The NBA season is already decided before opening Tuesday. History says the crown is headed to Miami.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh have joined the Heat’s Dwayne Wade to become the biggest blockbuster triple play since Chicago ruled the 1990s behind Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
Every NBA team has a star. Many like the Washington Wizards have two. But three is never a crowd — it’s a championship.
Jordan was perhaps the greatest player ever, but his success was fueled first by Pippen and then Rodman. Jordan and Pippen won three titles when Rodman joined Chicago in 1995. The Bulls won championships in each of Rodman’s three seasons while he also took three straight rebounding titles. The trio was unstoppable.
Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA in the 1980s using threesomes.
Boston won three titles while losing two NBA Finals to Los Angeles. The Celtics combination of Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale might have been even greater than the Bulls because all three are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Celtics later used a triple combo in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to win the 2008 crown in their first season together.
Los Angeles was fueled by Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar won two titles before adding three more with Worthy, an unappreciated superstar compared to his two teammates. Worthy was the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers reached nine NBA Finals from 1980-91.
The one team that muscled in on the Celtics-Lakers dominance in the early 1980s was Philadelphia. Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks won the 1983 crown. Dr. J and Malone were true superstars while Cheeks was among the NBA’s top defensive players.
Sometimes even a great threesome can’t win, though. Utah was just a notch short when losing the 1997-98 titles to Chicago despite Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek.
These historic trios show just how idiotic it was to think the Wizards in recent years were a title contender with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. They were three good players that rarely played together thanks to Arenas’ injuries and legal troubles. But the best trios ever show how misguided Wiz fans were thinking that group could truly contend.
Miami is interesting given James and Bosh both arrive as free agents. James is the NBA’s best player who couldn’t shoulder a lackluster supporting cast in Cleveland. Bosh managed only two modest playoff appearances in seven seasons with Toronto. Meanwhile, Miami was marginal the past three seasons despite Wade.
Can the trio blend together to create one unbeatable force? Las Vegas oddsmakers say the Heat are 2-1 favorites to earn the championship while winning 66 games. Sure looks like the NBA’s next great threesome is here.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
