Dream or Redeem? Denouncing the Debate About the Usa Men’s Basketball Team

Well, it’s done. The United States of America is back on top of the world, taking over basketball supremacy by knocking off some of the top international teams, finalized with a victory over powerhouse Spain this past weekend in Beijing. While this feat was exhilarating to watch, settling for anything less than a gold medal would have been downright embarassing with the team USA had. Going the distance and traveling thousands of miles to rock the hardwood were NBA’s finest, including the likes of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, not to mention Deron Williams, MVP runner-up Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, and…ummm, I think you get the hint. The team was ridiculously good. Playing textbook, unselfishly flawless basketball to bring back the gold. This was definitely a sight for sore eyes, and if you’re a basketball nut like I am, you need to log on to 104basketball.com for all basketball needs, including where to buy tickets, sporting goods, and even to read related articles and check out a bunch of awesome stuff.

Now, Team USA may have rocked Beijing in easy fashion, but did they leave the impact that USA did back in 1992. That is the debate. Or is it? Not in this writer’s eyes. Yes, this team had great talent, but how can you compare this team with the likes of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner (most are Hall of Famers). Winning by an average of 40+ points per game, the 1992 Dream Team was just that, a dream team. This team was put together by the likes of a few “high-ups” in the NBA, starting out with the inevitable “wouldn’t it be great if…”

Now, I bring up a question. Who is bringing up this debate, and why? Are they Laker fans who drool merely at the sight of Kobe Bryant, or are they today’s youth that was too young to have seen The Dream Dominate dominate back in the early ’90’s? Whoever they are, they must still be jet-lagged from trying to rack up airline miles to and from Beijing.

Stay tuned for Part II next week, but in the meanwhile, for all that is basketball, log on to 104basketball.com today!