Just a Dream

Clyde Drexler takes the ball out by passing it to Magic Johnson. Johnson dribbles up the court with all the swagger and poise only the best point guard of all time could muster. He threads the ball under his legs quickly leaving one defender in the dust. He turns on the speed at half court, looks right, but slings the ball around his back to the left resulting in another seamless fakeout. He swiftly dishes the ball to the hulking Charles Barkley. Barkley backs down his defender, a man likely regretting the decision to guard the behemoth power forward. Barkley spots a teammate near the three-point line in the corner and passes to Chris Mullin. Mullin pump fakes once, sending his defender into the stratosphere. All the while, the incomparable Michael Jordan streaks down the middle of the court. Mullin sees an opportunity too good to be true. He hurls the ball towards Jordan just as he lifts off from near the foul line. His Airness catches it in midair, with his trademark tongue drooping from his mouth, and slams the ball through the hoop with one hand. MJ lands like a cat and turns up the court with a confident smirk, sending the crowd into immediate hysteria.

They were an unstoppable force. A group of 12 all-stars who assembled together to create the most legendary team in all of basketball history. So storied was the United States 1992 men’s Olympic squad that they earned the nickname “Dream Team.” They were the ultimate package, the best players on the planet, on one team.

Headlining the team was of course Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the best player of all time. The rest of the team was comprised of 10 NBA players that included: Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, and last but not least, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Christian Laettner of Duke University was also selected to the team, the lone collegiate member with no professional experience.

Top row from left: Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Karl Malone
Bottom row from left:  Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan

Take one look at the aforementioned team, take a step back for a second, and realize the sheer amount of talent. Every single one of the players was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame (with the exception of Christian Laettner). Also consider the fact that the Dream Team didn’t just beat the other teams to win the 1992 gold medal at Barcelona, they demolished them by an average deficit of nearly 44 points. It just didn’t seem fair. The closest game played by the team took place during the gold medal match when the United States won by a staggering 32 points with a score of 117-85.

Could another team ever even come close to equaling or surpassing such a force? For years, few sports analysts or professional athletes thought it possible, yet the 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s team had other plans, a rubric designed to supplant the Dream Team as the best team of all time. Led by LeBron James, whom most analysts regard as the current best player in the world, the team was also composed of numerous other talented athletes. The 11 others members of the team included: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, and rookie Anthony Davis.

With such a gifted roster, it becomes more reasonable to understand how some of the 2012 team rationalized that they could beat the Dream Team. Their perfect 6-0 performance en route to winning the gold medal in the London Olympics lends itself even further to that idea. Although their margin of victory of 32.1 points was lower than the Dream Team’s 43.8 points, the 2012 team managed to set a number of records of its own. During a game against Nigeria the team scored an Olympic record 156 points, shattering the old record of 138 set by Brazil in 1988. The team also set U.S. records for three-pointers (29), field goals (59), field goal percentage (71%), and margin of victory (83 pts). Carmelo Anthony even set a U.S. single game record by scoring 37 points in the game.

The 2012 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team touting their gold medals

Though that dominating performance showcased just how good the team could be, they were not truly tested until later games. They barely edged Lithuania by five points in a 99-94 victory. The gold medal match also offered a thrilling battle against Spain in which the U.S. won narrowly 107-100. Many critics will jump at the chance to point out how close these games were when juxtaposing the 2012 team with the Dream Team. While it's true that the Dream Team’s margin of victory was higher and they didn’t really experience any close games like the 2012 team, the level of competition in 1992 may have been lower when compared to present-day international talent. For instance, in 1992 the U.S. team faced Croatia- a squad with only two NBA players- in the final and beat them by 32. In contrast, the 2012 U.S. team’s closer seven-point victory is made more understandable given that seven NBA players were on Spain’s team.

With all the evidence finally assembled, perhaps a just decision can finally be reached as to which American team would come out on top. As far as player-by-player comparison goes, clearly the best player on the court would be Michael Jordan. Joining Jordan on the starting roster would likely be Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, and Larry Bird. The 2012 team’s expected lineup would probably consist of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, and Tyson Chandler.

One of the most obvious points of comparison is the 2012 team’s lack of a star center. Though talented, Tyson Chandler simply wouldn’t be able to keep up with Patrick Ewing or David Robinson for that matter. The Dream Team would have to get the nod in that category. As far as the rest of the team goes, the point guard battle would in all likelihood be won by Magic Johnson and John Stockton, though the trio of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Russell Westbrook would give them a run for their money. LeBron would most definitely make an impact as the best player for his team, and the aging Kobe Bryant would yet again turn back time and lend a hand with his veteran leadership and scoring ability.

Pictured from top to bottom: the 1992 team and the 2012 team. Note: Blake Griffin (No. 14)
did not participate due to injury and was replaced by Anthony Davis (not pictured).

In the end though, it’s difficult to imagine the 2012 contenders dethroning the Dream Team. Although a number of current players will surely win more championships, set more records, and eventually end up in the Hall of Fame, the odds of them conquering the 1992 team just seem unlikely. But perhaps likelihood of victory isn't the real issue; instead, maybe what basketball scholars and contemporary analysts should realize is that the Dream Team blazed the trail for future American Olympic teams. The current group of players, LeBron and Kobe included, have learned from that team, taken pages from their book and created their own separate legacy. When basketball critics of the future look back on the accomplishments of both teams, one aspect of comparison will be perfectly clear: both squads represented their decade's pinnacle of basketball success, but what the Dream Team achieved is something so special and unprecedented that it can never be duplicated.

Grass Court Greatness

Up until now, I've mainly been writing about the MLB and the Pirates in particular. However, this post aims to break the mold and give another sport a chance to share the limelight. As you may or may not know, one of the most popular tennis tournaments in the world recently came to an end this past weekend. Wimbledon, the famed London tennis complex, played host to the best players in the world all in competition to oust one another on the grass courts and forever engrave their names in the annals of tennis history.

