team with very good ball players coupled with a great system could cause the Dream Team some “problems.”
Though this Warriors team is much better than the Croatian team the Dreamers faced, I don’t see them winning a game against a stacked Olympic team with ultra-competitive players like Jordan, Magic, Bird and Barkley on board. The talented but overmatched Warriors would lose by between 15 and 20 points in the first game. After that, the Dream Team would figure the Dubs out, and it wouldn't be pretty after that.
The only consolation would be seeing Curry play well in a game or two with Durant possibly holding up well against some of the best players ever seen on a basketball court. Facing a team for the ages like the Dream Team, the Warriors would just feel fortunate they were able to play against the best team ever assembled.
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