Easily the most successful tandem in the history of the game, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell revolutionized quite a few aspects in their time together. The Jazz were always a good team, and sometimes a great one, with Malone and Stockton leading the charge. It's a bold claim to make, but Malone nearly came through on his guarantee by only losing one game in the three series that they played in. 50 Best NBA Duos of All Time 1. Willis also averaged as much as 19 points per before the team eventually disbanded the two. 1 pick in center Shaquille O'Neal. The Hawks won 57 games on two separate occasions with Wilkins and Willisa feat that has yet to be matched by any Hawks team since. In addition, both the Celtics of the 1980s and the Spurs of the 2000s and 2010s also had lots of great role players for support. Their 2001 title run was by far the most impressive as they finished 15-1 with the one loss coming in the finals by way of a 48-point effort from Allen Iverson. Coincidentally, both joining the Kings prior to the 1998-'99 season, Webber and Divac had a few solid years together with Chris enjoying his prime and Vlade entering the twilight of his career. The top duo on this list to not win a title (thanks a lot, Boston), Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were able to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to seven NBA Finals only to come away with nothing each and every time. It was easy to have that kind of chemistry when you're drafted one year apart from each other, and each player has a niche that they accept. Their record was so abysmal without Robinson that they were rewarded the No. Only playing together since the tail end of the 2008 campaign, the duo of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are already competing with what previous legendary Laker tandems have done before. Nevertheless, the Suns still saw plenty of prosperity with the tandem of Johnson and Barkley. The Orlando Magic didn't have too much trouble getting off the ground as a new franchise, considering they had one of the league's top shooting guards in Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and their No. Privacy & Social Policy Jordan and Pippen were incredible; both on the offensive and defensive end while... 2. Frazier was the point guard for the Knicks and did just about everything on the court as he filled up stat sheets in the points, rebounds and assists department. Second, the NBA had between eight and 14 teams and no free agency during the Celticsâ run, which makes their championships a bit less impressive. Which duos have been the very best? The dedication of both MJ and Pippen to provide superstar play on both ends of the court throughout their Bulls tenures is the key reason Chicago won six NBA championships in the 1990s. There's just no explanation as to how these two didn't win championships together. In the four full seasons they spent together, both players never shot below 37 percent from the land of three. What is the best duo in NBA history? Durant vs Jordan. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't all about the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles. Jordan and Pippen should be the No. He led the league in scoring for the first three years of his career averaging as much as 28 points per while also going on to lead the league in rebounding for two consecutive seasons once they started keeping track. Chamberlain and Greer spent three-and-a-half seasons together, and they happened to be some of the best of "The Stilts" career. Lewis averaged a career-high of 23 points per in his final season with the Seattle Supersonics while Allen averaged nearly 27 points per in the same year. Overshadowed by Wilt's accomplishments, Greer still managed to be the team's second scoring option as well as a solid rebounder and facilitator. Michael Jordan is arguably the best player in the history of the game of basketball. The whirlwind circus that was the 2019 NBA offseason saw a number of the league’s best players join forces to create what could be some of the most fearsome duos in league history. Smith was with Olajuwon during the glory days of the Rockets franchise where they won two consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995 during Michael Jordan's retirement and then recovery period. Duncan and Parker possess greater chemistry than any other tandem in the league today, and it has led to more success than any duo currently playing together could say. 1 spot on this list if their primes matched up a little bit better. Barkley also brought home his only MVP in his first year with the Suns. They ran the league between 2000 to 2002 during their three-peat and basically did everything on offense for the Lakers. The former MVP and five-time champion can score at an efficient rate without a post presence, he did average 35 points per in 2006, but it helps when you throw in a volatile post presence that can score and rebound at will. Havlicek and Cowens played as teammates from 1970 to 1978 with two championships and an MVP for Dave coming in those eight years. He spent more time and won more championships with Russell compared to anyone else. Bookmaker Bracket of the Week: