A lot of people have this idea that in the NBA, talent is all that matters, and team chemistry, personality, and other intangibles be damned. And that you can simply just add a bunch of talented players to a team and they’ll win a chip.
But that isn’t the case, and these last two years should have proven that for everyone. Everyone knows how badly the Kyrie Irving stint ended in Boston. Or how disappointing the Clippers were in 2020, as they couldn’t even get out of the second round, let alone make the finals.
On paper, those teams should have been better than they were. And they both failed for similar reasons; poor team fit and intangibles. In contrast, the teams that have won recently, and historically, never had this issue.
Look at some of the best dynasties in NBA history: they had these 3 things in common.
The 80s Celtics:
- Team Fit: Larry Bird was a 6’10 small forward who could pass like Magic, shoot like Reggie, and more importantly, could play off-ball effortlessly. This meant that he could draw defensive coverage, and be willing to let his teammates like Kevin McHale shine. Kevin McHale was a power forward who liked to operate in the low post, so it helped that Bird was a great passer. Dennis Johnson at point guard was a solid passer and great defender, and was not high-usage on offense. Lastly, Robert Parish also was not high usage – he would dunk, get put-ins, etc.
- Intangibles – Larry Bird had that same killer instinct and fearlessness that MJ and Kobe had. This is huge, given that he was the leader of the team.
- Clear hierarchy – Bird was the clear number 1, and McHale was the clear number 2. Guys like Dennis Johnson and Bill Walton were veterans who knew that they weren’t going to be the best players on the team: they were there to support and make great plays when needed.
The 90s Bulls
- Team Fit: Michael Jordan was the primary scorer. The triangle offense saw him operate around the high post and on the wing (inside the perimeter). The point guards he played with (Armstrong, Harper) were not high-usage guards, at all. The barely averaged above 10 points a game playing with him, and both averaged under 25 minutes playing Jordan as well. Pippen was a small forward that would often play a point role as well, but, again, he was not the primary scorer. Guys like Harper and Kerr also typically shot off-ball as well. Rodman was never a player on offense that would need the ball.
- Intangibles: MJ. Enough said. (Pippen was also good too, and guys like Kerr were clutch).
- Hierarchy: MJ was the obvious number 1 option. Pippen was clearly the 2nd best player. Guys like Kerr, Kukoc, Harper, Rodman, etc. were clear supporting cast members that knew their roles.
The 2020 Lakers:
- Team Fit: Lebron was basically the point forward. High usage, primary ball-handler. Davis was the big man, mostly a scorer. Everyone else supported. Kuzma was not high usage; he catch and shoot, or occasionally make his own shot. Same with KCP. McGee and Howard were backup bigs that did not need or demand the ball. Rondo was a pure point guard, not a selfish plaer.
- Intangibles: LeBron has been an excellent playoff performer, possibly the best ever. Despite debates about his clutch-ness, the facts speak for themselves: he is the best game 7 performer ever, and has numerous game-winning shots in the playoffs. He brings his A-game everytime, gets other players involved, and is always the clear leader on every team he is on. Guys like Howard have matured, and guys like Rondo and McGee (and Howard) are cool veterans who have been in the Finals before, so they are ready.
- Hierarchy: LeBron and AD are the 1A and 1B of this operation respectively. The perimeter ball handler and the big. Rondo is the backup point guard who knows his role (be pure point guard and play defense, don’t ball-hog or try to play hero-ball). McGee and Howard are verteran big who know their place (they are support players). Kuzma knows he is not yet “the guy” in LA; LeBron and Davis are.
And so on and so forth. The same could be said for this recent Warriors dynasty, even with KD (Curry is a very unselfish superstar, who is well-liked by his teammates, and doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be effective. Plus, his gravity). And the showtime Lakers: Magic was the point, Kareem was the big who was exclusively stationed in the low post, and James Worthy notably sacrificed his game (something that all-star players don’t always want to do).
Let us look at teams that had talent, but failed.
The 2020 LA Clippers had talent. Kawhi. PG13. Montrezl. Sweet Lou. Zubac. Beverly. They had a Finals MVP, another All-NBA level Wing, two 6MOY, and other defensive players that were “dogs”. But they could not even get out of the 2nd round. Why?
PG13 is a player who has been very inconsistent in the playoffs, and has been criticized by teammates for not holding himself accountable when failing and for being snobby. Kawhi Leonard – when he won in San Antonio and Toronto – had veteran guards in Parker and Lowry that helped run the offense, and were the real leaders on those teams (with Duncan and Ginobili also being leaders in San Antonio alongside Parker).
Kawhi and PG13 also didn’t have that “it” factor in them. They load managed heavily throughout the year, as they felt the regular season was pointless, and were waiting for the Lakers.
We can also look at the Celtics these last couple of years: They have not been able to get to the Finals despite fielding good rosters. Why? Awkward team fits (the 2020 Celtics had 4 ballhandlers/scores in Tatum, Brown, Kemba, and Hayward, and their big men like Theis and Kanter were good, but didn’t fit with the roster since they lacked a taller defensive big man), low intangibles (*cough* Kyrie *cough*), and no clear hierarchy.
In short, you just can’t throw a bunch of good players on a team. They need that chemistry. The clearly defined roles.
