Carmelo Anthony believes that the Los Angeles Clippers are the only Superteam in the NBA right now. For Melo, the criteria of being considered a Super-team is having at least four players who are exemplary at their positions.
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Currently, the Clippers have the services of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard. He believes that these four players are among the best players of all time, which makes the Clips a legit Superteam.
The NBA veteran recently discussed the subject of NBA Superteams on his newly launched podcast 7 PM in Brooklyn. During the show, co-host Kid Mero wondered if the era of Superteams was over.
In response, Melo said that a real Superteam would be a team like the Olympics’ Team USA squad, where every player is a superstar. He also argued that the 2003-04 Lakers with Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O’Neal was an example of a Superteam in the NBA. Similarly, the 39-year-old considered the 2008 Boston Celtics a Superteam as well, having Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.
However, surprisingly, Anthony doesn’t consider the 2011-2015 Miami Heat a Superteam despite featuring the likes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
”Anything more than two and three is a Superteam. Miami didn’t have a Superteam, they had a big three and a great team,” Anthony said. “Today, there is no Superteam, there’s only one Superteam in the NBA and that is the Clippers. Because of what they have, four of the best players of all time, in NBA history, in one time,” he added.
The definition of a Superteam presented by Anthony is a bit unconventional. The most surprising aspect of his definition is that he doesn’t consider the Miami Heat a superteam. Many fans and analysts have considered the Heat to be the original superteam in the modern era, but the 2013 scoring champion has his peculiar barometer. One thing is for sure, there is no arguing that the Clippers are a superteam. They have arguably four All-Time Top 100 players. Currently, they are indeed playing like a team to be reckoned with.
The Los Angeles Clippers are on the rise
The Clippers finally fulfilled James Harden’s wish and brought him to the squad in early November. However, they faced a rocky start as the team struggled to identify a viable scheme with four enforcers like Leonard, George, Westbrook, and Harden vying for the ball.
Since then, the team has improved by leaps and bounds. At the time of writing, they have won seven games in a row. Thus, after starting 0-5 with Harden, they have won 12 of their last 15 match-ups.
The individual numbers are also shining as the team has grown. Leonard and George had adjustment issues when Harden arrived, but they have adjusted wonderfully. However, Westbrook has continued his dramatic fall that began when he joined the Lakers in 2021.
The Clippers are currently standing sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 15-10. Being the only Superteam in the NBA, as per Melo’s estimation, the Clippers would really have a lot of expectations on them this postseason.
