By: Aaron Mehling
In our class today we discussed Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan and the 2012 USA Basketball team vs. the 1992 Dream Team. This brought up the discussion of the new video game NBA2k13, which allows you to play the matchup. So i rushed home from class and set up a game with 5 minute quarters (standard game play for online) with the heated matchup that is only possible to witness in this virtual world.
(I did not play this game it was CPU vs CPU)
Roster:
Team USA- Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Russel Westbrook, Tyson Chandler, Deron Williams, James Harden, Andre Iguodala, and Anthony Davis
Dream Team- Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Pat Ewing, Chris Mullin, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, and Christian Laettner
The game was actually extremely fun to watch for the match-ups. I saw Durant vs Bird, Lebron vs Malone, and of course Kobe vs Jordan. After the first quarter team USA took an early lead of 11-10. The Dream Team started off slow but would soon find the gas pedal.
After the second quarter The Dream Team took a lead of 27-16 and not giving up the lead the remainder of the game finishing with a final score of 57-44. Michael Jordan finished as player of the game posting a stat line of 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists on 8-12 shooting. Other key contributors were Drexler with 12 points (5-5 fg), and Robinson and Bird both with 8 points.
Team USA was led by Lebron James with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Durant had 11 points and Kobe had 9.
Even though this was a virtual world and there would be no possible way to actually test this matchup are you surprised by the blowout? Or do you think if we played this game 10 times it would be a split series?
I love that you actually set this simulation up! I agree it was probably very entertaining, and I am not surprised with the final score. As I expected the Dream Team prevailed. However, this simulation is just that. We will never truly be able to answer the question with certainty. As for your second question, I do believe that the series would be split and at times flip flop in dominance. It still would be one of the greatest games ever played, if only we could time travel and find the truth!
ReplyDeleteStephanie Loomis
I did this as well. I set the quarters at 7 minutes and just let the computer have at it. The game that I simulated was a little bit closer; 79-73, but with the same result. Michael Jordan completely took over in the 4th quarter and led the Dream team to victory. The one thing that I think is missing from the equation though is that the 2012 team played without Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, and Dwayne Wade, who are all top 10 players in the game today. We will never truly know who the best team is, but it is always fun to speculate.
ReplyDeleteDerek Zyski
It's funny that you actually went home and did this. I have to say I'm not surprised by the outcome and would imagine the actual dream team would win. I believe the reason they have the upper hand is because they had 11 hall of famers on the team. But with that being said we haven't seen the 2012 team finish their careers so we don't know how many hall of famers are on the team. Also the competition level is much better now that it was in 1992 because basketball has developed so much since, and you could say the 1992 dream team has a lot to do with that. I really do believe this would be a very close game and having Rose, Wade and Howard on the team may change the outcome a bit.
ReplyDelete- Jacob Beverly
I think that it is interesting that they put the 2012 USA Mens Basketball team on the game with the 1992 Dream Team. Although the stats between both of the teams were very similar, the Dream Team pulled through with better stats. These teams are a lot different from each other. What I didn't like with the 2012 team is that they didn't really have a dominate big man. They had plenty of point guards and shooting guards. The Dream Team was a full team. They had every position needed in basketball. I do like how you actually set up computer vs. computer and I am not surprised at the outcome. Michael Jordan would be leading the team in points and so would Lebron James. I think that the Dream Team had to get used to the fast breaks and guarding players that can shoot from basically anywhere, but I am not surprised by the blowout. I think if the game was played 10 times the Dream Team would win 6 of them. This would be a very entertaining and exciting game to watch.
ReplyDelete-Kody Burlingame
Great minds think alike Aaron! My friend and I both own 2K13 as well, and we watched The Dream Team and USA Team 2012 play CPU vs CPU a couple weeks before it was discussed in class, and it was the same result with the exception that the 2012 Team lead all the way till mid 3rd quarter, then the Dream Team pulled away. In my own personal opinion, I believe if the 92 Dream Team faced the 2012 USA team, the USA team would edge out with a win. Forget the fact that they had 11 Hall of Fame inductees, the 92 Team just wouldn't be able to match up well with the 2012 team. First off, nobody (including Michael Jordan) has an answer for LeBron James and his all around athletic ability (from his speed, basketball iq, all the way to his strength). Also, the players who play today (Russell Westbrook, Dereon Williams, etc), their speed is out of this world! I believe that the 2012 Team would just want to Run! I think the Final score would be like 90 to 86 with the 2012 team taking the win.
ReplyDelete-Turea Moore
I am very impressed you went home and actually watched the Dream Team and the USA Team play each other. I was not shocked by the outcome of the game having the Dream Team coming out victorious. I think the way the game was played in 92 is different than the way the game is play now in 2012. Today is more about the speed of the games; fast breaks, quick points, slam dunks. I'm not saying the Dream team did not do these aspects of the game just did not put all their focus on them. I believe if you played 10 games the outcomes of those games would be more 50-50.I would like to try to watch one of these video games be played just to see how the video game matches up the two teams.
ReplyDelete- Jenny Kelley
I didn't think you would actually do the simulation. However, I agree with u that it must have been exciting to watch and see all of these superstars go head to head. I wish I could have been there to see it. I was very surprised by the final score though. In my opinion I believe that the 2012 Olympic team might have one because of their unrealistic athletic ability. Lebron James is an athlete that the NBA has never seen before. I think with him Durant, and Westbrook that they would have been able to wear the dream team out by controlling the tempo of the game and pushing the ball on fast breaks. I think they would have tired out the dream team and this would have payed off in the fourth quarter.
