Heck even the all-conquering Chicago Bulls of the 1991-1998 era could be called that when they had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen & Dennis Rodman. But it was not till the 2010 era when LeBron James decided to join Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh at Miami Heat did the term Superteam really blossom. That was a conscious decision by the three of them to play together; and not an organic decision like the previous ones.
In 2004; superstars Karl Malone & Gary Payton decided to join Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant at the Lakers to form what seemed an invincible team. That didn't work out however; as they were thrashed 4-1 in the NBA Finals by a team-oriented Detroit Pistons, who produced one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.
In 2016, the Golden State Warriors formed perhaps the greatest superteam ever; when they brought in arguably the best player in the world Kevin Durant to join an already championship-winning cast comprising Stephen Curry; Klay Thompson & Draymond Green. Amazingly; in 2018 they signed center DaMarcus Cousins; thus becoming the first team ever to have five All-Stars in the same team. That team did work; as they won championship after championship to form one of the modern dynasties.
Fast forward to now; and the Lakers thought they had the ultimate Superteam by bringing in Russell Westbrook to join with LeBron James & Anthony Davis. Not quite; as they stumbled through a terrible Regular Season and ended up not even making the playoffs. So too the Brooklyn Nets; who brought in Durant to partner James Harden & Kyrie Irving; but amidst a turbulent season of injury; confusion and non-vaccination; they ended up with a messy mid-season trade and a humiliating exit to the team-first Boston Celtics.
In the end; the Golden State Warriors rose from the ashes to win without Durant; but with a strong team chemistry including role players such as Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. It goes to show that at the end of the day; it's not the Superteam that counts; it's simply the team.
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