Mar. 27, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Spurs defeated the Suns 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

2012 Olympic Basketball Preview:  U.S.A. v. France

France is a team that should not be underestimated:

French Starters:

C-  Ronny Turiaf

PF- Boris Diaw

SF- Mickael Gelabale

SG- Nicolas Batum

PG-  Tony Parker

They sport a talented cast of players, led by Finals MVP Tony Parker and defensive stalwart Nicolas Batum.  That duo is joined by an above average group of role players that includes NBA players such as Kevin Seraphin of the Washington Wizards, veteran Boris Diaw, journeyman Ronny Turiaf, and career D-leaguer Mickael Gelabale.

While France does have a lot of talent, they do lack size.  Seraphin will be forced into playing center, though he is just 6’9″, and the 6’10″ Turiaf represents the only true center on the squad (The 6’10″ Ali Traore can also play center, but likely won’t see much time in a game of this magnitude).

The lack of size might not be as problematic against the U.S. with only Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love patrolling the paint, but it will cause problems on the interior, and the Americans have plenty of players to slash to the hole.  Russell Westbrook in particular could potentially feast on the weak interior defense of the Frenchmen.

One thing to keep an eye on is how France employs the services of the newly re-signed Portland Trailblazer Nicolas Batum.  Batum was courted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but ultimately the Blazers decided to match that offer to retain a young talent who is capable of playing either wing spot.

APRIL. 11, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum (88) shoots the ball over Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins (15) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Batum will have the unenviable task of drawing the best perimeter player on the court for the U.S., be it Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, or Kobe Bryant.  Simply:  Batum is going to be worn out, regardless of the assignment.  Rendering Batum’s offense ineffective by virtue of wearing him out on defense will be the M.O. of the US squad.

While Batum is hardly an offensive juggernaut in the NBA, he makes up for it with his efficiency.  Last season, Batum scored 13.9 points per game, while hitting 39.1% from behind the arc.  With the International three point line being only 20’6″, expect Batum and the Frenchmen to launch plenty of threes.

Tony Parker is clearly the best player on the French team, but he may be outclassed by the US floor generals Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and the aforementioned Westbrook.  Parker sports the experience over these three, but the fact that Coach K is able to rotate the three of them in and out of the lineup will prove crucial, as Parker will simply be worn out late in the game and thus be unable to pull any late game heroics, if France is even anywhere within striking distance.

All in all, France is still a huge underdog to win the gold medal, and their odds are set at 25/1 by a popular Vegas booking site.  Still, quite remarkably, those odds are the third longest shot of the tournament, with only Spain boasting a better chance of beating the US out for the gold.

While France does have a lot of talent and team unity, it’s difficult to imagine them giving the American squad much trouble.  The US team is too deep, too good, and too prepared to let a team with only a handful of NBA players beat them.  I’m not suggesting it is an absurd blowout of the 40+ point magnitude, but the US will take care of business and remind the world why basketball flourishes here in the United States.

We may even see 12th man Anthony Davis get some burn during garbage time…

Score Prediction:  US by 21

Sports creates a constant stream of questions, analysis, and debate. Is Tim Tebow a good quarterback? Is LeBron clutch or not? Now the latest installment involves the 1992 Dream Team vs. the 2012 Olympic squad. Fans love to make comparisons, and fuel was added to the fire with Kobe Bryant claiming this current roster would beat perhaps the greatest assembly of basketball players ever.

Logically many people immediately associate the 1992 team with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Those three arguably compose a third of the top five players in the game’s history. So any comparison to that team seems blasphemous, but is it really that far-fetched to believe the current version of Team USA could win? Let’s break this fantasy match-up down.

At point guard the 1992 team trots out two Hall-of-Famers in Magic Johnson and John Stockton. They are both great players, but don’t forget that Johnson was just coming back from his HIV retirement. Stockton is one of the greatest passers the game has seen, but how would he defend today’s current crop of athlete.

Russel Westbrook, Deron Williams and Chris Paul all have an advantage with their speed and quickness. The 2012 team would be smart to press both Stockton and Johnson full court, making them work just to bring the ball up. While Johnson’s height does neutralize some of the advantage, it’s hard to ignore that the 2012 team’s point guards create a mismatch with their athletic ability.

Point Guard advantage: 2012

Moving on to the two guards, we have the greatest to ever play the game. Jordan himself makes this an advantage for the original Dream Team. Clyde Drexler also provides depth to the 1992 roster behind Jordan. The current roster does boast this new generation’s best player in Kobe Bryant, and James Harden is talented. There is no doubt here though that Jordan and Drexler trump the Bryant and Harden combination.

Shooting Guard advantage: 1992

Small forward may be the most intriguing match-up between these two teams. The 2012 Olympic squad has the most athletic player on either roster with LeBron James. His late game mentality can be questioned, but in terms of physical ability, he is as good as there has ever been. The new Finals MVP is joined by scoring machines Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. Don’t under estimate Anthony and Durant’s ability to get hot for a quarter and carry the scoring load. Andre Iguodala is also a capable defensive body.

The Dream Team would battle against that quartet of forwards with a trio consisting of Bird, Chris Mullen and Scottie Pippen. Bird was on his last legs during the Barcelona Olympics, and only played in two of the six games on their eventual path to a Gold Medal. Mullen was a dead eye shooter and Pippen was a great defensive player, but he can’t cover Anthony, Durant and James at the same time.

