There are plenty of arguments to draw comparisons between the Dream Team of 1992 and he who will tread Paris It is 2024. Although the mark of that first time will always be incomparable, both groups had and have three veteran stars who have led their respective generations, and all the members of both teams were distinguished in their day in the best quintets of the NBA. Indeed, see LeBron James, Stephen Curry y Kevin Durant lead the US team in these Olympic Games It will be a real delight. As much or almost as much as it must have been to witness the globalizing big bang of basketball at the hands of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird y Magic Johnson in Barcelona. There is, however, a huge abyss that separates both groups.
“The big difference is that in 1992 the rest of the world was nowhere near the level it is now,” he says. Steve KerrAmerican coach, coach of the Golden State Warriors dynasty and former teammate of MJ in those legendary Chicago Bulls of the nineties. “Now nothing is guaranteed and there are good rivals everywhere”adds the coach in conversation with a small group of international media, including Mundo Deportivo.
There is a tremendous fact that reflects the insulting superiority of the Americans during that mythical summer in Barcelona. “Chuck Daly didn’t take a single timeout in the tournament. “That team was never threatened”, recalls Kerr, a great connoisseur of history, when mentioning the dissolution of Yugoslavia as another decisive factor in the placid path of that legendary group. “The difference is, yes, we have a team full of hall of famers, but The challenge is different, because basketball has grown a lot and it is a totally different competition from that of 1992, more global and popular than ever. There will be great rivals in Serbia, France, Germany, Spain… Assuming that he qualifies, and I left out many,” he concludes.
American players are lamenting their defeat in the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Manila, Philippines
Yong Teck Lim / Getty
Kerr leads a stratospheric team to conquer the gold that is always expected of the Americans, although the stumble in the last World Cup, where they fell in the semifinals against the Canada from Badalona Jordi Fernandez It is a fresh memory to hold on to. “Last year we weren’t able to achieve what we were after, so it was frustrating,” he notes. Tyrese Haliburtonone of the two members of that group who repeats with Anthony EdwardsThe rest have been part of Team USA at one time or another, although they don’t remember the trauma of not winning a medal.
“I learned a lot. One game can decide everything. This is not like a playoff series, where you can try to get a feel for the opponent and adjust to it as the games go by. In one day everything is decided, and one or two inspired guys can change the story of the game. We must be very clear about that,” the Indiana Pacers point guard, conference finalists this year, answers MD. “Team USA is the gold standard, and all rivals want to give their best version against us. After experiencing it, I am already on notice,” he adds.
The 12 for Team USA in Paris 2024 13 Bam Adebayo, center (Miami Heat) 15 Devin Booker, point guard (Phoenix Suns) 4 Stephen Curry, point guard (Golden State Warriors) 14 Anthony Davis, center (Los Angeles Lakers) 7 Kevin Durant, forward (Phoenix Suns) 5 Anthony Edwards, shooting guard (Minnesota Timberwolves) 11 Joel Embiid, center (Philadelphia 76ers) 9 Tyrese Haliburton, point guard (Indiana Pacers) 12 Jrue Holiday, point guard (Boston Celtics) 6 LeBron James, forward (Los Angeles Lakers) 8 Kawhi Leonard, forward (Los Angeles Clippers) 10 Jayson Tatum, forward (Boston Celtics)
The Americans will gather in Las Vegas on July 5 and begin a short but intense tour of preparatory friendlies, starting on July 10 against their last executioner, Canada. The coaches, with Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue acting as luxury secondary players, they will meet a couple of days before in Nevada to advance work and share the scouting tasks. Gone are those days of showing up to meetings and improvising solutions as the wind blows. Kerr is excited about what will be his last challenge as head of USA Basketball. “It’s exciting, how could it not be? It’s the Olympic Games, There will be great competition, and my players want to add another gold despite everything they have already achieved in their careers,” he celebrates.
“The NBA is a marathon, but FIBA is a sprint”. We understand the challenge,” he explains, pointing out as always the challenge of transferring the regulations and basic concepts of international basketball to players accustomed to the parallel universe that the best league in the world represents. “Many teams have more continuity in their squads, and our main strength is the great sea of talent to choose from, but at the same time It is quite a challenge to always have to start from scratch. with a new group.”
Among the unknowns of Team USA is to see what the typical initial quintet will be, given that the group is simply legendary. Impossible to imagine who enters and who stays out. It will be a matter of finding chemistry and balance, and Kerr’s colors stand out when he points out that he is curious to see how Curry and LeBron, wanted by Golden State throughout the season, will connect on the court: “It will be intriguing to see Steph and LeBron, and I know they are delighted to be able to compete together.” The rest of the planet probably shares his intrigue.
In group C, for now, Serbia is waiting for them. Nikola Jokic and Svetislav Pesic, y the South Sudan of the African prodigy Khaman Maluach. The third rival in the group will leave the qualifying tournament In Puerto Ricowith Lithuania and Italy starting as favourites.
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2024-06-28 18:22:56
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