USA Dream Team stats

[hotsizzle]

http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_1992.html

Whats with the constant starting lineup changes?

Barkley was a beast.

Also, whats with MJ's touch? He attempted 30 more shots than the next person and had the second worst FG% on the team. For those who watched the dream team in action...how did Jordan get his scoring oppurtunities? Amazing on stls though..37 stls in 8 games ~ 4.6 stls/gm

[Loki]

Also, whats with MJ's touch? He attempted 30 more shots than the next person and had the second worst FG% on the team.

He was missing shots that he usually makes for the most part, but another thing (when comparing his FG% to that of the other DT'ers) is that he didn't get many transition baskets, since he was usually the one who forced a TO to start the break, and then either led it himself and assisted on the basket or passed it off to Magic/Pippen immediately to start the break.

But yeah, his stroke was off those games. Even his FT% was terrible (68%), so it was likely something internal to him. Might have been fatigue, since he was shooting well in the qualifying rounds (I have all of the Olympic and qualifying games on tape). He was also exerting a ton of energy on defense all series, guarding either the PG or best perimeter player every game. Teams literally couldn't bring the ball up against him in those games -- he was a one-man press.

Amazing on stls though..37 stls in 8 games ~ 4.6 stls/gm

Yeah, he was playing full-court defense basically every possession, hounding opposing backcourts and totally taking them out of their game. If you look up the Team USA Olympic record for steals in a game, you'll see that Jordan has the record with 8 steals...and he did it twice in the '92 games, on consecutive days. And he was only playing about 19-22 mpg iirc.

He was also the best passer during those games. Not in terms of volume (where with 4.9 apg he was second to Pippen's 5.9 apg), but in terms of degree of difficulty and % completion of passes. Watch those games -- qualifying and Olympic rounds -- and you'll never question Jordan's passing skill and vision again if you ever did. He shares the record for most assists in Olympic competition with 12 in one game.

[dejordan]

http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_1992.html

Whats with the constant starting lineup changes?

Barkley was a beast.

Also, whats with MJ's touch? He attempted 30 more shots than the next person and had the second worst FG% on the team. For those who watched the dream team in action...how did Jordan get his scoring oppurtunities? Amazing on stls though..37 stls in 8 games ~ 4.6 stls/gm

mj actually wound up playing some pg for that team because magic and stockton were both hurt (both had knee trouble if i recall), so a lot of shots came with the shotclock running down. he did most of his successful scoring in the paint on the break or off the dribble in the half court. like with this team, the forwards were the ones getting most of the easy opportunities because they could get behind the defense. the team didn't really run anything complex. they pressed all game long, got out and ran, and operated from the high post with motion in the half court (always against zones). you could tell that chuck and karl were the only ones really taking it all that seriously, and they really excelled. mj defintely forced more shots than anyone else.

[IGOTGAME]

4/19 from 3 is bad but its hard to judge a player in blowouts...

Jordan's game transfered pretty similar to Kobe's imo except for Kobe being a better long range shooter...but Jordan a better defender.

[Indian guy]

I remember his jumpshot being completely off. Even missing wide open 15-18 footers that he usually made with his eyes closed . He was struggling from the FT line too which is a sure fire sign of fatigue. The 91-92 season was a very tiring year for the Bulls.

[Kblaze8855]

I remember his jumper being really flat. Line drive jumpers kinda like Tim Duncans when he doesnt try to bank it.

[MaxFly]

I remember his jumper being really flat. Line drive jumpers kinda like Tim Duncans when he doesnt try to bank it.

Yeah, lack of arch... Jordan must have been quite exhausted that off season.

[Valiant Valor]

Okay, does now PROVE that Dream Team, as constructed at the time, would have had "some" issues with the modern FIBA teams?

C'mon, shotty point play, plus Jordan was "struggling", is there any doubt?

[AI Nuggets3]

Okay, does now PROVE that Dream Team, as constructed at the time, would have had "some" issues with the modern FIBA teams?

C'mon, shotty point play, plus Jordan was "struggling", is there any doubt?

struggling 18 foot shooting Jordan is still better than most of this US team. that's whats crazy. athletically and defensively he was in his prime. MJ wasn't doing a lot of driving from what i remember because all you had to do was feed prime Barkley, prime Ewing, prime DRob, or prime Malone in the paint.

i religiousy watched the Dream Team 15 years ago (even had the EA Sports Dream Team video game) and they would still destroy every team. Spain, Italy, the real Argentina. trust me. i love the team we have now but they can't even come close to the Barcelona squad. what funny is that the 3 captains (MJ, Jordan, Bird) really werent the best performers of that team. Barkley was amazing and i remember Mullin always seemed like he was on fire. The startling lineup #'s are funny looking because the lineup seemingly changed every single game. They didn't need to have a "set" A squad.

that team is probably the only team ive seen thats BETTER than the hype or legend they've attained.

[Loki]

4/19 from 3 is bad but its hard to judge a player in blowouts...

Like I and others have noted, he was likely fatigued. 68% from the FT line for a career 83-84% shooter? Something was up...

I wonder if I could find the stats for the qualifying round (I think there were about half a dozen games or so), because he shot significantly better there (especially from 3). I mean, really, by '92-'93, Jordan was almost automatic from 20-21 feet. 4-19 from that distance is a huge anomaly to anyone who's watched more than a few games of his from the '92 season.


I think he just got progressively more fatigued as the tourney wore on. He was awesome in the '92 Finals (36 ppg/53% FG), great in the qualifying rounds on both ends, and then shot poorly (by his standards -- 45% would be awesome for AI ) in the actual Olympic games, while maintaining his defensive intensity. I think all this combined for tired legs resulting in missed shots he usually makes (wide open shots, mind you). He pressed full court every game that Summer.

Jordan's game transfered pretty similar to Kobe's imo except for Kobe being a better long range shooter...but Jordan a better defender.

Kobe's actually playing a role pretty similar to Jordan on that team -- that of the pressure defender making things happen and making life hell for the opposing PG or best perimeter scorer.

[geeWiz15]

lol, Barkley 7-8 from 3 and shot 71% from the field. ridic.

[Force]

every single game was a joke...they were just out there showing off...opposing players were asking guys on the bench to take pictures of them anytime they got posted up by Jordan or Magic...the stats on that team don't matter...every single game was over before the tip off.

[IGOTGAME]

every single game was a joke...they were just out there showing off...opposing players were asking guys on the bench to take pictures of them anytime they got posted up by Jordan or Magic...the stats on that team don't matter...every single game was over before the tip off.

sounds like the FIBA Americas tourney..but for some reason people take those stats very seriously

[KINGD]

lol at mj what a ballhog

[AI Nuggets3]

I think he just got progressively more fatigued as the tourney wore on. He was awesome in the '92 Finals (36 ppg/53% FG), great in the qualifying rounds on both ends, and then shot poorly (by his standards -- 45% would be awesome for AI ) in the actual Olympic games, while maintaining his defensive intensity. I think all this combined for tired legs resulting in missed shots he usually makes (wide open shots, mind you). He pressed full court every game that Summer.


Kobe's actually playing a role pretty similar to Jordan on that team -- that of the pressure defender making things happen and making life hell for the opposing PG or best perimeter scorer.

eh......never bought into AI's sub 45% shooting. guy was shooting what 47% once he came to Denver and finally got single coverage? If you're 5'11 and double teamed every single possession all year, you've got to be amazing to even shoot 40%.

but the funny thing is that no one cared that MJ played like crap on offense. it was never mentioned by the media. it didn't matter when you're winning by 30 after the first quarter of evey game. throw MJ on the 02 squad or last year's squad and then it will be noticed.