Small Forward advantage: 2012

Once in the post is where the 1992 team starts to exploit their biggest advantage. At power forward Charles Barkley and Karl Malone provide brute strength that would bully the 2012 team. Christian Laettner would basically be an after thought, and it would be unlikely he sees the court. The 2012 roster has Kevin Love and Anthony Davis, both good players, but Malone and Barkley are grown men against children with this match-up.

Power Forward advantage: 1992

Finally the center spot doesn’t give 2012 supporters much relief. Two of the greatest five men ever in David Robinson and Patrick Ewing would have a field day against the lone 2012 center, Tyson Chandler. Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year would get pounded on, as the Dream Team would be smart enough to feed the post on nearly every offensive possession.

Center advantage: 1992

So in case you weren’t counting, the original Dream Team seems to have the upper hand at three positions. So the 1992 roster definitely wins, right? Not necessarily. Positions are obviously interchangeable and this game would come down to who imposes their will on the other.

If the current Olympic roster pressed full court and forced a fast paced tempo they could create serious problems for the 1992 point guards. On the other hand if Stockton and Johnson handle the pressure, they would find themselves with a front court just itching to get the ball, and power in an easy two points.

It surely would be an interesting match-up. There would be a lot of pride on the line, and Pippen’s claim that his team beats the present day squad by 25 would make for some bulletin board material. As a betting man I’d jump all over a 25-point spread if Pippen offered it to me (and something tells me Jordan would have no problem throwing some money around gambling).

For now though this Dream Team vs. “Dream Team” fantasy match-up will simply have to remain a dream.

July 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The 2012 USA National Basketball team for the 2012 Olympics is presented following a press conference at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

In the aftermath of a wonderful Dream Team documentary, the nation has, once again, developed an undeniable love for the sport of basketball. The past success of the Dream Team’s success being brought to a documentary showcases their triumph in a way that the current generation has never seen.

Before the documentary, they just knew that there were 11 Hall of Famers and Christian Laettner was on the squad. They didn’t know about the dynamic of the team and how well they meshed together. They didn’t know about the tension between Isiah Thomas and the rest of the NBA nor the relationship that Chuck Daly and Michael Jordan were supposed to not have that they ended up having anyway. Hell, most of them probably didn’t know about Chuck Daly for that matter.

In recent news, because of the spark that this documentary has created, the question has been posed of whether or not the current team of Olympians could beat the Dream Team. It was originally stated by Kobe Bryant that the current team could beat the 1992 team. Today, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley responded to Bryant by saying that they have no shot really.

Of course, those are both responses that should be expected by the public. Neither side has any incentive so say that the opponent is better than the other and both sides have fierce competitors. When talking about Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, winning is their nature. Losing is something that is hated and shunned upon so they’ll never admit that anything will defeat them.

I’m here to pose the question, though, is Kobe right? Can they defeat the Dream Team?

The first thing that we should do is compare the rosters.

The 1992 “Dream Team”

Charles Barkely, PF
Patrick Ewing, C
David Robinson, C
Magic Johnson, PG
Michael Jordan, SG
Scottie Pippen, SF
Chris Mullin, SF
Christian Laettner, PF
John Stockton, PG
Karl Malone, PF
Clyde Drexler, SG
Larry Bird, SF

The 2012 Team

LeBron James, SF
Kobe Bryant, SG
Tyson Chandler, C
Andre Iguodola, SF
Chris Paul, PG
Deron Williams, PG
Russell Westbrook, PG
Kevin Durant, SF
Blake Griffin(possibly), PF
Anthony Davis(possibly), PF
Kevin Love, PF
James Harden, SG
Carmelo Anthony, SF

Both squads are stacked, no doubt. Each side has mismatches that could counter the other.

For the 2012 squad, the point guard play outmatches that of the 1992 squad. Magic Johnson was way passed his prime at this point in his career. This is when he was coming off of his hiatus from basketball because of HIV and he was never a monster defensively. He’s 34 at this point and is best on the offensive end. I don’t think he compares to Chris Paul or Deron Williams at that moment.

John Stockton was only 30 at the time and was okay defensively. He was never a slouch, but barely anyone can check Paul or Williams. I think Stockton would be their best bet but I’m not sold that he would be able to.

The mismatch that I think takes the cake is the 1992 bigs against the 2012 bigs. During the Golden Age of Basketball, it was all about the bigs and Michael Jordan. From Patrick Ewing all the way down to Charles Barkley, every single big on that team had a low post game. The same can’t be said for any of the bigs on the 2012 roster. Also, the only defensive big that the 2012 roster really features is Tyson Chandler. If Anthony Davis does end up being on the team because of Blake Griffin’s recent injury, I know for a fact that he still wouldn’t be able to handle the likes of Ewing, Malone, Robinson, or Barkley in the post. Let alone Larry Bird.

Defensively, all of the bigs from 1992 aside from Barkley were excellent. We’re talking Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Karl Malone. These guys were known to strike fear into anyone who came into the paint. Ewing more than the others. I think that’s what the 2012 team will be predicated off of–if so they play right into the 1992 team’s hands.

Also, you’d have to factor in the best player on each team. For the dream team, its Michael Jordan of course. For the 2012 team its LeBron James. They’re both in their respective primes at this point in time, but 1992 Jordan would be better than 2012 LeBron James. He averaged approximately 30 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. LeBron’s numbers were great, but they just aren’t as good.

I think that Kobe has somewhat of a point–they would be able to hold their own against the Dream Team for a while. But once you get down to it, I think the Dream Team is better defensively and in the low post which is a key area in any basketball game that you play.

In a best of seven series, they may be able to win one game. One close one. But I think that Kobe is dreaming here–1992 was apart of the greatest era in basketball for a reason.