The Most Anticipated Superteams in Sports

Most teams start their seasons with relatively little fanfare because not all teams look great on paper before the season starts. Those teams can produce fanfare and attract serious media attention by racking up wins, but ultimately there's only so much attention to go around.

But there are plenty of dream teams and dream team wannabes out there who have attracted an awful lot of attention over the years. Sometimes they warrant all that attention and live up to the hype. And sometimes they disappoint on the biggest stage. 

Let's take a look at some of the biggest dream team studs and duds. 

20. The 2008 Redeem Team

The 2008 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team was famously dubbed "The Redeem Team" after the 2004 team vastly underperformed, only managing a bronze medal, losing to gold to Argentina and silver to Italy.

The 2008 team included, among others, future Hall of Famers like LeBron James, Derron Williams, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul. They didn't outperform the Dream Team by any means, but they definitely got the job done and brought home gold.  

In the end they proved to be: Studs

19. The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles

It's hard to say if the free-agent signing-happy Eagles of 2011 were ever a dream team, or just dubbed (cursed) the dream team by back up quarterback Vince Young. The Eagles made a late season run, but they really failed to live up to expectations. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

18. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings

For 12 years American Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings have been the dream team of beach volleyball. They are, hands down, the greatest beach volleyball team of all time. 

The duo won gold for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London, defeating fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy. 

They announced their retirement following the London Olympics. 

In the end they proved to be: Total Studs 

17. 2011 Miami Heat

When former Cavaliers superstar LeBron James announced he was taking his talents to South Beach after the 2010 NBA season, the Heat became the instant favorite to win the championship in 2011.

James joined a team that already had two bonafide stars in their own right in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and even decided to play for below market value in order to have the best chance at winning a championship.

The world may have hated him for it, but they got their jollies when the Heat unexpectedly fell to the Mavericks in the championship. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

16. 2012 Miami Heat

Sorry, Heat haters. After their embarrassing loss to the Mavericks in 2011, they had the entire off-season (plus some lockout time) to stew over their defeat. And apparently they came back in 2012 fully prepared to right the wrong of the year before.

The Heat were the No. 1 seed in the East and LeBron James won his third league MVP after one of the more impressive regular seasons in recent memory. They experienced a few bumps in the playoffs—Chris Bosh's injury, Dwyane Wade's nagging knee problems and a serious challenge from those pesky Celtics.

But ultimately they prevailed over a talented but young and inexperienced Thunder team in the finals and won their first championship. I emphasized "first" because I suspect there are more to come. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

15. 2012 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Was there any team in baseball that made a bigger 2011 offseason splash than the Angels? In the course of about a month, the Halos picked up Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson, LaTroy Hawkins, Eric Hurley, Ryan Langerhans, Doug Deeds and Jorge Cantu. And that was in a month; those weren't the only moves they made. 

The free agent acquisitions jumped their payroll from $138,543,166 million in 2011 to $154,940,524 in 2012. But all that money and high-priced talent only translated into three more wins, and they actually finished third in their division—they finished second in 2011. 

The Angels learned the hard way that you can't just buy a championship team. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

14. The 2012 U.S. Men's Basketball Team

Much was made of comparisons of the 2012 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team to the Dream Team of 1992. The discussion sure filled a lot of air time on ESPN, but in reality there was no comparison at all.

That being said, the 2012 team was (as usual) stock piled with future Hall of Fame players and despite one or two close games, there was no doubt these guys would take home gold.

London was home to the greatest athletes in the entire world for two weeks in the summer of 2012, but LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Tyson Chanlder (among other) stood out as the superstar athletes of the games. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

13. U.S. Women's National Soccer Team

The U.S. men's national soccer team sure hasn't made a splash in international play—ever—but at least the women know what they're doing. The U.S. women's national team has been a global powerhouse dating all the way back to their World Cup victory over China in 1991. They won again in 1999 and placed third in 2003. 

But it's in the Olympics where the U.S. women have truly dominated. They won gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. And they took silver at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

12. The 2012 Los Angeles Lakers

It's a tad too early to call the 2012 Lakers a dream team, but that hasn't stopped certain people in the media from tossing the term around. In the offseason the Lakers picked up point guard Steve Nash and big man Dwight Howard, and suddenly they went from aging pretenders to serious contenders.

Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong. Only time will tell on this one. 

In the end they proved to be: Undetermined 

11. Pittsburgh Penguins 1990-1993

The Penguins of the late 80's and early 90's assembled a team of Future Hall of Famers that could never even be conceived of in the salary cap era. They won two straight Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992 and a fluke goal in Game 7 cost them the series and the shot at a three-peat. 

Among the Hall of Famers that played over those three seasons were: Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, Joe Mullen, Bryan Trottier and Larry Murphy. Not to mention standouts like Ulf Samuelsson, Kevin Stevens, Tom Barrasso, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Recchi, Rich Tocchet and Martin Straka. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

10. 2002-03 Los Angeles Lakers

If you're among those who believe defense wins championships, the 2002-03 Lakers team is a prime example. In addition to in their prime superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers also hosted some serious talent in Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher and Rick Fox.

