All-Star collection of Durant, Harden, Irving and Griffin won't guarantee Nets an NBA title

The Brooklyn Nets have amassed immense talent: Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Already a quality team, they added forward Blake Griffin earlier this week after he reached a buyout agreement with the Detroit Pistons last week.

“Anytime you have these type of players, you need guys around them to relieve that pressure,” Griffin said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “For me, it’s about playing meaningful playoffs, being in the playoffs and contending for a championship.”

Griffin is no longer an All-Star, but with the right minutes in the right rotation, he can contribute. Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said Griffin can play forward or small-ball center, shoot 3-pointers and serve as a playmaker.

“There’s plenty of ways he can adapt and help our team,” Nash said.

All things Nets: Latest Brooklyn Nets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Nets are loaded, a high-scoring conglomerate just behind first-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.

START YOUR MORNING RIGHT:Never miss a sports moment with our daily newsletter. Sign up here!

INSTANT IMPACT:These five NBA players returning from injury could make waves

They are championship contenders. But that only means they have a better chance than most teams. Having three All-Stars doesn’t guarantee anything, and that has played out over and over.

Things happen. Injuries. Running into a better “team.” Ask the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Miami had Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The Big 3 had success with two championships. But the Heat also lost in two Finals. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and a great game plan sunk the Heat in 2011, and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard overwhelmed Miami in 2014.

The Cavaliers – James, Irving and Kevin Love – reached four consecutive Finals but encountered a juggernaut each time in Golden State. Injuries in the 2015 Finals hurt, and Kevin Durant’s addition to Golden State in 2017 and 2018 almost made it unfair.

But even those Warriors, who won three titles in five seasons, didn’t win every year with some combination of Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Cleveland had a memorable 3-1 comeback victory in the 2016 Finals and injuries to Durant and Thompson decimated the Warriors against Toronto in the 2019 Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers won three consecutive titles with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Bryant and O’Neal never won another title together again losing to a great San Antonio team in 2003. The next season, the Lakers added Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

But Bryant and O’Neal became increasingly irritated with each other. O’Neal and Lakers coach Phil Jackson failed to convince ownership to grant them contract extensions (the Lakers traded O'Neal to the Heat after the 2004 season, and Jackson took the 2004-05 season off). Bryant spent part of the season dealing with sexual assault charges, which were eventually dropped after the woman declined to testify. Payton scoffed at Jackson’s triangle offense. Malone became hampered with season-long knee issues.

They lost to the well-rounded Detroit Pistons in 2004.

There are always circumstances, and on the opposite side is always a quality opponent.

Even still, it seems like the Heat, Cavs, Lakers, Warriors should have another title during that run. But reality tells the truth: it is difficult to win a title no matter who is on the roster.

That’s what the Nets face. Durant has been out a month with a hamstring injury, they need to improve defensively and Durant, Irving and Harden need more time together on the court.

Since the Nets acquired Harden, those three have played in just seven games and 186 minutes, according to nba.com/stats.

“You can make all the plans you want, and things go sideways sometimes,” Nash said. “We’ve just got to take it day by day and make sure that we make sensible decisions and with a bit of fortune, we’ll be able to have a nice runway where these guys are all available and healthy and playing and getting an opportunity to gain cohesion and understanding before the playoffs arrive.”

The Nets signed Irving and Durant in 2019 and traded for Harden two months ago with the goal of winning a title.

The Nets are the most interesting team to watch the rest of the season.