The Olympic Debate

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The Olympic Debate The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team is always one of the highlights of the Olympics, especially since 1992, when the team fielded a roster of all professional athletes. It is a rare opportunity to see the best players in the world team up to form The Avengers on the hardwood. For years the 1992 “Dream Team” was considered to be unrivaled. That was, until the 2012 Olympic team hit the court. One cannot help but pose the hypothetical question: “Who would win a matchup between the original 1992 Dream Team and today’s NBA stars?” While the 2012 team was far more athletic and lengthy, they could not beat 1992 Dream Team. The 1992 roster had much more playing experience than 2012 roster. Most of the 1992 roster was in the latter stages of their career, whereas the 2012 team was stacked with young, inexperienced players. The 1992 team only had one player under the age of twenty-five. The 2012 team had six players under the age of twenty-five. Experienced players have an edge over inexperienced players because experience leads to better decision making and a better overall understanding of the game. Experienced players also tend to excel at defense, transition offense, and half-court offense. The ’92 team also has the size advantage over the 2012 team. Size leads to more rebounds, better defense, and a dominant force in the paint. The ’92 team was filled with quality big men such as Robinson, Ewing, Barkley, and Malone. All of these players are Hall of Famers and were considered to be the best at what they did. The 2012 team’s only player over 7 feet tall was Tyson Chandler. Chandler is a quality player but does not match up with the likes of the Dream Team. Size is very important in basketball and another advantage that the Dream Team had over the 2012 team. Both teams ended up winning the Olympic gold medal, but the 1992 team dominated their
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