Team USA Tournament: 1996 vs. 2000
Kevin Garnett (photo. Gary Land)This year marks the fifth time USA Basketball has put a team of NBA stars on the court for the Olympics. Since there’s no question that the original ‘92 Dream Team is the best unit ever assembled in any sport — not just basketball — the better question is, “Who’s the next-best U.S. squad?” From 1996 to 2000 to 2004 to 2008, we’ve been pitting the Team USA Olympic rosters against each other in a hypothetical one-and-done tournament. Last week, the two finalists to emerge via your votes were 1996 and 2000.
Remember, we’re going with international rules for this tourney, and we’re considering each player as they were at the time (rosters and ages posted after the jump). This time it’s the 1996 team, who won gold in Atlanta, against the 2000 squad, who took the whole thing in Sydney. Tell us who you think will win in the comments section:
1996 U.S. Olympic Team
Gary Payton (PG, 28)
Reggie Miller (SG, 30)
Scottie Pippen (SF, 30)
Charles Barkley (PF, 33)
David Robinson (C, 30)
Hakeem Olajuwon (C, 33)
Penny Hardaway (PG, 24)
Grant Hill (SF, 23)
Karl Malone (PF, 33)
Shaquille O’Neal (C, 24)
Mitch Richmond (SG, 31)
John Stockton (PG, 34)
COACH: Lenny Wilkens
2000 U.S. Olympic Team
Jason Kidd (PG, 27)
Gary Payton (PG, 32)
Vince Carter (SG, 23)
Kevin Garnett (PF, 25)
Alonzo Mourning (C, 30)
Allan Houston (SG, 29)
Vin Baker (PF, 28)
Ray Allen (SG, 25)
Tim Hardaway (PG, 33)
Antonio McDyess (PF, 25)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (PF, 23)
Steve Smith (SG, 31)
COACH: Rudy Tomjanovich
July 8th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Prof. TX says:
‘96 Wins
Their defense is too good and their frontcourt is too strong.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:09 am
alex says:
no contest, its the ‘96 squad!
Pip will lock down Kidd / Hardaway
They can pound it inside to Shaq, Dream, and ok even Mr. Rob
Miller and Mitch can snipe from afar
Stock will run the offense with minimal TOs
Penny and Hill can run the wings
Barkley / Malone can be the ‘enforcers’
July 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am
SparkyJ23 says:
Shaq, The Captain and Hakeem?
I’d have to be on crack to not go with ‘96
And was vin baker drunk in 2000?
July 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Big Daddy says:
Easily the 96 team. At the Center spot - can Zo hold up against the Dream, the Admiral and the big cactus?
I think not.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:11 am
jay says:
first!
1996 hands down!
July 8th, 2008 at 10:17 am
shake&bake says:
I think this is showing that Team USA has been getting worse every year. But I think (and hope) that ‘04 was the low point for a long, long time.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am
rangerjohn says:
yeah 96 takes this one to easy
July 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Damon says:
no question. 96 destroys 2000.
I think 96 could even give 92 a run.
probably not beat them in a 7 game series, but 1 game, maybe.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Stiletto says:
i agree 96 is probably the second best basketball team ever assembled
July 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Jim says:
Yeah, forget about the marketing: ‘96 is Dream Team II, and there is no Dream Team III.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
‘96, NO QUESTION
July 8th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
ERIC says:
Gotta say that the ‘96 squad wins with vintage Hill,Penny, young Shaq Daddy and GP/Hakeem/Pip locking down the 2000 team.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
doc says:
I’ll take 96.But I’m not sleeping on this year squad to beat any of them teams.92 team aint unbeatable as everybody think.Yeah they had Mike and Chuck in they prime which is enough on most nights but 96 and 08 could give them a hell of a run.The rest of the real stars on 92 like Magic and Bird which makes everybody say they’re unbeatable was old as dirt by then.Magic was retired and Bird wasn’t playing after that olympics.The world just wasnt ready yet.But I’m giving this year team Dream Team 3 status.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Icy says:
Again, who’s going to guard Hakeem, Shaq, the Admiral, Barkley, and the Mailman? Shareef? Vin Baker? Pgs are a wash and 96 wings better then 2000.
96 Wins
July 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Ian says:
96 EASY AND IN A SEVEN GAME SERIES WITH THE 92 SQUAD THEY PLAY THE FULL 7 GAMES. ITS NOT 92 EASY LIKE EVERYONE SAYS BIRD WONT GUARD SHIT VS THE 96 TEAM.
ROBINSON
SHAQ
HAKEEM
TOGETHER PLUS PENNY TO PUT ON MAGIC
THE QUESTION SHOULD BE 96 VS 92
July 8th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Lee says:
What about the 94 squad .. Shaq, Kemp, Thomas, Wilkins, Price, Smith, Marlee, Hardaway (tim) + Others. It wasn’t a bad squad.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
First!
‘96 wins hands-down
July 8th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
alex says:
yeah I think 96 can give 92 a decent run too - cancel the players that existed on both teams. Big factor would be Dream, Shaq, Robinson against Ewing. Even MJ would have his work cut out for him. And Laettner is damn useless.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
MSkittle says:
96
July 8th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
dh says:
96 easy. they got the best C’s
July 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Smooth says:
96
July 8th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Jay says:
Vin Baker and Shareef Abdur Rahim were the backup power forwards. That’s all that needs to be said.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
drewstar says:
96 hands down. heck, 96 is so underrated that i honestly think that they’re better than 92 (assuming the 92 players were at their current age when they played, and same with 96. 96 had more players in their prime than 92, which was filled with a number of players past their prime like magic and bird).
July 8th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Luigi says:
Well ‘92 had In the Prime Jordan n Sir Charles n Patrick Ewing n Scottie n Stockton n Malone. Mullins can shoot n Christian Laettner was releveant in 92
and also. Larry n Magic was there for like leadership not 2 take over. dat wuz Jordans job
As 4 this thing. 96. it had the primes that were HOFs
July 8th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Craig says:
96 squad
July 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
kowtz says:
The Diesel, The Dream, The Admiral…
Unstopable force, Quadruple Double, 7o Points…
Nuff Said…
2000 can’t run if they can’t grab boards… They can’t run if jKidd gets locked by PiP and Penny…
July 9th, 2008 at 6:55 am
karan says:
96