USA: BASKETBALL - Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant upbeat on U.S. Olympic team prospects and playing in the shadow of the 1992 Dream Team

Record ID: 330833

  • Title: USA: BASKETBALL - Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant upbeat on U.S. Olympic team prospects and playing in the shadow of the 1992 Dream Team
  • Date: 12th July 2012
  • Summary: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (JULY 10, 2012) (REUTERS) COMPUTER SHOWING KEVIN DURANT PHOTO SHOOT
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA1LHXXEH5V1EDM856HKBH5PCXZ
  • Story Text: Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant have not only joined the list of all-stars on the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, but they will be front and center on the new NBA video game NBA2K13. Griffin and Durant will make up two of the three basketball stars gracing the cover of the popular sports game.
    Oklahoma City Thunder star Durant says he's an avid player of the game and being the face of the latest edition is a dream come true, but he says he does stay loyal to his team.
    "Sometimes. Sometimes I play as myself. Seeing yourself in a video game is kinda' crazy, so every chance I get I try to play with the Thunder," said Durant. Durant's Thunder recently lost th NBA championships to fellow Olympian Lebron James's Miami Heat.
    Griffin and Durant took time out from the U.S. Olympic team training camp to talk about the trip to London and comparisons to the 1992 Dream Team, the first Olympic team to feature NBA players that walked their way to a gold medal.
    The 2012 games in London line up nicely with that historic team, the 20th anniversary of the U.S. 'Dream Team' could coincide with a dream tournament in what looms as a fiercely competitive basketball competition at the London Olympics.
    Griffin, the Clippers forward who just signed for another 5 years with the Los Angeles team, says he still puts the hall-of-famers from 1992 on a pedestal.
    "It was definitely legendary. It is cool to hear those comparisons but at the same time, that was probably one of the best teams ever composed," said Griffin. "We have a lot of work to do and we have a lot of guys that have promising careers and guys that have already had great careers and are still having great careers. At the end of the day maybe we might be up there but as far as I'm concerned right now, the Dream Team pretty much holds the title."
    The U.S. 2012 squad reads like an all-star team including Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala and Tyson Chandler.
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