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Could ex-Yugoslavia have beaten the Dream Team?
#1
Ivkovic thinks so Smile
Quote:Ivkovic - €œFormer Yugoslavia Might Have Beat Dream Team

Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic hasn't been blowing his own trumpet, or exaggerating the success of the young national squad he led this year in a successful EuroBasket 2009 qualifying campaign.

With just a single defeat in Group A of Division A, though, there's no dispute that Ivkovic's Blues rekindled the enthusiasm of the fans in the "Land of Basketball".
The last medal achieved by the country came in 2002 at the FIBA World Championship.

It wasn't so long ago that the team that won that gold was known as Yugoslavia.

Ivkovic, with the year drawing to a close, spoke this week to the Sportska Centrala news agency.

Instead of focusing on the here and now, Ivkovic turned the clock back and remembered some of the former Yugoslavia's past successes when he was in first stint as coach. At the time, the Blues were the kings of Europe.

During that period, Yugoslavia won three European titles and one World Championship, in Argentina in 1990.

Had the breakup of the country not occurred, he says, even the Dream Team might have fallen victim to his Blues at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

"That was our goal, to reach gold in Barcelona," Ivkovic said, referring to a squad that included Serbian greats Vlade Divac, Zoran Savic and Zarko Paspalj, Croatian legends Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc and Slovenian Jure Zdovc.

"And we were on the right path. Our team was outstanding.

"With those guys, and all others (Velimir Perasovic, Zoran Cutura, Zeljko Obradovic, Arijan Komazec, Radisav Curcic and Zoran Jovanovic, who won the trophy in Argentina), I think we were ready for the biggest clash, with the Americans at the Olympics.


"For years we'd been preparing. We'd organized so-called "November tours" during which our selections faced the best college teams from the United States.
"And then, in one moment, we've overcome our goal of development and adapted to their (USA's) style. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I'm quite sure we would have defeated that "Dream Team" squad that wasn't, in my opinion, the best American team."


A lot of people have wondered why a European great like Ivkovic has never coached in the NBA.

While working as head coach of CSKA Moscow, in fact, Ivkovic says he got a call from an NBA team but refused to leave. Even nowadays, he's happy with his decision.

"I don't think I made a mistake when I said "thanks, but no thanks," he said.

"Indeed, we'd been close to a deal, and only details that I insisted on kept us apart. Meanwhile, I signed a contract in Russia, and when the NBA club agreed on my terms, it was already too late. I didn't want to break my new contract for one in the USA but for me - shaking hands is more than a contract.

"That's the man I am. I've stayed at a club I've signed for.

"There is a different style of work in the NBA, but I still think I would be successful there. Of course, I don't know how players would react to my style, but I'm sure that I wouldn't be comfortable with their attitude that ‘only play-offs are important'. That's not my way of understanding basketball."

Even now, Ivkovic has offers to lead club sides but shaking hands with authorities of the Serbian Basketball Association is more important than a new, lucrative contract.

"I've came back to my homeland to help, and I've accepted that job with a promise that I'll be there until the end (2012 Olympics in London)," Ivkovic said.
"A lot of work is in front of us and I've declined some offers from clubs as I want to stay with our national team," Ivkovic said to Sportska Centrala.

http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_dmikLcxsHlQ..._frontpage.html
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht.
: BASKET-SPOT : - Global Basketball
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#2
It Croatia fought so hard in 92 in Barcelona, I can only imagine what could an all-Yugoslavian team do.
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#3
They would have gotten raped by Jordan/Pippens's penetration, passing abilities. John Stockton and Magic Johnson at point guard would give any team problems. They would have been out rebounded by David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing. Not to mention that they would have been outscored in the middle as well. Yugo would be looking at situations where they could not defend or score for long periods of time. Team USA was just too strong that year playing against college players does not = playing against Dream Team 92'. They would have been sadly surprised. I'm sure they could put up a fight BUT in the end they would get beat by 20+ like everyone else. Props to Duda for having pride in his abilities BUT even genius has its limits.
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#4
Quote:even genius has its limits.

