Luka, Kyrie getting buzz as greatest scoring backcourt ever

How quickly the people forget about the Splash Bros…

It’s been a lot of fun as a Golden State Warriors fan watching the Dubs compete and win championships the last decade after four decades of mid-to-trash basketball.

And now, even though the Dubs were unceremoniously dumped out of the play-in tournament damn near two months ago, I’m still having a blast watching playoff hoops. A big part of the reason is because Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are lighting up opponents like Christmas trees with a plethora of ridiculous dribbling and shot making.

But all that offensive firepower and winning has led some very popular NBA voices to start activating some hyberbolic statements, like the pair is “arguably the best offensive backcourt in the history of the NBA”.

Wow! The greatest offensive backcourt in NBA HISTORY huh?? Are they even the best in Mavs history? You picking them OVER JASON TERRY AND J.J. BAREA? Okay yeah they’re definitely better than the Jet and JJ but I do think that the best in history line is a very fascinating statement to make.

But how could they be the greatest scoring backcourt when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson literally changed basketball forever with their ability to shoot? Here’s a lengthy excerpt from John Hollinger in 2014:

After Golden State’s Game 2 win over the Denver Nuggets in the 2012-13 playoffs, then-head coach (now ESPN analyst) Mark Jackson heaped praise on his sharpshooting duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

“In my opinion, they’re the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game,” Jackson said.

At the time, it seemed like a classic case of head coach hyperbole. But Jackson’s declaration rang true in the numbers. The following season under Jackson’s watch, Curry and Thompson finished No. 1 and No. 2 in 3-point makes, respectively, converting a blistering 42.4 percent and 41.7 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. Indeed, it turned out that no backcourt in history has rivaled the Splash Brothers in both categories of 3-point volume and efficiency.

But this season, Curry and Thompson are pushing the envelope. Curry is an early front-runner for MVP while Thompson is on track to be an All-Star. Nowadays, it seems Jackson’s statement might have not gone far enough. At some point, we might have to grapple with the fact not only are Curry and Thompson the greatest shooting backcourt ever, but they soon might be the best backcourt in NBA history. Period.

This was pre-dynasty and pre-MVPs and all the other assorted accolades these two racked up together. Like, Klay Thompson has the fewest minutes played for a 60-point game in NBA history with 60 points in 29 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 5. 2016.

Thompson also holds the NBA record for most points in a quarter, with 37 points in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 24 2015. He started a perfect 9-for-9 from behind the arc, scoring 52 points for the game and splashing in 11 threes.

No one has ever had a higher scoring quarter than Klay, and no one has ever scored 60 points faster.

And you don’t want to get me started on the greatness of the greatest shooter of all time, the only man giving Magic Johnson a run for his money in the best point guard of all-time conversation: Stephen Curry.

It’s all great conversation, amirite? Let’s see if Luka and Kyrie can do together what the Splash Bros did four times: win it all.