If a team wants to win the NBA championship, it will never be as simple as just accumulating giants. In history, there have been too many teams that "gathered together" and they have not ended well. The following five pairs were reviewed. When they joined forces, everyone had great expectations for them. Unfortunately, not only did they fail to win the championship, some even disbanded early after playing for one or two seasons.
. Kobe, Howard, Gasol
In 2012, the Lakers lost 1-4 to the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. The losses in two consecutive seasons gave the team management the idea of reinforcement, so in 2012-2013 Before the start of the season, the Lakers gave away Bynum and other bargaining chips in exchange for Howard, who was the league's No. 1 center at the time, and then they also introduced former MVP Nash. The successive operations made the Lakers' paper strength seem to have directly improved by one. grade.
However, due to problems with running-in and core aging, this lineup failed to realize its talent at all. In the first five games of the regular season, they only achieved a record of 1 win and 4 losses. Later, the Lakers fired head coach Mike Brown, and Nash's Bolle D'Antoni took over. Under his system, the Lakers' record improved somewhat, but under his guidance, Kobe's physical condition became worse and worse, and he finally failed in the last game of the regular season. He still couldn't hold it any longer on the field, and he was reimbursed for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
After losing Kobe, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round. Since the relationship between Howard and Kobe has broken down, Howard said nothing in the 2013 offseason and was unwilling to return. Therefore, this set of stars on the surface The lineup only lasted one season together before disbanding.
. Westbrook, George, Anthony
In 2017, Westbrook played a phenomenal season. In order to find qualified helpers for him, the Thunder management made successive moves during the 2017 offseason. In the end, George and Anthony were traded. Star striker. At that time, the Thunder's Big Three, Westbrook and George, were at their peak. Although Anthony was 33 years old, everyone still viewed him as "a skinny camel bigger than a horse."
However, the chemical reaction between the Thunder's Big Three is obviously mediocre, especially Anthony's decline completely beyond expectations. He averaged only 16.2 points per game in the new season and shot only 40.4% from the field. He simply cannot adapt to Westbrook and George. Positioning around without the ball. In the end, under the leadership of the Big Three, the Thunder only won one more game than last season's regular season.
In the playoffs against the Jazz led by rookie Mitchell, the Thunder lost an upset to their opponents. In this round of the series, the Big Three played worse than each other. Westbrook averaged 29+10+7 per game, but he made a successful shot. The rate was less than 40%. George averaged 24.7 points per game and shot only 40.8% from the field. Anthony hit rock bottom, averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting 37.5% from the field. As a result, he was traded away during the offseason. .
. Leonard, George
In 2019, Leonard wanted to return to his hometown to play. In order to win the championship, he called many stars, and George was one of them, and he obviously also wanted to join forces with Leonard, so He just said that he would win the championship for the Thunder, and then he applied for a trade to join the Clippers with Leonard. At the time, the Clippers suddenly became the favorites to compete for the championship. The outside world believed that they would be at least the first candidate for the Western Conference championship.
However, in the first season when Kajiao teamed up, they were eliminated early due to a loss of control in the locker room. In the semifinals, they led and the Nuggets 3-1, but in the end they suffered a tragic reversal. Since then, it seems that Kajiao can no longer stay healthy at the same time. In 2021, Leonard was reimbursed for the season, and George led the team to the Western Conference Finals with one core. In 2022, both cores were reimbursed, and the team missed the playoffs. In 2023, George After the injury, Leonard was injured, and the Clippers ended up traveling in the first round.
This season, the Clippers also traded Harden to share the pressure with the two cores, but in the end Leonard was injured, so they fell in the first round for the second consecutive year. After the season, the 34-year-old George wanted to pursue the last big contract of his career, but the Clippers just didn't want to give him a four-year contract. Therefore, the two parties have now officially announced their separation, and it has become a matter of time before George leaves the team.
. Durant, Irving, Harden
Durant and Irving, who were frustrated on the court in 2019, decided to play together off the court, so they joined the Nets , but due to injuries They have until the 2020-2021 season They just officially cooperated, and not long after the season started, they welcomed another helper, James Harden. The Nets' Big Three lineup at the time could even be compared with any combination in history if we just looked at offense.
The Nets originally had a very good prospect of winning the 2021 playoffs, but the injuries to Harden and Irving caused a significant decline in the team's strength, especially Irving, who was unable to play directly after spraining his ankle. In the end, the team also fell. Eastern Conference semifinals. In the 2021-2022 season, Irving began to "become a monster". He refused to comply with New York City's epidemic prevention regulations and was unable to play in home games. In addition, Durant frequently rested during the regular season, so the pressure was all on Harden alone. As a result, the season Before it was over, Harden applied for a trade.
After the Big Three disbanded, the Nets did not even reach the Eastern Conference semifinals in the 2022 playoffs. In the middle of last season, Irving and Durant also applied for trades and left Brooklyn. And Harden is not much better. He has failed to succeed with the 76ers and the Clippers. At present, it seems that the three of them are far away from the championship.
. James, Big Eyebrow, Westbrook
The Lakers lost to Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. The injury to Big Eyebrow caused them to fail to defend the title. Coupled with James' age and injuries, the Lakers decided to trade. Get an all-star Players come to share the pressure for them. Between DeRozan and Westbrook, the Lakers chose the latter. However, since then, it seems that the playing styles of Westbrook, James, and Big Eyebrow are incompatible, but no one expected that their chemical reaction would be so bad. .
In the 2021-2022 season, the Lakers are purely a "sunset red" team. In addition to the Big Three, Anthony, Howard, Rondo and others are all Hall of Fame players, but they were all on the verge of retirement at the time, that is, their combat effectiveness was very high. generally. In the end, the Lakers didn't even win the championship, let alone the playoffs. Westbrook became a "hot potato" in their hands. No matter how Pelinka negotiated, no team was willing to take over his contract.
Last season, the Lakers were still hovering close to the play-offs. In the middle of the regular season, the team finally had a chance. They sent away Westbrook and others in exchange for Russell, Vanderbilt, and Beasley. This deal directly revitalized the team, and they also fought back from last place in the Western Conference to reach the Western Conference Finals that season.
