USA vs World - Who Would Win?

[Purple Reign]

In the spirit of this weekend's festivities, based on this year's All Star Game rosters (and maybe a tweak or two, here or there) who would win this game:

2009 ALL STAR GAME USA VERSUS THE WORLD FORMAT

United States
PF - Kevin Garnett, Boston (originally from Chicago/South Carolina)
SF - LeBron James, Cleveland (Akron, Ohio)
C - Dwight Howard, Orlando (Atlanta)
PG - Chauncey Billups, Detroit (Denver)
SG - Kobe Bryant, LA (Philadelphia)

Key Bench Contributors
Dwayne Wade (Chicago)
Carmelo Anthony (Baltimore)
Chris Paul (Winston/Salem)
Amare Stoudamire (Orlando)
Allen Iverson (Virginia)
Chris Bosh (Dallas)
Deron Williams (Texas by way of West Virginia)


The World
PF - Tim Duncan, Virgin Islands
SF - Dirk Nowitski, Germany
C - Yao Ming, China
PG - Steve Nash, Canada
SG - Manu Ginobli, Argentina

Key Bench Contributors
Tony Parker (France)
Leandro Barbosa (Brazil)
Andris Biedrins (Latvia)
Peja Stojakovic (Serbia)
Luol Deng (Sudan)
Pau Gasol (Spain)
Hedo Turkoglu (Turkey)

 

[piksi]

without practice - USA

with 4 weeks practice world

NBA rules - USA

FIBA rules - World

NBA refs - NBA

FIBA refs - World

 

[PurpleHaze]

If they played 10 games it would probably be 5-5. I like the world (int'l) roster a bit better with Yao, Nash, and Manu key. It really seems like a toss up. How things have changed in the past decade.

 

[VF21]

Good idea!

I picked the USA for a couple of reasons.

First, the big men on USA are much more savvy than the World team. Second, I don't see any way to vote against Kevin Garnett, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. That's simply too much incredible talent to overlook.

Bottom line, however, is that this is a best of 7 series I would really pay to see.

 

[Heuge]

with both teams practicing under any fair conition, the USA would win by a bunch.

 

[piksi]

with both teams practicing under any fair conition, the USA would win by a bunch.

Just like they won the last Olympics and the WC

 

[Heuge]

Just like they won the last Olympics and the WC

That is different then prescribed senerio.

 

[piksi]

That is different then prescribed senerio.

how so ?

 

[Heuge]

how so ?

national pride, cohesive teams playing together for awhile, total involvement by US players, etc.

 

[bozzwell]

On paper, USA All Stars are much stronger, there is just no way for RotW to compensate for quickness and athleticism of USA AS team. Not to mention that evertyhing else being equal, US is so much better at 2 and 3, that it is not even funny. But then again, every team USA was much better on paper then Spain, Argentina, Yugoslavia in the past 8 years and what happened?

And Chauncy has no business on that team. Kidd would obviously start and have 40 assists per game on that team. Or CP3. I also don't think that Howard has enough savvy and skills (yet) to be starting.

 

[piksi]

national pride, cohesive teams playing together for awhile, total involvement by US players, etc.

well US players have not been forbidden to have all of that. Every team has equal tie to prepare, equal amount of players to choose - everything else is equal too. Excuses are easy to find and You don't even have to look hard for them. Fact is - since 2000 USA has not won the gold on a world stage because they have been countries that had better teams - PERIOD

 

[Heuge]

well US players have not been forbidden to have all of that. Every team has equal tie to prepare, equal amount of players to choose - everything else is equal too. Excuses are easy to find and You don't even have to look hard for them. Fact is - since 2000 USA has not won the gold on a world stage because they have been countries that had better teams - PERIOD

Agreed, no excuses, but that USA team should dominate that world team. All I am saying.

I gave reasons because you asked for them. Not excuses.

 

[piksi]

Agreed, no excuses, but that USA team should dominate that world team. All I am saying.

I gave reasons because you asked for them. Not excuses.

dominate - will probably never happen again. The gap has closed big time. On paper - USA should win more often than they have in the recent past and they might.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Fact is - since 2000 USA has not won the gold on a world stage because they have been countries that had better teams - PERIOD

Absolutely a fact. Manu Ginobili is as good or a bit better than the likes of Kobe or LeBron on a world stage - based on proven record. Most NBA scouts say he may be better (or again, at least as good) in the clutch than either of those mega-superstars playing everyday in the association.

