Between 2015 and 2019, Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson made five consecutive All-Star Teams, becoming the first backcourt to achieve the feat since Celtics legends Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman in the 1950s.
During the same timeframe, they became the first backcourt ever to reach five consecutive NBA Finals. While the Celtics, between 1957 and 1966, reached 10 straight Finals, they had a rotating cast of backcourt starters rather than a set one like Golden State.
In 2022, the Splash Brothers reached their sixth Finals, further solidifying their legacy as arguably the best backcourt ever. Despite Thompson’s departure to Dallas, Curry isn’t willing to forget the legacy he and his former backcourt mate forged together.
‘We Got That One’
During his recent appearance on the “Dubs Talk” podcast, Curry said there was no longer a debate of him and Thompson being the “best shooting backcourt ever,” a distinction that their former Warriors coach, Mark Johnson, first gave them.
“I’m pretty sure we got that one,” Curry said of his and Thompson’s legacy.
Curry, however, was reluctant to label the Splash Brothers as the overall best backcourt of all time. Some analysts argue in favor of other iconic duos, such as Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars from the Pistons, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich from the Lakers and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili from the Spurs.
“But in terms of backcourt in general, there’s obviously a lot of competition there. Who knows how these debates get solved and settled?”
“It is kind of crazy to think that it’s not inconceivable, or you won’t be yelled at, if you’re standing on that hill,” he added, saying he’s humbled to be in the conversation.
Mark Johsnon Saw the Vision
Curry further broke down how playing with Thompson helped him reach unprecedented heights between 2015 and 2019, when he won two MVP awards, one scoring title and made five All-NBA Teams.
“Two guys that played hard, were irrationally confident with our jumpers and we kind of thrived off each other in terms of when one got going, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, when is my turn?’” Curry said of playing with Thompson.
“It was like we’d start to feel the heat and the energy of the arena, the ball and whatever the flow of the game is.
“Klay was such an asset for me on the court, because he usually guarded the best perimeter guy on the other team. He took that responsibility and loved it. He was selfless about it. You know he wanted to score, but he knew he could help us on that end of the floor.”
In 2013, then-Warriors head coach Mark Johsnon shocked the world with comments that many felt were outlandish.
“In my opinion, they’re the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game,” Jackson had said.
Twelve years later, Curry (4,133) and Thompson (2,754) rank first and fifth, respectively, in the all-time threes list.
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