In 1998, the Chicago Bulls won their sixth and last championship by beating the Utah Jazz 4-2.
That ended a dynastic reign of six championships in eight years, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who established themselves as arguably the best dynamic duo in NBA history.
Before that year, some of the NBA’s Greatest Dynamic Duos included Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale John Stockton and Karl Malone, and Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.
Some of today’s best duos include Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, and newly created Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Who have been among the best dynamic duos in the last decade?
Here’s the Top 10:
10. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics)
Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker teamed up to be one of the premier NBA duos in the Eastern Conference.
Pierce was one of the best scoring small forwards and Antoine Walker was a versatile power forward.
Both players consistently averaged at least 20 ppg and carried the Celtics to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Nets.
The series was best remembered when the Celtics came back from a 21-point fourth quarter deficit and won Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead over the Nets. The Celtics would eventually lose the series, and the duo’s success would be short-lived.
9. Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace (Detroit Pistons)
“Big Ben” and “Sheed” teamed up in 2004 to form the duo “Wallace x2.”
Rasheed, who was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks, was the missing piece that allowed the Pistons win the championship in 2004 and reach the finals in 2005.
Big Ben was Detroit’s defensive specialist and Sheed added an interior presence on offense.
More importantly the Wallaces formed a dominant defensive duo which completely clogged driving lanes and helped anchor the Pistons to become an elite defensive team. Although the Pistons are still a great defensive team without Big Ben, they have looked vulnerable in the postseason.
8. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets)
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony are two of the most talented offensive players that can wreck havoc against any team. The explosive duo is averaging nearly 53 combined ppg this season, which is nearly half of the team’s scoring output. It’s hard enough for teams to stop one player, so it’s nearly impossible to guard both players on the floor. However the two stars struggled against the San Antonio Spurs in last year’s playoffs, and this season isn’t easier. Currently Denver is ninth in the standings, so it’ll remain to be seen if the Nugget’s dynamic duo can carry their team to make a playoff run.
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