 

[Variant]

Your typical international team's advantage is that it has practiced and played together and is able to play more as a unit. That advantage would be gone since most of these guys never play together.

But even that doesn't really matter. In an All-Star type scenario you're talking a lot of one on one/near playground-style ball which the US doesn't need practice to excel at.

 

[VF21]

well US players have not been forbidden to have all of that. Every team has equal tie to prepare, equal amount of players to choose - everything else is equal too. Excuses are easy to find and You don't even have to look hard for them. Fact is - since 2000 USA has not won the gold on a world stage because they have been countries that had better teams - PERIOD

FACT is that this isn't the same. Trying to compare the fantasy matchup above with the sorry reality of some USA teams is like comparing apples and meteors.

It's not about excuses, piksi. You're trying way too hard IMHO to find a reason to pooh-pooh the real possibility of the USA team above beating the World team above.

 

[Variant]

Yeah, I think even piksi can admit that we've learned the gap has narrowed enough that we can't just throw random players out there that make no sense anymore and need to actually assemble a team...

I remember that 2002 team where Paul Pierce was the best shooter on the team. Super! hahahah

 

[piksi]

I remember that 2002 team where Paul Pierce was the best shooter on the team. Super! hahahah

the group of players wasn't bad at all. Bunch of all stars, on paper good enough to win it. 2 weeks of practice just weren't enough. And that started it all because everybody else has realized that American teams are beatable too

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I do think the American team would win. And if this contest followed typical America vs. World formats Team America would include Nash and Duncan. I can see the NBA breaking from the way other sports have done it just to give more star power to the world team though.

I think piksi's comments about NBA vs. FIBA rules and refs is fairly correct but if both teams had equal practice whether it be 2 days or 6 months the edge would still go to the Americans.

You also need to factor in that the World squad likely would not have the same level of unity as a team from a single nation and in this type of contest you might actually see a reverse of what has happened with Olympic play - World athletes may opt out when their sense of nationalism isn't on the line the way many of the USA's elites have opted out past the Dream Team years.

 

[piksi]

I think piksi's comments about NBA vs. FIBA rules and refs is fairly correct but if both teams had equal practice whether it be 2 days or 6 months the edge would still go to the Americans.

well, to get to the point where a team plays great zone - it takes time. Can't learn it in 2 days

 

[Ryle]

One problem with the Rosters. You have Tim Duncan on the international team and even though he's from the Virgin Islands it's the US Virgin Islands and he actually played for the US in International competition.

US would stomp

 

[Glenn]

The question I have is why the US doesn't stomp when given the opportunity. There was once a time when our college kids beat any team from any other country but now we have to put together our best team to have a chance to do the same.

 

[sloter]

Duncan should be on American roster. Also, anything can happen in a single game (a part of the reason why Americans have not won anything internationally since 2000, it's just a nature of the game). In a 7 game series, things would probably be different.

I do think that it would be a lot more fun to watch US vs. World all-star game than almost meaningless East vs. West.

 

[acisking]

Why exactly would Chauncey be the starting point guard? He's not the type of distributor you need with stars like this (as evidenced by how boring every all star/olympic game seems to be when he comes into the game). Either Deron or Paul are way more deserving.

I'm also surprised you didn't include Jason Kidd, who has never lost a game playing for Team USA.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

The USA team given seems much younger than the International team given. 4 years from now will they be nearly as competitive?

 

[bigbadred00]

The problem with some of the last couple of teams is the team didn't start a true PG. Also we didn't sent in shooters. To win on the international level b/c of the zones, you need shooters and distributors and AI/Marbury didn't fit the distributor bill and the guys we sent including Lebron / Wade, etc. are not really shooters although both are extremely talented. To win at the international level you need distributors like Paul/Williams who we are sending now and shooters like Ray Allen who can spread the floor. Yes we sent talented teams but they didn't send a good team out there when we continued to lose.

 

[Bricklayer]

Get Ak47 in there in place of Biedrins. And kindly get Chauncey Billups the hell out of the starting lineup in a supposed All-World matchup.

then we can talk.


Actually, looking at it the USA still has the bigger/more unstoppable stars, but this sort of thing is a fun little conversation now whereas 10 years ago you could nto field a viable world team.