Quarterfinals of the best duos in NBA history 2-on-2 tournament. Both players are extremely athletic, can score from anywhere and know how to score most of all, they're destined for greatness as a title berth could very well be in their future. Members of those high-powered offensive Denver Nuggets teams from the 1980s, Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe made sure that no points went to waste during their tenures with the team. He had several Hall of Fame teammates during his tenure in Boston, including Sam Jones, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Lucas averaged at least 17 boards per in every season he played with the Royals. He had his best statistics in his final season with Wilt when he averaged 24 points, five rebounds and five assists per. It's tough to argue against leading the league in points per game between two players, 58 wins and an NBA Finals appearance in that first season though. When I say best duo, I don’t just mean two stars that were on the same team that didn’t have much synergy but put up numbers, for example, Harden and Westbrook in Houston (no disrespect on either man) He won Finals MVP's for both championships with Olajuwon averaging as much as 28 points per in the time he spent with Smith. They were swept by the Houston Rockets, but it's still no reason to knock such an impressive accomplishment. It would help start his dynamic run to eight straight NBA Finals. These two were also at the forefront of leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009their first appearance since 1995. These two led the Kings to the playoffs more than they had seen since the franchise resided in Kansas City. Jordan was posting up stats that nobody had seen since the 1960's, but it still didn't translate to team success as they always came up short when going against an actual contender. If they had two or three titles to their name, they might rank No. The one time Jerry West won? Hagan averaged three consecutive double-doubles in the first four years of his career in points and rebounds while averaging a career-high 24 points per in his fourth season. They would split the two Finals MVP's awarded. Houston would win as much as 55 games with these two but would never make it past the semifinals. Barry would also average as much as 25 points and nine rebounds per. (All United States can join) Stockton led the league in assists for nine consecutive seasons thanks to the high-powered offense of Malone, averaging as much as 15 assists per and holding the record for assists in a careera record that will most likely never be broken. As a last hurrah, Robinson would end his career with one more title in 2003 with a six-game series win over the New Jersey Nets. Teammates from 1963 until 1970, Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson formed one of the league's top duos and could have had a couple of championships if not for the unstoppable centers in Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell dominating the league. That mark is the 61 wins that the team won in 1996 in Mourning and Hardaway's first full season together as teammates. Payton played the role of facilitator while Kemp was the team's offensive enforcer with his ability to throw down some of the most powerful dunks the game had ever seen. Russell vs Shaq. 2 on this list, the respective prime years of Duncan (1999-2005) and Parker (2008-2013) didnât quite match up well enough for them to get the most out of being paired together. So who has occupied our no.1 spot for the best duo ever? Mark Cuban had the wrong idea in thinking that Steve Nash's career was over, turns out that it was the complete opposite, and that his Dallas Mavericks possibly wouldn't have had to wait until 2011 for their first championship. Reed, most remembered for a game where he scored four points, was the teams starting center for most of his time with the Knicks averaging a double-double in the four seasons he played with Frazier while also averaging a career-high 22 points per as well as a near career high of 15 rebounds per. 1996 also happened to be the year that the Sonics won a franchise-high 64 games while also making it to their first NBA Finals since the late-1970s. A little too early, you say? The best NBA duos #01. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. 1 on this list. (All US states can join) The two featured great chemistry in the five seasons they spent together but couldn't come away with anything more than a division championship and two semifinals appearances. VOTE NOW: Which all-time duo wins a 2-on-2 tournament? Drexler averaged as much as 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Porter averaged as much as 18 points and 10 assists per in different seasons. His teammate in Willis was a strong interior presence and a terrific rebounder averaging as much as 16 rebounds per with five of them coming on the offensive glass. The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s could have gotten on the list with Isiah Thomas and one of his star teammates. This duo was great in its short time in Oakland but they made the impact of any duo … Playing together on the San Francisco Warriors from 1951 until Johnston's retirement in 1959, Arizin