How the Definition of ‘NBA Superteam’ Has Changed
can I can I actually do a little rant here go ahead can I can I do a little rant here I’ll allow it let’s go all right there’s always these NFL and NBA comparisons why the NFL is better why more people watch it why don’t people watch the NBA blah blah blah one of the things uh that I think has come up consistently is the idea of parody right and I I have said this multip times throughout the season that this is the best the league has been in terms of overall Talent depth and how that depth of talent is spread across the league and it’s reflected I think in the number of good teams the Lakers were like people treating the Lakers let’s say like a bad basketball team or the even the Warriors the warriors were not a bad basketball team they were a good basketball team there’s just a lot of good basketball teams and there’s a lot of good players it keeps coming up that somehow the Denver Nuggets had the worst finals run of all time and people always talk about the seeds they played number first of all they’re the number one seeds they had to play the eight SE they didn’t have a choice there right set okay think about last year Nuggets won I want to say 53 games something like that sounds all right Lakers won 43 because the Warriors won 44 um in football if a 12 and4 te let’s I’m using 16 games because I I haven’t really fully bought into the 17 game idea but let’s say a 12 and 14 this is what we grow on 12 and 14 te plays a nine- seven team and a 10- six team right the difference in win percentage is like 15 to 19% the difference in win percentage between a 54 win team and a 4 pre- win team is like 12 or 133% so like we have parody in the league absolutely people need to stop [ __ ] paying attention to the seeds the seeds don’t M all these teams are good you have to nobody plays 82 games anymore it’s impossible it’s literally impossible so you have to factor all this stuff in you can’t use like oh well in the 90s this team played this team and this well guess what the eight seeds sucked back then terrible they sucked terrible and you haven’t even thought about this next year’s going to even worse Memphis is coming back Spurs are what do the Spurs do this I mean Spurs are going to do something Rockets Rockets like that’s even more teams in the west that are like going to be good there’s going to be no bad teams yeah Philadelphia as a seven seed Philadelphia is a seven seed they have Jolan be they have Maxi they have cap space Max Max cap space what but also to your point to your point about the seaing thing with like the Denver thing like okay it doesn’t matter what seed the Lakers are when they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis like it doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter you have to beat LeBron James and Anthony Davis in in a playoff series you to beat them four times and it’s also like it’s not their fault like they’re just playing whoever’s in front of them that’s not their fault that if they’re injured or like a little bit like the chemistry isn’t there that’s not their problem yeah you still have to put the ball in the basket I think people underestimate you still have to put the ball in the basket do you think we’ve talked about this a good amount but not living in the moment but just seeing what Minnesota’s doing hold on hold on real quick I just want to say one last thing mhm nobody ever says this about an NFL team no nobody said if if a there’s been Wild Card teams that have [ __ ] won NFL championships that have won the Super Bowl and nobody’s like oh their their run was a fraud why no they didn’t say about the chief s year well I just don’t understand why just about the NBA why because it’s like they play so many games nobody no because it all goes back to the [ __ ] goat and Legacy [ __ ] yeah people would rather talk about that than basketball you really worked up about this one [ __ ] he said he was he said he was going to rant I see he said he was going to rant I see do you think I was going to say do you think do you think Super teams are officially dead dead I just think it’s looked at it in a different way now I think it’s not okay we have four guys that are Allstars in like really good high high paid players but like instead it’s more so this team is really cohesive like like is a super team because you can’t attack anybody on this team everybody can score they can dribble they can pass they can shoot so I think that could be like the newer definition of a super team because obviously with the second apron we’ve seen well the new CBA rules and the taxes we’ve seen you it’s going to be tough to make like a super team with guys that are making a lot of money and then the rest of the guys not making much money at all I think the idea and again I I’m I’m happy to be wrong on this I really am I I’m happy to be wrong if the Phoenix Suns go on to win a championship next year with that group and those three guys together I’m happy to be wrong I’m happy to be wrong I mean if the Lakers somehow trade for a third star and they go on to win a CH like I’m happy to be wrong I’m still in the west now hold on I’m saying I’m happy to be wrong I I’m not saying I would be happy if either of those teams won I’m just saying I’m happy to be wrong I like I like being wrong it’s fine okay my point was going to be on the death of the super team I I would say the idea a of building uh a three star three max level team through trades and free agency that probably is done if you can build a younger team through the draft and timely trades that can still exist like OKC yeah is going to have three max guys in three years correct they’re gonna have three max guys Jaylen and Chad in three years will be on a Max contract and Shay will be on a Max contract so there’s still a way to do it it just to me it has to be through the draft or you have two you have a bunch of young assets you have future picks and you trade for that third star that way versus going all in on three guys and not being able to build out a competent roster oh for sure
In this clip, JJ Redick goes on a rant about the parity of great teams in the NBA compared to the NFL and discusses with Trey Murphy (New Orleans Pelicans) what makes an NBA ‘superteam’ in today’s league.
Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.
26 Comments
I need everyone to stop trying to be the first to label stuff that has existed for 50+ years. This new "superteam" is just a really good team built through the draft and smart trades that worked, as it was before Ray Allen and KG went to Boston.
Nuggets run last year was actually historically difficult from a different perspective. They beat Ant one year before he became a top 3 playoff player along with a perennial all star and 3x dpoy in first round. They beat two all nba team players in second round. They beat another two all nba players/HOFers in WCF. They beat another two all nba team players in the finals. And finally nuggets only had one all star to this day.
How is playing 82 games āimpossibleā JJ? There players that were able to do it in the past and even some that still do it now. Calling it āimpossibleā is just your way to scapegoat Lebron taking all those days off.
Of all time is just 20 year oldās too dumb to say āin recent memoryā
No, no, no, dont do this guys. The term superteam is used for teams that have way more TALENT on their roster than any/almost all other team. This is not about how well they play together, team chemistry or anything else. I know that players from this era dont like that assessment cos it brings up recent examples where teams of that caliber have underperformed and that has negatively impacted those players resume and created unfavorable narratives.
Half as many regular season games and best of 5 playoffs would make the NBA a lot more interesting to watch.
What was the contract situation for Boston when they had Garnett, Pierce, Allen?
Your future boss, Lebum, did nothing but complain about having a "bad team." *"82 games impossible."*, says the watered down fool. Self fulfilling prophecy. Durability is part of being a world class athlete, you bum. Continue to mislead, misinform, and promote gambling to your teenage viewers.
"That's even more teams in the west that are gonna be good, like, there's gonna be no bad teams."
Blazers: Bet.
I dunno… the difference between the quality of teams in the East vs West doesn't really give me the sense of parity. Not that it might not have been even worse in the 90s, but this still feels like a have/have not league. And so many of those have nots are stuck there.
Bro You got a BMW sponsorship? Damn.
Max salary player does not mean he is a necessarily star. Tobias Harris and DeAndre Ayton to me are not stars.
The 90s 8th seed sucked?
that may be true or not depending on your opinion
but isn't the Nuggets the 1st ever 8th seed to win a series and Knicks 1st ever 8th seed to make the finals both in the 90s
Teams are only good in the West, all the bottom teams in the East suck too
Isn't JJ overestimating the talent a little bit here? There were a lot of dogshit teams this season and I wouldn't call the Hawks, Nets and Bulls for example any better than 9-11 seeds in the past
"This is the best the league has ever been" š turns off podcast.
this is bad
Super teams have always started in the draft. LBJ and his way is the anomaly.
JJ simping hard for that LAL coaching spot
NBA has an IN-SEASON Tournament because viewership dropped!! The LAKERS need to break up their team getting help for AD, Reeves, and Rui ….use LaBroom $ 50 million for two young talented players …
There has always been super teams since the 1970s.
Lakers
Celtics
76ers
Bulls
Celtics
Heat
Cavs
GSW
And lots of failed super teams like the
Bron Lakers
KD Nets
KD Suns
Rockets with Charles
Lakers with Payton/Malone
Current Clippers
Current Bucks
I hope you don't take the Lakers job fans ain't tryna go threw this bullshit again mayne
Iām convinced JJ Redick doesnāt know what the definition of parody is.
I think the Play-in really helped make the 7th and 8th seeds more competitive. Back before the Play-in, it wasn't unusual to have a team that started strong but ultimately fell apart because of injuries or some other issue still make the playoffs. So they're a top seed at the start of the season but a lottery team at the end of it, but they're still in the playoffs. Those teams get eliminated by the Play-in, so the 1st and 2nd seeds are now playing two teams that have earned their spots through recent play. Nobody backs into those spots anymore. So those top seeds are much more likely to play a team that, at the very least, has its act together and can put up a fight. Closest thing this year seems to be the Pelicans, who lost Zion in the Play-in, and naturally they were swept.
āSuperteamā: a term for casual fans created by toxic hype media.
The term āBig 3ā became āSuperteamā in 2010 because LeBronās name carries so much weight and hype.
A āBig 3ā is any 3 all-star caliber players whoāve either teamed up via trade, free agency or naturally developed. That doesnāt make them a āSuperteamā. Thatās all hype.
If anything a āSuperteamā should be the āSuperior teamā in the league. Meaning all other teams are inferior. 73 win Warriors with KD. All teams and players knew they were inferior to them. Same with MJās and Pippenās Bulls, and the old Celtics and Lakers for spurts throughout history.
Yea but the whole league is missing traditional centers. Fast and strong.