Sharman and the "Houdini of Hardwood."
"Stumpy" and "Mr. Clutch."
"Clyde" and "Black Jesus."
All legendary, All-World, Hall of Fame, Championship-winning backcourt duos.
The best ever? All in the discussion, no doubt.
However, since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, there has been no guard tandem more talented, skilled or effective than Isiah and Joe.
Unlike the greats who came before them, Thomas and Dumars did more with less. Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy had Bill Russell and Red Auerbach. Jerry West and Gail Goodrich had Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe had Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere.
Thomas and Dumars' best offensive big men in Detroit were Bill Laimbeer and James Edwards. And yet the Pistons still appeared in three Finals and just missed a fourth. They won back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. Dumars won one Finals MVP; Thomas the other.
Both dynamos were under 6-foot-3 and could pretty much do anything on the court. Thomas is considered one of the five greatest point guards ever. Dumars was a heady, versatile two best known for being the most effective defender on Michael Jordan.
As teammates, they achieved All-NBA honors eight ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Adrian Vicente
The NBA’s 10 Best Backcourt Duos in 2010
March 15th, 2010 by Adrian Vicente Leave a reply »
Advertisement