With teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns being home to multiple All-Star caliber players, it seems like the era of the superteams is back. Despite that, the competition in the NBA is at an elite level and come playoff time it will be great to see which teams will battle it out in the NBA Finals.
But a few years ago, the Golden State Warriors created a dynasty and enjoyed five straight appearances to the NBA Finals and won 3 out of the 5. On the other hand, in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James made the NBA Finals eight straight times and he was part of two teams that were considered superteams: the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It is quite understandable if players, at that time, felt frustrated with the lack of balance in power in the league. Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden, who was part of the Houston Rockets at the time, indirectly called out players for forming superteams back in an interview in 2017.
Via Time:
“Maybe I need another superstar player on my team, because all these other guys, who have two or three superstars on their team, get all the attention. But I’m happy. I have good guys around me, good teammates around me, who love working hard and love to win games.”
The point that Harden made was absolutely accurate, because during that time in the league, only two teams were really battling out for the NBA Championship: the Warriors and the Cavs.
So it might have been an indirect shot at KD and LBJ for making possible for these teams to exist. However, at the end of the day, Harden didn’t specify any names.
Moreover, fast forward to the 2021-22 NBA season, the Beard himself is part of a superteam following his trade to the Nets last season. He joined forces with KD and Kyrie Irving.
Now, the Nets hold the first seed in the East and for most are the favorites to win the title. But one cannot blame Harden for taking this decision as he gave his best to the Rockets for 9 straight seasons, but could never even reach the NBA Finals. Hopefully, his drought will end this season.
