NBA history of group building: From the three giants of the Celtics to Durant’s “submission to the enemy”, who is the originator of group building?

When Durant joined the Warriors 73, when James joined forces with Wade Bosh, when the Celtics gathered the Big Three - When did the "grouping era" of the NBA begin? Was James' "decision" opened Pandora's box in 2010, or was Garnett Ray Allen's Boston gathering in 2007 the real initiator?

80s-90s: Those legendary groups that are not called groupings

In the era when the word "groupings" was not yet born, the NBA had already staged a scene of superstars joining forces. The Lakers had four top picks in the 1980s: Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Michael Cooper. The Showtime dynasty they created is still a classic today. During the same period, the Celtics gathered the three giants Bird, McHale and Parish, and there were legendary centers like Bill Walton sitting on the bench. In the Bull Dynasty in the 1990s, the combination of Jordan and Pippen was regarded as a match made in heaven, and the "Utah Double Demons" of Malone and Stockton were never labeled as a group. Even when Malone joined the Lakers who won the championship the year before in 2003, public opinion praised his backbone of "not willing to lie down" - he rejected the invitation from the defending champion Spurs and chose to challenge himself.

The Three Celtics: The prototype of the group model

The real turning point occurred in the summer of 2007. Celtics general manager Angie bets on the future, exchanging half of the team for Garnett and Ray Allen, and forming the three Big Three with an average age of 31 years old. The three of them collectively cut their salaries and the team overdraws future draft picks. This "quick championship" model has caused huge controversy. Although they won the championship in the first year, public opinion has begun to question: Is this a competitive sports or a superstar card game?

It is worth noting that the joint efforts of these three veterans are essentially different from the later group: they are all past their peak period, and the Celtics paid the price of young players such as Al Jefferson and multiple first-round picks. This is still different from the later peak stars taking the initiative to reduce their salary and join forces.

In 2010, King James decided: a landmark event in the era of group building

When 26-year-old James announced on ESPN live broadcast, the NBA officially entered the era of group building. He and Wade and Bosh are all in the golden period of their careers. The collective salary cuts of the three have completely overturned the alliance pattern. More importantly, James, as an MVP-level player in his year of playing, voluntarily leaving the team, setting a precedent for peak stars to form a team.

Cavaliers fans burned their jerseys, and the league urgently introduced the "Ross clause" to restrict stars from changing jobs. And the reason given by James - "Brother Basketball" is even more difficult for traditionalists to accept. After all, he joined the 2006 championship Heat, and there are two All-Stars, Wade and Bosh.

Durant surrendered to the enemy: an extreme case of the group model

If James defines the group, then Durant's 73-winning Warriors in 2016 will push the controversy to the top. The MVP, who was just reversed by the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, turned around and joined the team that defeated him, forming the "Cosmic Brave" of Curry + Thompson + Green + Durant. This direct "submission to the enemy" has caused unprecedented doubts in competitive sports' competitive spirit.

Who is the real originator of the group?

From the historical perspective, the three giants of the Celtics were the prototype of modern grouping in 2007, but James' decision in 2010 was the real watershed. The former is the veteran's last goal for the championship, while the latter is the peak star taking the initiative to form a team. Durant's choice has transformed the group into a more extreme "shortcut to win the championship".

Intriguingly, there are also many combinations of stars, Jordan's Bulls (Pippen is trained in the draft), Kobe's Lakers (Gasol is the exchange earned), and Curry's Warriors (the core is the direct draft) are rarely accused of joining the group. This may indicate that what fans dislike is not the power, but the deliberate quick-forming dynasty.

When the new NBA labor and capital agreement begins to sanction the luxury tax team in 2023, the era of grouping may be coming to an end. But the debate about "loyalty and utilitarianism" will still accompany every NBA champion.