On July 8, 2010 as part of a one hour segment, LeBron James decided that it would be best to take his talents to South Beach for the future and to win championships. NBA fans were shocked that three elite players would join forces in Miami to form what is now known as a superteam. This marked the start of an era, the superteam era. James, Wade, and Bosh, plowed their way through the East four years in a row, sometimes with ease, and sometimes with perseverance. With two titles and four finals appearance, the departure of LeBron in 2014 quickly subsided any chances of more title runs for the Heat. This ended the Miami Heat superteam of 2010-2014.

Though superteams end up lessening the competition during the regular season, and especially the postseason, I see these teams highlighting the future of the NBA. Only select teams such as the Pacers could provide the Heat a challenge in the playoffs. Inevitably, Miami could overcome any significant obstacles to reach the Finals. Was it LeBron who started the trend of superteams? I don’t know, and I wouldn’t put it on him either. He was just a player in his prime seeking a championship and had to make the right move to fulfill it. If LeBron would have re-signed in Miami, a potential dynasty may have formed, and the Heat could have made more title runs, considering the Cavs only made the finals in 2015-17 because LeBron joined them. This makes me consider whether the Heat could have been a dynasty of the 2010s, like the 90s’ Bulls. Yet, I or the rest of the NBA world will never know what could have been.

Fast forward to the end of the 2016 finals. The Warriors, holders of the NBA’s best record in history had been dethroned by LeBron and Kyrie. This enhanced the desire for the Warriors to come back with a vengeance and Draymond Green did just that, calling Kevin Durant to come join them while he was in the parking lot after the finals, quite possibly. A month later, KD joined the Warriors, and created a new superteam. The Warriors added top world talent to a record team and the results were expected. The Warriors were unstoppable, blowing out opponents using a prolific offense en route to another playoff appearance and domination. This superteam had no problem once in the playoffs to destroy foes because of the sheer talent and solid system. The Warriors are legit championship contenders every season with this much talent on their roster.

The 2017 playoffs were a prime example of what superteams are doing to the NBA, in my opinion. This is making the NBA more predictable and less competitive. The Warriors blew through the playoffs, only having one loss. After that season, it seemed as if the Warriors could win several consecutive championships and possibly build a dynasty. Usually the MLB has different teams in the World Series every year, so that makes it more interesting to watch. With superteams, we can expect the results. The more superteams, the more frequent blowouts, sweeps, lack of competition. Unfortunately, those nail-biting moments are disappearing.

Yet, I see superteams as a trend that will pick up. Once one team becomes a superteam, other players around the league may be convinced to join an already decent team to combat that one superteam. It can happen this summer 2018, with the Lakers expected to pursue elite free agents. Once the young core on this team develops, along with adding exceptional talent, another superteam will form. If Lebron’s Cavs lose in the playoffs, this may convince him to join a team like Houston or Philadelphia to pursue more championships. These teams are both talented already and adding LeBron would make these teams stand out on a different level. Another example would be adding Kawhi Leonard to the Celtics. A gusty and gritty team that is on the brink of an NBA Finals berth without Kyrie or Gordon Hayward. Assuming Kawhi gets healthy and plays with these Celtics, another team in the East may not come close to challenging them for the past few years unless they build a superteam themselves.

I’m not saying any of these acquisitions will happen, but sometimes it may be necessary to put a team over the top and win a championship, or to simply match up well with current superteams. This may result in two powerhouses in each conference for the next few years, eliminating other teams’ hopes/dreams of competing with them and enjoyment for the fans to experience competition.

*This article does not refer to the 2018 Warriors, since their final standing is not known