and Johnston formed an outstanding inside-outside threat with Arizin playing the role of mid-range shooter and slasher while Johnston did his work in the post to help lead the team to their second title in franchise history with a five-game series win against the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956. Author: With Nowitzki taking up most of the attention from opposing defenses on account of his unstoppable jump shot and tremendous post game, Terry was free to pick and choose where he wanted to shoot and whenever he felt like driving. Here is our top 5 greatest NBA duos of all time. They would win two of the four straight Finals they would play in giving NBA fans one of the best runs in NBA history. While Parker was a member of that 2003 team that won a title, he didn't carry as much of an impact than he did in the Spurs most recent two championships. These two separated themselves with their amazing quickness, intelligence and tenacity on the defensive end. However, they never came through consistently in key moments to win an NBA championship. Pollard wasn't as prolific a player as Mikan was, but he was a solid contributor to a dynasty. It's tough not to have great chemistry with your point guard when his name is... 3. Bryant led the way on both occasions taking home the Finals MVP as his consistent ability to hit shots whenever the team called upon him was enough to give the Lakers just what they needed to blow out the Orlando Magic for their first title and then eek out a close win over the Boston Celtics. Had they actually won, they could have very well found themselves in the top 30. Jordan is the greatest scorer of all time, and Pippen could score as well as make plays for others. Teammates for nearly the entirety of their careers, center George Mikan and forward/center (look it up) Jim Pollard were one of the first tandems to dominate the league. Webber averaged his career highs with the Kings by averaging a league-leading 13 rebounds per and then 27 points per two seasons later. Ranking 10 best duos in NBA history, including two Warriors pairs 01 10. Shaq and Kobe still packed in a lot of accomplishments during their eight years together. It's tough not to have great chemistry with your point guard when his name is Magic Johnson. Ewing was one of the league's most dominant centers in an era filled with elite centers. Duncan led the way for the Spurs title win in 2005 when they defeated the Detroit Pistons in seven games while Parker took over those duties in 2007 when he led the team to their easiest championship in the form of a sweep over the overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers. One of his greatest accomplishments would be the defense he consistently played on Wilt Chamberlain which would seem to be the only formidable defense that Chamberlain would see. With Price hitting nearly everything from 25 feet and beyond and Daugherty commanding the paint, they led the Cavaliers to have a multi-dimensional game with one of the league's top shooters and post presences. Carter on the other hand was in the prime of his career waiting for an opportunity like joining the Nets to arise. Cookies Policy Kevin Johnson... Houston … This proved to work out well as the Jazz became an immediate powerhouse with Stockton and Malone showing off terrific chemistry and teamwork. Once Pippen came on the team and Jordan established chemistry with him though, it proved to be the key to the Bulls' winning championships. Best Duo in NBA History? Bolting Toronto for the New Jersey Nets, Vince Carter joined a stacked team that already came equipped with one of the league's top offensive facilitators in Jason Kidd. There can only be one winner which is why we need your help in sorting through the contenders one day at a time. If playback doesn't begin shortly,... Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook - Moment 4 Life. Duncan is the greatest power forward in NBA history, but is his best teammate Parker, Ginobili or David Robinson? With three championships and three Finals MVP's between them, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker picked up where Duncan and David Robinson left off. The San Antonio Spurs were a powerhouse with David Robinson, as the Colts are with Peyton Manning, only to see him get injured and play in only six games in the 1996-97 season. The two would win three consecutive titles as teammates with wins coming against the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Jersey Nets. Bird and McHale are somewhat similar to Duncan and Parker in that there was a clear all-time great (Bird/Duncan) carrying the duo for many years, while the other peaked as a top-15 player in the league for a few years. Instead of voting to eliminate like the previous rounds, you are voting for the winner. O'Neal played at an MVP pace that season averaged 23 points and 10 boards per while leading the team to a 17-win improvement from the year before. BetOnline Sportsbook Magic vs Bird. Two of the league's most underrated players in the history of the game, Mark Price and Brad Daugherty were the first players in the franchises history to bring consistent success to the team.
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