The Golden State Warriors still have the best backcourt
The Golden State Warriors’ backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the best in the league, despite the pairing of Chris Paul and James Harden.
The Golden State Warriors have gone to another level with Kevin Durant. They could be at the start of one of the league’s strongest dynasties ever. That’s how special they are.
The Warriors’ star power forward, Draymond Green, was just named the Defensive Player of the Year. He’s established himself as one of the most unstoppable forces on the defensive end of the floor. Couple that with a strong playmaking ability and an improved shot and he has become one of the best players in the game.
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This incredible run the Warriors are on started with their backcourt. Long before Durant packed his bags for the Bay Area or Green signed a professional contract, Golden State was relying on their guard tandem. They got the ball rolling.
The Warriors made the then-controversial decision to trade Monta Ellis. He was a fan-favorite and the team’s leading scorer. They did it to make room for Stephen Curry.
The move also opened up a path for Klay Thompson to eventually step into a starting position. Thus, the Splash Brothers were born. They were the beginning.
Curry and Thompson have been ending teams with their long range bombs for years now. Former coach Mark Jackson was laughed at when he said the two young marksmen were the best shooting backcourt in league history. That, somehow, turned out to be an understatement.
The Splash Brothers are the two greatest shooters ever. Period. It just so happens that they play on the same team together.
While there are good backcourts out there like the ones in Portland, Washington, and Toronto, none come close to Golden State’s. Teams try to challenge them, but none have the firepower to be considered stronger than them. And none of them have a ring, let alone two.
The Houston Rockets have now assembled a really good backcourt. They traded for point guard Chris Paul. James Harden fell short of winning his first MVP (for the second time in three years), but this is almost as nice. He gets a backcourt mate that plays elite defense and has a strong offensive game to go with it.
Paul and Harden are nice. They are not Curry and Thompson. The Rockets’ tandem are not the best backcourt in the league.
While individually, both players may be better than Thompson, they haven’t stepped on a court together yet. There will be some growing pains. Even if Paul and Harden are all in on making it work, they still need to make it happen.
As of right now, the best backcourt in the NBA resides in the Bay Area. They have two championships together. They are revolutionary figures that have changed the game.
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Paul and Harden might be number two. But in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Individually, neither of them have been able to take down the Warriors. And, unless they miraculously click from day one, they’re not going to be able to do it next year either.
The Splash Brothers reign supreme.