Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and the Golden State Warriors have come out victorious over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 making them the 2017 NBA Champions. The play of these two have been remarkable during this playoffs and even more so in this series. So much so that during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Jeff Van Gundy made a jaw-dropping statement calling Durant and Curry the best duo ever.
Many blasted Van Gundy calling him crazy and a prisoner of the moment. While I don’t agree with Van Gundy calling them the best duo ever, I do believe that Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are very high on the best duo list. While they’re only one season in with one championship on their belt, the firepower of these two can’t be understated.
Most PPG by Duo, NBA Finals History- Won Title
2002 Shaq & Kobe 63.3
1993 Jordan & Pippen 62.2
2017 Durant & Curry 62.0via @EliasSports
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2017
My number one duo has to be Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The sheer dominance of Shaq couldn’t be stopped and when you add everything that Kobe brought to the table, there’s no question in my eyes that these two are simply the best. Bryant was dominant in his own right being a multi-faceted scorer and affecting the game in multiple ways. Despite only winning three championships, many believe they could’ve won a lot more if they were able to put their differences aside.
Next, comes in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. These guys provide high-powered offense, long-range sniping, and a huge entertainment factor. They both play in a system that suits them incredibly and with everything they can do on the floor; their presence opens things up for each other as well for others. Durant is one of the best all-around scorers of this generation and he’s complemented by one of, if not the best shooter of all-time. The scary part is that this is just their first year together. There’s a lot more to come so I’m curious to see how this pans out.
My third choice is obviously Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. That might look crazy to some but it’s hard for me to put these two above my other two picks. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are the most proven out of this bunch due to their 6 titles. Jordan is the best player of all-time and Pippen complimented that with his versatility. He brought the defensive tenacity to take them to great levels. However, I just don’t see the offensive firepower with Jordan and Pippen that I see in the others. Even with them averaging more points than Curry and Durant, the combined threat that they pose just isn’t at the level of the others.
While I don’t believe that Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are the best duo of all-time, I do believe they have the potential to be. I do believe they’re combined more lethal than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen but they still have some more work to do before I can say they’re more dominant than Shaq and Kobe. This will be a duo to watch over the next couple of years. The scoring between these two will sky-rocket and I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of championships were collected during the journey as well.
