10 greatest backcourt duos in NBA history

#4 Isiah Thomas/Joe Dumars - Detroit Pistons

Dumars and Thomas.

The Bad Boy Detroit Pistons' backcourt was amazingly built, with Isiah Thomas controlling the offense and Joe Dumars being a solid player on both sides of the floor.

Of course, Vinnie Johnson was also a huge part of this backcourt dynamic, but Thomas and Dumars were the driving force. In fact, in the back-to-back NBA titles won by the Bad Boys in 1989 and 1990, Dumars and Thomas won Finals MVP once each.

Both players are members of the Hall of Fame and were the igniters of a team that reached three straight NBA Finals from 1988 to 1990. They beat the Boston Celtics, the Showtime LA Lakers, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the NBA Playoffs.

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#3 Bob Cousy/Sam Jones - Boston Celtics

Sam Jones won 10 NBA titles.

Bob Cousy and Sam Jones formed the most successful backcourt duo in NBA history, as the pair won five NBA championships together during their stint together (from 1957 to 1963).

On his 90th Birthday, we celebrate the “Houdini of the Hardwood” Bob Cousy! #NBAAssistWeek #NBABDAY pic.twitter.com/6Q2Cd5DCIO

— NBA (@NBA) August 9, 2018

In their years together, Cousy averaged 17 points, eight assists, and four rebounds per game, while Jones averaged 14 points and five rebounds per game.

Playing in an unbelievable Celtics team with Bill Russell, they won five straight championships between 1959 and 1963, when Cousy retired. Cousy had won a championship before with Boston, while Jones went on to win 10 with the Celtics.

The Celtics would rank second among NBA franchises in championships if the two players combined their titles (16).

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#2 Magic Johnson/Byron Scott - Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Introduce Byron Scott.

Magic Johnson won five NBA championships with the 1980s Showtime LA Lakers, and in three of those, Byron Scott was his backcourt partner.

Scott worked perfectly with Johnson. He took advantage of the team's fast-paced style and Johnson's court vision to score with efficiency.

They played eight years together and helped the LA Lakers win three NBA championships. They also played in six NBA Finals.

Johnson averaged 20 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds per game during his eight years playing with Scott in the LA backcourt (not including Magic's return in the 1995-96 season). Scott, on his side, averaged 16 points per game on 50/38/83 shooting splits.

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#1 Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson form the greatest backcourt duo in NBA history because they are simply explosive while shooting the ball and have had great success while deploying their fast-flowing style of play.

Players in @NBAHistory with 13+ threes made in a game:Klay Thompson (14, 10/29/2018)Steph Curry (13, 11/07/2016)Zach LaVine (13, 11/23/2019) pic.twitter.com/bPZXWrLL0N

— NBA (@NBA) November 24, 2019

Curry is a two-time NBA MVP winner, while Thompson is a five-time All-Star who has earned two All-NBA selections in his career. While Curry is universally recognized as the greatest shooter in NBA history, Thompson could easily be considered a Top-3 all-time shooter while being a solid defender.

Playing for the Golden State Warriors, they have won three NBA championships together and played five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 and 2019.

Curry averages 23.5 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in his career while shooting 48/44/91 from the field, three-point line, and FT line, respectively. Thompson, on his side, is a 20-point scorer for his career on 46/42/85 shooting splits.

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