One of the greatest qualities of professional tennis is the game's unpredictable nature. This year's Wimbledon was certainly no exception to the rule. Both the men’s and the women’s sides witnessed dramatic upsets and unbelievable comebacks that annually characterize Wimbledon and excite audiences worldwide. Though the women’s side surely offered a number of rousing matches including Serena Williams’ magical run en route to winning another title, I’ve chosen to focus on the men’s side in fear of writing an overly-lengthy post. I promise to make up for my omission in the future.

The 128-man field was split up into four separate brackets with one of the world’s top four seeds placed in each. The big four have remained largely unchanged for the past few years with Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Rafael Nadal (Spain), Roger Federer (Switzerland), and Andy Murray (Great Britain) leading the charge from spots 1-4 respectively.

The early rounds of Wimbledon initially offered little in the way of surprises; however, things took a dramatic turn when Rafael Nadal, the second-ranked player in the world, suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic. Ranked 100^th in world when he beat the great Spaniard, Rosol became the lowest-ranked player to ever beat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament. Rafa was clearly frustrated as the match wore on, as he tumbled into the net and bumped into Rosol during a court changeover. Whether or not the bump was intentional, there was no denying the fact that Nadal was angered over his inability to contend with someone of such low rank.

Despite Nadal’s early exit, the remainder of the top three continued their dominance into the semifinals. Djokovic looked masterful throughout the majority of Wimbledon, and most analysts were settling on the 25 year-old Serb to win the entire tournament. Roger Federer, regarded as the best in the world prior to Djokovic’s meteoric rise through the tennis ranks, had other plans.

Many had written off Federer as too old…at the age of 30. He had also been experiencing back problems. Pundits were offered further ammunition to fuel their beliefs that Federer was running out of gas when he barely won a thrilling five-set, two-tiebreak match against Florian Mayer (#22) of Germany. Yet Federer, calm and collected as usual, went into the match with Djokovic with confidence and managed to upset the world number one in four sets, making his way to yet another Grand Slam final.

Because of Nadal’s early exit, the latter half of the bracket allowed Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga to enter the semifinals for a match against the native fan favorite Andy Murray. Murray, who had never been able to surmount the challenge of winning his home country’s tournament, received tremendous support from fans throughout all of Wimbledon. But the British have seen this episode far too often: Andy Murray makes a run deep into a Grand Slam event only to fail to make it into the final. The world number four was determined to shake this long-standing skepticism surrounding his play. And he did just that. He went into his match with Tsonga with the air of an accomplished champion and methodically defeated his opponent 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. With that victory, Murray again won over the hearts of Britain as they now anticipated a Wimbledon final that could yield a British champion for the first time since 1936 when Fred Perry hoisted the trophy.

The highly-touted men’s final drew a worldwide audience of 16.9 million, the highest viewing figure since 1990. Needless to say, the tennis world was on its feet to potentially witness an event that hadn’t transpired in years. Murray opened the match with a 6-4 first set victory which encouraged British supporters that he just might do it. However, they may have neglected to consider the iron will and unbreakable fortitude of Roger Federer. Not to be denied, Federer stormed back with an exciting 7-5 victory in the second set to tie the match. In the third set, Murray challenged Federer again but was unable to overcome the Swiss onslaught as he dropped a second set 6-3. On the brink of failure, Murray gave every bit of energy and effort he could manifest, as he attempted to fight back against Federer and win Wimbledon for both himself and his country. But regardless of his tremendous endeavor, he would be denied the trophy as Federer won the fourth set 6-4, ending Murray’s miraculous run.

In the midst of evident disappointment, Murray met Federer at the net to congratulate him on his seventh win at Wimbledon and 17^th overall Grand Slam victory. Yet what most will remember about this year’s final may have been Andy Murray’s post-match speech. After being handed the microphone, Murray prefaced his oration with a bit of humor to lighten the mood as he announced, “I’m getting closer.” Fans responded positively with a mixture of laughter and applause, eager to show their pride and support for the country’s native son.

Following the ovation, Murray began again saying, “Alright, I’m going to try this, and it’s not going to be easy.” Mid-way through that sentence the runner-up broke down into tears as the intense emotion of the grueling tournament finally overcame him. Cameras zoomed in on Murray’s family and close friends, many of whom had also begun to get choked up. Murray eventually regained his composure long enough to address the Wimbledon champion. Mustering all the humility and class of a true sportsman, Murray congratulated Federer, commenting on his skilled play despite his age and bad back and praising him as a deserving winner. He then went on to thank his friends and family that had supported him throughout Wimbledon, paying careful attention to avert his eyes from where they were sitting so as not to cry again.

Finally, Murray expressed his gratitude to his fans, and with his voice yet again becoming shaky proclaimed, “Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is. But the people watching…they make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible, so thank you.” With those last words, Andy Murray made his way over to Roger Federer and embraced him, epitomizing the true meaning of sportsmanship and sculpting himself as role model not only for young athletes but also for some his more boastful contemporaries who could learn a thing or two from his example.

Whether you’re a tennis aficionado, casual fan, or disinterested bystander, you simply can’t deny the athletic spectacle that was Wimbledon 2012. Upsets, resurgences, and the presence of true character all made this grass court tournament special. And if there’s one aspect of Wimbledon you should remember, keep in mind Andy Murray’s post-match speech. Don’t focus on the crying. Focus on why he was crying. Though some may scorn him for his overt display of emotion, his behavior typifies the passion and dedication that go into building a professional athlete. And those are the aspects of the game that serve as a poignant reminder of why sports mean so much to us in the first place.