ReplyDelete-Tim Love
I think that the way basketball is played has completely changed since 1992, but I am not surprised that the Dream Team won. The way that they won the gold medal was practically untouchable. They blew every team out of the water and it was incredible. However, this year's Olympic team was incredibly impressive as well. That team was the best of the best in the league right now and they did an amazing job representing our country. My opinion may be a bit sentimental, but I feel like those players of 1992 were just something that can be outdone or replaced in history. It was really cool that you went out of your way to have these teams play each other so we could see the outcome. Even though it was computer generated that is probably the closest we're gonna get to finding a real result
ReplyDelete-Jenn Zoellick
I am not surprised by the blowout, and I believe the Dream Team would win at minimum 7 out of the 10 games. I know it's hard to look at realistically because the game is happening in the virtual world, but I still believe that outcome is legitimate. I think when Kobe said this year's olympic team could beat the Dream Team he was just trying to build the confidence of the team. At the same time, I believe that this year's team is more athletic than the Dream Team was in their prime. The Dream Team was just better basketball players. It would be interesting to set up the game to full 12 minute quarters and see what the result/player statistics end up being.
ReplyDelete-Michael Discipio
This must have been an interesting game to watch Aaron. The outcome though does not surprise me. The real dream team from 1992 was stacked. They had some of the greatest players of all time on that roster. The Olympic team this year was without Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh! If they had those players maybe, maybe I would give this years Olympic team a chance. Without those players though I do not believe they stood a chance. The 1992 dream team just had way to many stars for these years Olympic team to match up with.
ReplyDeleteJosiah Blevins
Hi Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was awesome how you set up a 2k sports simulation to see who would win the 2012 USA vs Dream Team game. To make the simulation even more realistic you could have had the quarters set at 12 minutes to see how the stats compared, and possibly even setting up a series to see who would have won a best of seven series. I wasn't surprised when the Dream Team won in this simulation either, I think that the Dream Team would win in a real life situation as well. I also think the Dream Team had better chemistry then the 2012 USA team. However, I can't complain with either because they both brought home a gold medal!
-Brett Creamer
Hello Aaron,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading yours and other students posts it apparent to me that the Dream Team would defeat the 2012 Team in a close effort and definitely would win in a 7 game series. There have been several mentions of Dwight Howard and Derek Rose not playing on the 2012 team and how that could potentially cause an upset. I believe that this fact is irrelevant because we are talking about who is actually on the 2012 team, and the question is would this 2012 team win. I understand the rationale for it, but even with those players I think that the Dream Team could do enough in a 7 game series to come out on top.
-Ryan Hetrick
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame this game would never happen because it would probably be one of the biggest U.S. spectacles to watch in the history of sports. If the Dream Team were to play the 2012 squad in a best-of-seven, I'm going with the Dream Team in six. Even though the 2012 team has the quicker perimeter with Rose, CP3, Williams and Westbrook, having only Dwight as the main inside presence will not get it done. The Dream Team would wear down the 2012, especially with the likes of David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and the Mail Man. Pippen, Magic, Jordan and Stockton etc. would play lockdown defense forcing the 2012 squad to take tough shots and even though they have the likes of Kobe, Lebron and Durant, the 2012 squad is not a consistent enough shooting team to stay with the Dream Team. They live by the 3 they die by the 3.
Nate Dudzik
I would still have to think that the Dream Team dominates in that series. Here are the reasons why:
ReplyDelete-The 2012 is without players like Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, etc.
-The big men on the Dream Team (David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley) would absolutely dominate the big men on the 2012 team (Tyson Chandler, Anthony Davis, Kevin Love). It's almost comical to think of the matchups.
-And lastly, although this has probably been mentioned before, the Dream Team is a more consistent and balanced team. The 2012 team has to rely on their smaller players and more athleticism. They do not seem suited to play in a half-court style game, unlike the Dream Team, who seemed equipped to play any style of game.
-Kevin Meyers
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteIt was a great idea to set up a simulation between the dream team and the 2012 team. I would be interested to see the results if you had set the quarters to 12 minutes. I am a little surprised by the blow-out because in a 7 game series i think every game would be a close game. I think the dream team would win a 7 game series 4-3. Michael Jordan would be the difference because everyone knows he will take the last shot, whereas with the 2012 team there is not one person where you can say he is taking the last shot every time. It would be interesting to see the simulation of a 7 game series.
-Derek Brewer
Well this is certainly an interesting simulation and I was certainly suprised with the out come of the first game. I thought it would be a lot closer than that. I feel like since this was the first game to have this simulation in it that the Dream Team will win most of the time just because it is kind of like thier honoring video game. Plus you never know how much financial influence was put into the making of this by some of the members of the Dream Team. I think it would be interesting to see how many games it takes before the 2012 team wins. Plus I would set the time to the actual time of a real game, to players fatigue wears in to its full effect in the game. I bet there will be more of these in future video games.
ReplyDeleteBY: RJ Hefflinger
After reading the blog and all of the following posts, I would like to offer my insight into this rabid debate. The 2012 olympic team that traveled to London is not as deep as the 1992 dream team therefore, the 1992 team would beat the 2012 team. However, I firmly believe that if the 2012 team would have Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and Chrish Bosh they would beat the 1992 pretty significantly.
ReplyDeleteThe argument for the dream team to beat this year's olympic team is that they have a significant height advantage and would dominate the post. Today's game has changed into a fast paced, guard oriented league and is widely different from 1992. People think the 1992 dream was so unlike any other because their margin of victory was so unlike the world has ever seen before, but that's because the international game was so weak back in that time. It's no argument that the 1992 dream team is the reason that the international game has grown so much today.
In conclusion, because of the present game's fast paced and length of the guards and forwards, the 2012 USA team would not beat the 1992 with the roster that went to London, but with the four absent players, I believe it would have been a thrashing of the dream team.
By Ollie Goss