OT - '92 Dream Team NBA TV Documentary & Best Game Ever

[MikeSU02]

If anyone cares, Richard Deitsch just tweeted the following:

NBA TV will air a 90-minute doc on the original Dream Team on June 13 at 9p ET. Interviewed all 12 players including Michael Jordan.

NBA TV says they'll be exclusive footage from 20 years ago in Monte Carlo when Magic and Jordan went head-to-head in practice.

As Michael Jordan describes it, "best game ever".

For the NBA fans on the board, this is pretty exciting.

Teams:

Michael Jordan's team: Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing​

Magic Johnson's team: Christian Laettner, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley and David Robinson​

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Jordan's team won 40-36.​

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Clyde and Stockton were dinged up and sidelined.​

 

[Knicks411]

thanks for the reminder; i had seen the ads for this.

Can you imagine being Christian Laettner and playing in that game? Wow.

 

[PeteCalvin]

No doubt Magic's team lost because of CL. That is mis-match city.

 

[pearl31]

how in the hell was Laettner picked for that team?

 

[Alsacs]

how in the hell was Laettner picked for that team?

Coach K was Chuck Daly's assistant coach on that team and lobbied for Laettner and he did lead the USA team in 1990 World Championships where we finished in 3rd for the Bronze. Apparently, the college player final 3 were Laettner, Shaquille O'Neal, and Alonzo Mourning the pick should have been O'Neal, but Coach K lobbied USA Basketball and Laettner winning the back to back NCs had to be considered.

 

[DeGrozz]

how in the hell was Laettner picked for that team?

Coach K was Chuck Daly's assistant coach on that team and lobbied for Laettner and he did lead the USA team in 1990 World Championships where we finished in 3rd for the Bronze. Apparently, the college player final 3 were Laettner, Shaquille O'Neal, and Alonzo Mourning the pick should have been O'Neal, but Coach K lobbied USA Basketball and Laettner winning the back to back NCs had to be considered.

Hind-site is 20/20, but going into '92 Ewing and Robinson were probably the two best pure centers in the game -- what could Daly have thought pre-NBA Shaq or Mourning would have brought to the team that Robinson and Ewing didn't? Laettner was at least a 7-footer(or close to it) that could shoot from the outside and he was a pretty good passer. He was also pretty darn good straight out of college if you look up his rookie stats and was the Naismith award winner.

I know it's easy to hate him (he is probably the most hated college player ever), but I wouldn't call it an illogical choice at the time.

Hell - look at who Adam Morrison was picked over for the US team trials coming out of college...

 

[sendithome]

how in the hell was Laettner picked for that team?

Daly wanted someone willing to accept 12th man status and work hard in practice. Shaquille would never accept being 12th man. It didn't hurt that Laettner's persona and work ethic may have further intensified the practices.