What is the best duo ever in basketball?

[ShaqAttack3234]

yeah, i know that shaqattack, the lakers could have met many more issues if the Suns had Gugliotta, Chapman and a healthy Kidd.

i was more talking about 01-02-03, but i did not mention it, this is right.

the Lakers were very well built nonetheless.
Phil loved to get his tall guards with Shaw and Harper, plus horry, Grant, Fox were perfect role players with a lot of experience for this team.

The Lakers team had flaws, they were vulnerable inside vs the better power forwards except in 2001 when they had Grant, they didn't have a good 3 point shooting team and they only had 2 players who you could go to for offense(Shaq and Kobe). They won on the strength of their duo. The guys you listed are not unusual players at all, most teams have players like that and none of them are usually the team's 3rd best player.

Penny and Shaq were better duo,ensemble.
Kobe and Shaq were two great players playing together.

No, and also worth noting is that the Magic had much more talent around Shaq and Penny than the Lakers had around Shaq and Kobe and they still weren't as good.

[Laimbeer_Rodman]

The Lakers team had flaws, they were vulnerable inside vs the better power forwards except in 2001 when they had Grant, they didn't have a good 3 point shooting team and they only had 2 players who you could go to for offense(Shaq and Kobe). They won on the strength of their duo. The guys you listed are not unusual players at all, most teams have players like that and none of them are usually the team's 3rd best player.



No, and also worth noting is that the Magic had much more talent around Shaq and Penny than the Lakers had around Shaq and Kobe and they still weren't as good.

Orlando had good players but let's not forget
Cedrick Ceballos ,Nick Van Axel,Edie Jones(first 3 years of Shaq&Kobe)

[ShaqAttack3234]

Orlando had good players but let's not forget
Cedrick Ceballos ,Nick Van Axel,Edie Jones(first 3 years of Shaq&Kobe)

Ceballos played 8 games with the Lakers during the Shaq/Kobe era and Kobe was coming off the bench back then and wasn't even the Lakers second best player until his 3rd season(during which Jones was traded and Van Exel was already gone) so those guys weren't really there during the years of Shaq and Kobe as a duo.

[Laimbeer_Rodman]

just try to point that Lakers weren't without a talent in first 3 seasons (Penny & Shaq played together for only 3 seasons).They had Horry ,Fisher,Rice also.
Except Grant,Scott and Anderson i can't of remember any other decent player in Orlando.

[ShaqAttack3234]

just try to point that Lakers weren't without a talent in first 3 seasons (Penny & Shaq played together for only 3 seasons).They had Horry ,Fisher,Rice also.
Except Grant,Scott and Anderson i can't of remember any other decent player in Orlando.

Lets put it this way, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant and Dennis Scott all would have been the 3rd best player any of the Lakers 3peat teams, yet they were all on the same Magic team playing behind Shaq and Penny. The Magic had A LOT more talent around Shaq and Penny in '95 and '96 than LA had around Shaq and Kobe from 2000-2003.

[clipps]

Why the hell is Shaq/Penny even mentioned? They did nothing worthy. Even if Shaq stayed in Orlando, Penny still would have gotten hurt. Regardless of the feud that would constantly go on, Kobe/Shaq became one of the most storied duos in NBA History. I'm a Clipper fan for God's sake. I never liked the Lakers. I hated Shaq and Kobe during that era, but I can't lie to myself or stomach reading some of this garbage that I'm reading in this thread. Yes, the Lakers had some great role players. In 2000, they had Rice as their outside shooter and reliable #3 guy, in 01, Fisher stepped it up after his season long injury and knocked down basically every 3 pointer he threw up it seemed in the playoffs, 02, Horry was the guy that hit the big shots, Lets not forget, that game winner wasn't the only big shot he hit that year, but regardless of how "weak" that era is, it takes a high level of chemistry to win 3 in a row. Let's not be dumb here.

[brownmamba00]

but regardless of how "weak" that era is

Are you fvcking serious or did I misread smthing?

The Blazers, Nets, Pistons, Spurs, Kings>>>

How is that era weak? And lets not act like that wasnt the toughest era defensively.

[Laimbeer_Rodman]

Lets put it this way, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant and Dennis Scott all would have been the 3rd best player any of the Lakers 3peat teams, yet they were all on the same Magic team playing behind Shaq and Penny. The Magic had A LOT more talent around Shaq and Penny in '95 and '96 than LA had around Shaq and Kobe from 2000-2003.

Did Denis Scott and Nick Anderson had any playoff appearance before Shaq and Penny paired up?
Would you pick Nick over Horry or D.Scott over Rice?

[Psileas]

With all my respect to Malone/Stockton, I'm not sure why some would put them at #1, as long as they won 0 titles combined. The usual response to this is that "basketball is a team game". Then why isn't Malone a GOAT candidate or Stockton top-12 or so? Basketball is a "team game" when we're comparing duos but not so when we compare single individuals, when, instead, this argument should be used to an even bigger extent?

[kumquat]

Stockton/Ostertag

[ShaqAttack3234]

In 2000, they had Rice as their outside shooter and reliable #3 guy

Reliable number 3 guy? He averaged 12/4/2 on 41% shooting in the playoffs and got benched late in games for standing around when he didn't have the ball and getting lit up on defense. That's far from being a reliable 3rd option and teams with reliable 3rd options aren't called "two deep".

Did Denis Scott and Nick Anderson had any playoff appearance before Shaq and Penny paired up?
Would you pick Nick over Horry or D.Scott over Rice?

Nick was definitey a better player circa 1995 than Horry was during the 3peat and yes, Scott played better for Orlando than Rice did for LA, absolutely.

[Rake2204]

Yup, I'm going to have to go with the Utah duo as well:

[Rocketswin2013]

1. Shaq/Kobe

2. Pippen/Jordan?

2B. Wade/LeBron

3. Stockton/Malone

4. Drob/Duncan

[NJW1247]

Shaq & Kobe, pretty easy answer

[hahaitme]

As a Wade fan, I have to say Shaq & Kobe.

Shaq is the biggest difference maker here IMO. You put MJ with Shaq and I'd say MJ/Shaq, you put Wade with Shaq I'd say Wade/Shaq, etc.

I believe if they kept their heads on they could've gone for much more than a 3-peat, much much more.