Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
Hypothetical debates are the lifeblood of sports media during the dog days of summer.
Professional basketball and hockey are in hibernation until October, and we’re still six weeks away from college football. So we debate.
MJ vs. LeBron one-on-one.
The ’86 Celtics vs. the ’24 Celtics.
Babe Ruth vs. Shohei Ohtani.
What’s the best college basketball program of all-time?
We’ll never have concrete answers to those hypothetical matchups — Jordan would wipe LeBron — but that doesn’t stop people from losing their minds in barber shops, on social media or bellying up to the neighborhood bar.
The hottest topic du jour involves Team USA basketball.
Rather than appreciate the talent and greatness of the 2024 men’s national team, we’re compelled to compare them to the star-studded 1992 “Dream Team.”
Colin Cowherd even discussed the topic on “The Herd” on Thursday.
So which team would be favored from a betting perspective?
Making a point spread between teams from different eras is far from simple, but I shot a text over to Jeff Sherman, basketball wizard and current vice president of risk management at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
USA Basketball ’92 vs. ’24. What’s the line?
“A bunch of us discussed it,” Sherman told FOX Sports. “Some said ’92 would be a small favorite, others said ’24 a small favorite. The kids in the room always side with LeBron. We would hang a pick ‘em and let the public decide.”
Sherman was much more eager to humor me than others.
“Who gives a s—?” one Vegas bookmaker responded.
“Don’t care,” said another.
I get it. It’s the middle of July and lots of these guys have better things to do than scratch their brains over a make-believe basketball game. This is also the calm before the storm for most Vegas bookmakers. Once the calendar turns to August, they’re in the shop six days a week through the Super Bowl.
RELATED: Is the 2024 USA men’s basketball team better than the 1992 ‘Dream Team’?
One of my favorite bookie stories dates back to when ESPN and Caesars were partnered up about five years ago. Jeff Davis was running point in the back of the sportsbook, and he was gearing up for one of golf’s four majors.
Some assignment editor decided it was a brilliant idea to ring Davis a day before the major when five- and six-figure bets were rolling into the handle.
“What’s the line if Alabama played the New York Jets?”
I wasn’t in the room, but imagine that phone is no longer functional.
Sherman, however, likes to play ball.
In fact, he texted me early Wednesday morning once the news broke about Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal and Kevin Durant’s aches and pains.
“Given the developments, ’92 is -2.5,” Sherman followed up.
Longtime Vegas bookmaker turned media personality Dave Sharapan discusses topics like this all the time on his various talk shows. I watched a clip the other day of Sharapan and Kevin Walsh discussing ’92 vs. ’24.
Dave’s reaction is priceless.
“The easy answer is to make it a pick ‘em,” Sharapan told me via text. “And then you pause and think even if it’s theoretical, there ain’t no way in hell we’re making Michael Jordan a ‘dog. So you go out to Dream Team -3.
“Remember, San Francisco opened -3 in last year’s Super Bowl and lost. Oddsmakers aren’t always right, but Dream Team -3 is a good starting point. It’s a line that’ll give you good two-way and drum up lots of business.”
It’s a fun conversation that’ll make some yardbarkers blue in the face. Older cats (with more money) would bet the Dream Team and newer generations would side with LeBron James, Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum. The kids would also fire five-leg, same-game parlays until they ran out of money.
Each team has an obvious weakness.
The ’92 team isn’t winning a three-point contest, but the ’24 team isn’t stopping Charles Barkley and Karl Malone in the paint. As a 1990s Chicago Bulls baby, I fear for the ’24 wings trying to score on Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Either way, the Vegas brass has spoken. Dream Team -2.5/3.
Who you got?
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He’ll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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