Many ex-players and fans may not like it, but the current NBA era is dominated by super teams and it's not about to change.

Hall of Famers such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley have criticised today's superstars for joining forces instead of looking to compete against each other to win championships.

LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010 and form a big three alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh opened the door for other players to do the same in free agency.

That Heat team won two championships and went to four straight NBA Finals.

Paving the way

Kevin Durant credited James for his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and he's gone on to win back-to-back titles and Finals MVP awards, beating LeBron on both occasions.

Unless you have a team with multiple All-Stars, it's almost impossible to contend with the best teams in the league today and Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George says that former players must accept that things are different now.

The small forward chose to continue playing alongside last year's MVP Russell Westbrook as he re-signed with OKC on a four-year deal in free agency earlier this summer.

"No team has won (a title) where one single guy was the lone star and it was their team. It's not that era. I'm not sure how the veterans, the legends, don’t understand that part," George said, according to the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps.

"It’s a different game now. For those guys to chime in and say we’re not built the same ... I never understood that, because who would we be fooling if we went out alone and tried to go up against the Warriors?

"The best guy in our league right now couldn't do it. (LeBron James) got swept (in the 2018 Finals). So that just goes to show you at this point what it takes to win. Because you need guys that are alike talent-wise and skill-set-wise to win championships."

James almost single-handedly took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the finals this past season but the Warriors juggernaut proved to be a major obstacle to overcome.

George acknowledges that players have more power over their futures in the league now compared to the past.

"Back in the day, guys were stuck on teams," he said. "It was up to the front office to build around that one guy, and that one guy was going to bring championships to them.

"It’s not the same now. ... (Players) understand that, and we know what it takes."

Some may feel that super teams are bad for the NBA but unfortunately for them, they're here to stay.

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