NBA: The Success Rate of Superteams
The 1960s (Celtics, Celtics, and More Celtics): We're going to deep dive into the NBA, looking at the "superteams" of the past and present. A lot of people make it seem like the idea of building a team around the best players in the world is something that was invented in the 2000s. But I'm here to tell you that this is how the NBA has always been. For the sake of this argument, we're going to define a superteam as a franchise that consists of either three (or more) current All-Stars, three Hall of Famers, and/or three 20+ points per game scorers. The 1960s were stacked with superteams, most of which were the Boston Celtics. They had a trio of Bill Russell, Sam Jones, and either Bob Cousy or John Havlicek. The Celts won an incredible nine (!) titles in the 60s.
The 1970s (Knicks and Lakers Take Over): The New York Knicks boasted a lineup of Walt Frazier (7x All-Star), Earl Monroe (4x), Bill Bradley (1x), and Willis Reed (7x). All of them are in the Hall of Fame. Talk about a legit superteam! They were only able to win one title in that period, though, so the "success rate" of superteams dramatically dropped in this decade. Whether that is just chance or a balance of quality around the league, it seemed that there was a lot more of a variety of teams winning championships. The Los Angeles Lakers had their own Big 3 of Jerry West (14x), Elgin Baylor (11x), and Wilt Chamberlain (13x). Surprisingly enough, they weren't able to win a ring until Baylor retired and they replaced him with a younger Gail Goodrich.
The 1980s (Scoring Increases and So Do Superteams): The 80s were stocked full with superteams and it's partially because teams started scoring more and more. The average NBA team scored 102.6 points per game in the 1974-75 season. 10 years later, teams were averaging 110.8 points. That created high flying franchises like the Denver Nuggets with Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe, the Seattle Supersonics with Tom Chambers, Dale Ellis, and Xavier McDaniel., and the Phoenix Suns with Eddie and Kevin Johnson. While all of those teams had three players with an average of 20+ points, none of them won it all. Instead, the Big 3 of the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Los Angeles Lakers dominated the decade. They won nine of the 10 possible titles.
The 1990s (Bulls and Rockets Climb the Ranks): The Detroit Pistons won the 1990 NBA Finals with a trio of Hall of Famers in Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman, which is arguably one of the most underrated and unappreciated superteams. The Chicago Bulls won six rings in the 90s, but their first run wasn't technically a superteam since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were their lone All-Stars. Along the same lines, the Houston Rockets won two titles, but neither fit the definition of a superteam. And then when they added Charles Barkley and later Pippen, they failed to win it all. The 90s should be considered the beginning of a downfall for superteams because out of nine teams that fit my description, only four were able to win a title.
The 2000s (Superteams Continue Decreasing): After the 1990s saw a decrease in superteams, the 2000s kept that trend going. The San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and David Robinson, were contending yearly, but only won the title in 2003. Then the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers attempted to merge Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal with aging stars in Karl Malone and Gary Payton. This group was only together for one season and lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals. It's rare that a team consists of four Hall of Famers, but they weren't able to get past the defensive minded Pistons. After almost two decades of the superteam dying, it was reborn in 2008 when the Boston Celtics traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce.
The 2010s (Everyone Tries to Join In): Because of the Boston Celtics' Big 3, LeBron James was forced to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat for a better chance at winning a ring. He won a pair of titles alongside Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. So then everyone started trying to build a superteam. The Los Angeles Lakers unsuccessfully added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Then the 2014 Brooklyn Nets traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and though them, along with Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, would challenge the Heat. They didn't. But all of this resulted in the idea that joining forces is the best way to win in the modern NBA. And the superteam went to a whole new level with the Golden State Warriors' addition of Kevin Durant.
What This Means: I found that approximately 41.9 percent of superteams went on to win the title. You would think that would be a bit higher. I also discovered that superteams have been around forever, but they were much more common in the 1960s-1980s and the 2010s. I think there have been four teams in NBA history that have been so dominant that it forced others to adapt to the idea of a superteam. They are the 1980 Lakers, 2008 Celtics, 2012 Heat, and 2018 Warriors. Without the 2008 Celtics, we probably would never have seen LeBron join the Heat and maybe the Warriors wouldn't be here now. And lastly, superteams only work if the players can work well together (i.e. the 1999 Rockets, 2004 Lakers, 2013 Lakers, and 2014 Nets).
Photo Credit: Sporting News.
