The 2008 Boston Celtics are an iconic team that is known by many fans. They had a lot of great players on the team and based on their talent level, they could be considered a superteam. Acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen via trade gave them a great squad, and obviously, it resulted in a championship.
When the Boston Celtics built their superteam, there was not a ton of backlash towards them. That can’t be said for a superteam that formed just a few years later, with LeBron James joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. There was a lot of vitriol towards LeBron James, and the superteam in general, just because of how good they were perceived to be. There were even people who burned LeBron James’ jersey after he left the Cavaliers.
NBA legend Oscar Robertson has recently called out the double standards for superteams, using the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat as examples. There was certainly a difference in perception between the two teams. (45:16)
When Boston got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, that was David Stern’s deal and the NBA allowed that. Everything was fine…But when LeBron went to Miami, ‘Oh man, like how can you do this?
LeBron James going to the Miami Heat was extremely controversial, but it was definitely justified. At the time, the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to surround him with a core that could help him win a championship, but obviously, that was different during his second stint in Cleveland. There was a similar level of hatred towards Kevin Durant when he formed a superteam after he failed to win a championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and there is no doubt that players receive a lot of hate after superteams are formed. At the end of the day, superteams do increase your chance of winning championships, and players are entitled to make decisions that benefit their careers in free agency.
