Carmelo Anthony believes that superteams do not refer to Big Threes, claiming that the Miami Heat under LeBron James were not a superteam.
Following the success of the 2008 Boston Celtics, most contending NBA teams began to look for three star players to build their team around after the mid-2000s. With the Heat, LeBron James took it to the next level, collaborating with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Carmelo Anthony believes that, contrary to popular belief, LeBron’s Heat were not superteams, but that teams such as the ’08 Celtics and the ’04 Lakers were because they had four big stars.
“Like the United States was a superteam.” Those were supergroups. The 2004 Lakers were a superteam on paper, even if it didn’t work out – Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, like that’s a superteam. Boston was a powerhouse. It wasn’t just any Big 3, but a superteam of Paul Pierce, KG, Ray Allen, and Rondo. Anything more than three people constitutes a superteam. Miami lacked a superteam. They had a great team and a Big 3.”
Melo may be on to something with his definition of a superteam. A superteam should be an outlier group chosen with star talent; a superteam cannot exist every season in the NBA simply because they have three high-profile stars. This year’s Suns have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, but they aren’t a superteam.
In contrast, the Warriors were a superteam from 2017 to 2019 because they had KD along with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The Heat had a superteam aura because LeBron was an absolute monster in his prime, but it’s important to remember that Bosh and Wade, in particular, began declining soon after forming the Big Three in Miami, falling out of being title favorites in 2014 and James leaving them immediately after.
Carmelo Anthony Thinks The Clippers Are The Only Superteam In The NBA Right Nowz
Melo’s definition of a superteam corresponds to the characteristics of the one team he believes can call itself a superteam this season, the Los Angeles Clippers. He also addressed them on his podcast, focusing on how former teammate Russell Westbrook fits into the equation.
“It’s difficult enough for a duo to make it work, but now you’re talking about a big three and then you’re talking about bringing a fourth, and it’s god damn.” That is why great teams consistently outperform superteams. You must be determined to succeed. They forced Russ into that role, but Russ also learned from my experience with him in OKC. You have to really f**k with each other for that to work.”
‘Great teams always beat superteams,’ as we’ve seen many such collections of star talent fail because they couldn’t function as a team. That was an issue for the Clippers following the James Harden trade, as they lost their first five games with Harden in the lineup.
The Clippers are 11-3 in the 14 games since their 0-5 start with Harden, ranking among the best in the NBA during that span. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak after establishing chemistry during the early going.
If they keep playing at this level, it will be difficult to argue that this Clippers team isn’t among the best in the West. With a 14-10 season record, they are now the 7th seed in the West and are expected to be one of the NBA’s top threats.
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