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The era of one-star dominance is far and gone. Long done are the days of Dominique Wilkins handling the bulk by himself, still hoping to contend for a championship. Today's era, as Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George sees it, is built around the super team model.
“No team has won [a title] where one single guy was the lone star and it was their team. It’s not that era,” George, who inked a four-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer, told Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. “I’m not sure how the veterans, the legends, don’t understand that part. It’s a different game now. For those guys to chime in and say we’re not built the same… I never understood that, because who would we be fooling if we went out alone and tried to go up against the Warriors?
George proceeded to give the most clear-cut example of that situation.
“The best guy in our league right now couldn’t do it. [James] got swept [in the 2018 Finals]. So that just goes to show you at this point what it takes to win. Because you need guys that are alike talent-wise and skill set-wise to win championships.”
Most forget that James had Kevin Love, who was supposed to be part of the Big Three along with the estranged Kyrie Irving — but Love had already developed a reputation for underperforming at the big stage, making it look even more of a one-man show, as James carried the load for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former players like Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen have chided active players for joining forces and unsurprisingly, it hasn't been the likes of Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, or Kevin McHale throwing stones, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have boasted plenty of superteams throughout their storied time in the NBA — a huge reason why they hold the most championship banners.
The era of player control officially changed it all, as James teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami in 2010 became the first time that a player-arranged coalition of talent took place, with the front office merely having to agree to contract stipulations, with no recruitment or pitches required for the formation of the NBA's next Big Three.
“Back in the day, guys were stuck on teams,” George said. “It was up to the front office to build around that one guy, and that one guy was going to bring championships to them.”
“It’s not the same now… [players] understand that, and we know what it takes.”
Teams like the Thunder and the Houston Rockets have tried to load up to the gills in the last two seasons in hopes to dethrone the Golden State Warriors, a reign of terror that doesn't seem close to ending after the addition of DeMarcus Cousins earlier this summer.
