Michael Jordan had already said that the 1992 Dream Team would kill the current team USA roster, but he’s done it again now with some more detail. Here’s what Jordan had to say (again) about the comparison…
“I just felt like we had enough size that we could contend with the 2012 team,” he said of the team that was without elite shot blocker Dwight Howard and relied heavily on the Knicks’ Tyson Chandler at center. “I think one of the things the 2012 team lacked was size, you know? We probably would have attacked them from inside and outside, and I think that would have been pretty much solidified [for the '92 team's defense] with shot-blockers as well as perimeter defensive players.”
“In [terms] of how the game is played from an offensive standpoint and a defense standpoint — from a team standpoint — I feel like we were much more solid defensively. We could definitely guard the perimeter and force them to penetrate to shot-blockers, which I felt like would’ve made a big difference with this team in 2012. They only had one shot-blocker. Granted, I know LeBron [James] and some of those guys can still block shots. It’s not the same defense and it’s not the same intensity.”
“Granted, I think those guys are much more athletic than maybe we were at that particular time, but I’d like to think that we were a little bit smarter and well-groomed about playing at that level of basketball,” Jordan said. “So in all honesty, I don’t think we would’ve had any problems with them, as much as they think they probably would’ve given us a lot more difficulties. I think our team would’ve been a lot better in terms of all-around basketball game.”