I will only quote this part where u can put USA dream team as a genius Wink

Don't be so sure about things that will never be clear...
(Mar 4, 2012, 7:59 pm)KAPALI Wrote: "...I can show U what I am everytime everywhere your web artist..."
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#5
Croatia could have beaten the Dream Team. The Dream Team had a fantastic team but I think that Ex-Yugoslavia could have made the game even closer and would have had more chance to beat the Dream Team.
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#6
ex yugoslavia can easily bit the dream team.
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#7
ex yugoslavia and USA were playing in ljubljana and ex yugoslavia won the game very easily.
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#8
Quote:ex yugoslavia and USA were playing in ljubljana and ex yugoslavia won the game very easily.

When was this??
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#9
What is it in you people to say such things? Ex-Yu could EASILY beat the dream team... It was possible, sure, but very easy is a very proud thing to say.

We will never know the true difference between those teams and any comment like that is nonsense.
(Mar 4, 2012, 7:59 pm)KAPALI Wrote: "...I can show U what I am everytime everywhere your web artist..."
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#10
SUEÑOS ROBADOS. EL BALONCESTO YUGOSLAVO

Broken dreams book wroten by Juanan Hinojo about Yugoslavian basketball, mostley on legendary generation that was about peek. So far only on Spanish
http://www.baloncestoyugoslavo.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/Baloncestoyugoslavo

on this sites there are some unique material

.............................................

my personal opinion that ex yugoslavia would have some verey small chances tu suprise USA,but that team was really to good....Also I think that that generation peek would be more like 96. Olympics...Than I think there would be realistic chance for them to beat USA

If we add lot of "IF's thinking about potential rooster at that time makes you think about one word. Scary!

Djordjevic, Zdovc, Naumoski, Obradovic, Mulamerovic....

Petrovic, Danilovic, Perasovic, Radulovic.....

Kukoc, Bodiroga, Komazec, Paspalj.....

Divac, Radja, Fucka, Rebraca, Vrankovic, Tomaseviv, Tabak....

Just sick....2nd team would fight for medal
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#11
yugoslavia and USA were playing for world champion and yugoslavia won the game. that was about year 1980. they were playing in ljubljana, slovenia. yugoslavia won the game about 15 points.
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#12
Quote:yugoslavia and USA were playing for world champion and yugoslavia won the game. that was about year 1980. they were playing in ljubljana, slovenia. yugoslavia won the game about 15 points.

1970

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_e-goEp_7k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5JeQDq8mc
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#13
Quote:yugoslavia and USA were playing for world champion and yugoslavia won the game. that was about year 1980. they were playing in ljubljana, slovenia. yugoslavia won the game about 15 points.

Basket this is misunderstanding about name. There is truly only one Dream Team. The Dream Team was only 1992 with Larry Bird, michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and others. The 1994 USA national team was affectionately called the Dream team 2. Other than that NO other USA team is called the Dream Team. Only foreigners call current USA basketball Dream Team. There is no Dream team anymore that was 20 years ago.

Truly there is only 1 Dream Team:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United...tball_team
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#14
Yugoslavia could have challenged the Dream Team much more than anybody else they played in Barcelona; however, I am extremely doubtful that they could have beaten the Dream Team. If they would have been able to win it would have been legendary, to the point that I would expect there to be an extremely popular movie about it. Basically, it would be the basketball version of "Das Wunder von Bern."

The Dream Team is to date the best basketball team ever assembled and I do not believe that there will be another team as good for at least another basketball generation (at which point the game will have changed too much to legitimately compare which team was better).
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#15
Quote:Basket this is misunderstanding about name. There is truly only one Dream Team. The Dream Team was only 1992 with Larry Bird, michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and others. The 1994 USA national team was affectionately called the Dream team 2. Other than that NO other USA team is called the Dream Team. Only foreigners call current USA basketball Dream Team. There is no Dream team anymore that was 20 years ago.

Truly there is only 1 Dream Team:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United...tball_team

Rest assured we call you team USA now Wink

As for such a hypothetical scenario we can only talk about what we would have wanted to have happened. I believe ex-YU NT could have pulled it off. If anything else they would just incessantly bomb from trey land and that would keep them in the game easily! Crazy
[Image: paok0bw.gif]
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