also, just for the record...I find it hard to say Bird/McHale was a duo. That's just a way to get Bird on the list...which is fine. But, Bird always said the best player he ever played with was Dennis Johnson. And then there is Robert Parish, too. And McHale only scored 10ppg as a Rookie, when Bird won his first title with Parish as 2nd leading scorer...and Cedric Maxwell as 3rd, manned by an aging Tiny Archibald at the point. trivia time: What player and team beat the defending champions Magic and Kareem in '81 in the first round to clear the way for Bird's Celtics, and faced Bird in the Finals.
MJ,Bird,McHale,Kareem,and magic are incredible talented players,anyone played at decent level with them would be awesome .Luce for instance has more ring than Hakeem But Malone and Stockton individually were slightly above average but as due they excelled . One ad 2nd leading scorer of all time and the other lead with assists
One of my favorite NBA photos of all time. Moses: "Ooooo, mine again." Kareem: "eek. OK, it's yours." Magic: expression of awe. Done goes the defending champions in the first round.
1. Magic-Kareem..... both widely considered top 5 players. 2. Kobe-Shaq..... both averaged 29ppg in the same season. Unprecedented for teammates. Neither was a slouch on defense. 3. MJ-Pippen Chamberlain wasn't prime with West, was he? Ditto Clyde-Hakeem, Oscar-Kareem.
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — It sounds like a slam dunk — or better yet, a sky hook — in theory. A superstar pairing of Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson against … well, just about any other duo in NBA history. When you stack up their accomplishments (titles, MVPs, All-Star bids, etc.) it’s hard to imagine another pair of NBA superstars past or present, piling up more hardware than the Showtime Lakers dynamic duo. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson didn’t do it as long and didn’t do it nearly as big (no titles), but they had flashes that absolutely dazzled the basketball world. Barkley, who starred with Magic on the original Dream Team, ranks as one of the greatest talents the league has ever seen. And Johnson, the Mayor of Sacramento these days, spent 12 years shredding opposing teams as one of the league’s elite point guards. NBA TV’s Fan Night #BestDuos Tournament is the only place where you get to vote on on this all-important issue. You can cast your vote on Twitter using #BESTDUO1 for Magic and Kareem or #BESTDUO2 for Chuck and KJ. Keep in mind that this is not a vote on who would win an actual 2-on-2 tournament but a vote on the historical impact of the best duo based on what they accomplished during their respective careers. Tune into Fan Night on NBA TV every Tuesday for the results of the vote and updates on the current week’s matchup. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade won the Week 1 matchup over Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone. (Wow ) Here is the bracket … (spoilered for size) Spoiler
^ the fans have spoken... LeBron James and Dwyane Wade won the Week 1 matchup over Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone. Not sure I agree with that at all. LeBron/Wade wouldn't have the same advantages (hand check rules, defensive 3 seconds, etc) during the Dr.J/Malone era. Superstar calls also weren't as prevalent. I'd take the Doctor and Malone all day, every day.
If in there primes, there were never a better two wings at one time. Wade against Dallas in the finals may have had a better playoff stretch than Lebron has ever had. He was incredible.
Lebron and Wade beat Moses and Dr J. sigh. shows the age of the voters. Don't think so. I guess people are thinking this is a 2 on 2 competition vs historical impact of two players on the same team.
Exactly. Time to educate these youngsters. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0PQz4BGMYHk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The most dominant team I've ever seen. Ever. They're playoff run was legendary. Kiddos, that's the '83 76ers.
^ unprecedented combo of defense, low-post half-court game and fast-breaking. While Showtime has the best fastbreaking, Jabbar could never beat Moses, and the '76er defense smothered both the Celtics and Lakers. Moses gobbling up rebounds with Bobby Jones and Dr J releasing on the fastbreak! just incredible I remember every game in the 3rd Q they would come out of the locker room and lock down the Lakers and Celtics offenses...and put the games away early
never better two wings? So you're saying they beat MJ and Pippen too? MJ is the GOAT, and #33 is the best wing defender of all time, imso, and we won't even discuss the rings.
'83 Sixers Make Good on Malone's Famous Prediction FO' FO' FO' Sure Quote: It starts with Malone, whose pre-playoff “Fo’-Fo’-Fo’” prediction of three series sweeps sounded like the crazy bellowing of a jolly hoops giant but turned out to be just about right. The Sixers swept New York in the Eastern Conference semis, having received a first-round bye due to their Atlantic Division title and NBA-best 65 wins. Milwaukee was next, thanks to the Bucks’ surprising four-game dispatching of the Celtics. The Bucks didn’t go out in four, preventing a sweep with a homecourt victory after falling behind 3-0, but eventually lost in five. So, Malone amended his prediction to “Fo’-Fi’-Fo’”—still a surprising declaration, considering that Philadelphia had lost NBA Finals series to the Lakers in ’80 and ’82. “The only thing I got mad at was Moses saying, ‘Fo’-Fo’-Fo’,’” says former Lakers guard Michael Cooper, now coach of the two-time defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks. “You’re not supposed to do that.” Malone’s confident prediction showed the NBA world just how different these 76ers were. No longer were they championship hopefuls. After adding Malone in a preseason trade with Houston (for 7-1 defensive specialist Caldwell Jones and a first-round draft pick), the Sixers finally possessed the consistent inside offensive presence they had lacked, not to mention the League’s leading rebounder. The Lakers had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Celtics had Robert Parish. Now, Philadelphia had Moses. “We got to training camp, and the feeling was that the title was ours,” Erving says. “We weren’t going to be denied,” Jones says. “I don’t care who was on the court for them. They weren’t going to stop Julius and Moses.” Cooper agrees. “It would have been hard to beat them, even if we were healthy,” he says. “They were like us in ’85, after we had lost to Boston in ’84. They were on a mission.” The perimeter games were important, but the series was won inside, where Malone ruled the day. “He forced us to double-team,” Cooper says. “We could play them pretty much man-to-man when he wasn’t there.” Malone has said over the years that he didn’t think Abdul-Jabbar was comfortable playing a physical game, and it showed in the 1983 NBA Finals, when Malone averaged 25.8 ppg and 18.0 rpg, en route to MVP honors. “A little banging and a little shoving—he didn’t like that,” Malone says. “That’s the way the game should be played. I liked the pounding and the hard work. That made me more aggressive.” “It was our time,” Erving says.
Pretty sure Gary would argue that Payton/Kemp should be in the mix. While personally I'm missing the option of Robertson/Alcindor.
I agree in respective primes, but the rule changes are irrelevant and actually work to benefit of each side. LeBron/Wade would get away with murder on offense and defense, especially Lebron. Considering he could utilize his 6,8 - 245-260 pound frame against a smaller NBA league with less defensive specialists and shutdown defenses. 90s-2000s have showcased some of the greatest defenses in history -- Spurs, Pistons, Bulls, and Celtics who all have become defensive juggernauts, regardless of rule changes due to personnel and team defensive. Moreover, teams were routinely averaging 102-112 ppg with high FG%...lots of running and shooting-lobbing into the post against teams who could not utilize illegal defensee. Tell me how either player gets worse. You have to look at the totality of the player. Superstar calls existed in 60s, besides that is a bit of inexact science. Moses would thrive more, now for a lack of competition. Dr. J would be slightly better on offense, but worse
1. Kareem or Worthy/Magic 2. Shaq/Kobe 3. Moses/Dr.J 4. West/Baylor 5. tie - Bird/Mchale, Jordan/Pippen 6. Russell/Havilcek 7. LeBron/Wade 8. Malone/Stockton 9. Olajuwon/Sampson or Drexler 10. Duncan/Robinson