L.A. finished first in their division, securing home court advantage, and their offensive firepower was expected to be too much for the defensive-minded Pistons to overcome. But I guess that's why we play the games, right?

The Pistons played them close in a couple of games, but won most of the games by an average of 10 or more points. They defeated the Lakers in five games. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

9. Michael Jordan's Bulls

Bulls legend Michael Jordan absolutely owned the 1990's…when he felt like playing. With Phil Jackson at the helm, Jordan and company pulled off a double three-peat in the decade. The Bulls won championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993 and then again in 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

Perhaps they would have won two more if MJ hadn't decided to take some time off to play baseball. And don't discount Jordan's supporting cast—Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Robert Parish—all of whom were stars in their own right. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

8. Philadelphia Phillies 2011 Pitching Rotation

In the 2010 offseason, the Phillies made a free agent move that left the sports world buzzing for months. They signed Rangers free-agent pitching ace and Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, adding him to their already stacked rotation.

He joined two-time Cy Young winner Roy Hallady, two-time 20-wins Roy Oswalt and World Series MVP Cole Hamels. The Phillies rotation was said to be the absolute best in the league, and many asked if it could be the best rotation in the history of the game. Their career numbers were staggering and the Phillies were the talk of the offseason.

They did finish first in their division in 2011, but lost to the Cardinals in the NLDS. In 2012 they finished third in their division and failed to even make the playoffs. So their historic pitching rotation was much ado about nothing. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

7. 1972 Miami Dolphins

The 1972 Dolphins weren't considered a dream team going into the season, but history certainly has made them one. Don Shula's undefeated Dolphins, who went 14-0, still remain the only team in the NFL to go undefeated through the season and win a Super Bowl. 

I guess they were kind of an after-the-fact dream team, whose historic achievement has made news every year for the last 30 years. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

6. Spain's National Men's Soccer Team

After years of disappointment, the Spanish national soccer team has become a brick wall that no team wants to run up against. The Spaniards are nearly undefeated in international play since 2007. They bulldozed their way through competition in Euro 2008, ultimately winning with a +9 goal differential and never losing a game.

In 2010 they dominated World Cup play, losing just one game to Switzerland, and captured Spain's first World Cup. And then they repeated their dominating performance at Euro 2012, shutting out Italy 4-0 in the final game. 

In the end they proved to be: Globally Dominating Studs 

5. Michigan's Fab Five

The University of Michigan's 1991 recruiting class is arguably the best class ever recruited. It consisted of Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Much has been made of the "Fab Five," but the reality of the situation is that in the four seasons that they remained (at least partially) together, they never won the NCAA Championship.

Years later the NCAA launched an investigation that found countless rule violations that had taken place during that time and, as a result, many of the Fab Five's wins were voluntarily vacated by the university. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

*In 2009 the New York Times published an excellent piece revisiting the Fab Five

4. 1927 New York Yankees

There probably aren't many people alive who can remember the 1927 Yankees and their deadly batting order known as "murderers row," but you didn't have to be there to appreciate their greatness.

That season the Yanks went an almost unimaginable 110-44, tied for the fifth most in MLB history, and outscored their opponents by 371 runs. The starting lineup included Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Earle Combs, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri. Pitchers Waite Hoyt and Herb Penncock are also in the Hall of Fame. Ruth and Gehrig combined for 107 home runs and scored a total of 307 runs.

The Yankees swept the Pirates in the 1927 World Series and did the same to the Cardinals in 1928, making them the only team in MLB history to sweep the World Series in consecutive years. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs 

3. 1980s Edmonton Oilers

You wouldn't know it from their play over the last couple of decades, but the Edmonton Oilers were once a formidable and nearly unstoppable force in the NHL. From 1984 through 1990, the Oilers won five Stanley Cup Championships in seven years; one of which they did without the legendary Wayne Gretzky. 

During their dynasty, the Oilers lineup boasted some of the greatest players, not just of their time, but of all time. Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey and Glen Anderson were among the future Hall of Famers who played for the Oilers over their run. 

The Oilers weren't the first dynasty in the NHL, but they are quite likely to be the last and were absolutely a dream team. 

In the end they proved to be: Studs

2. The 2007 New England Patriots

The New England Patriots experienced and unprecedented run of (post-salary cap era) success in the 2000s. 2007 might not have started out as a dream team scenario for the Pats, but with each passing victory, it was difficult to think anything but.

Until those pesky Giants put the kibosh on their 19-0 season. 

In the end they proved to be: Duds

1. The 1992 Dream Team

The 1992 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team was, hands down, the greatest sports team ever assembled. Among others on the team were legends of basketball: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Scottie Pippen.

These guys wiped the floor with their opponents, outscoring them on average by over 40 points. The original Dream Team is still unquestionable best ever. 

In the end they proved to be: Total studs