Top 5 active NBA duos who are yet to win a championship together
The NBA is nothing if not a superstar-driven league. Aside from revenue, having at least one formidable All-Star duo could be the quickest way to build a championship team. Anthony Davis bolted out of the New Orleans Pelicans to form a tag team with LeBron James. The LA Lakers won a championship soon after they joined forces.
While forming a Batman-and-Robin partnership in the NBA does not guarantee results, a pair of All-Stars as a starting point for a game plan is so much better than nothing at all. Having said that, there have been top tandems before that fell short of the ultimate goal – winning an NBA championship. The Karl Malone and John Stockton duo is a combo that is almost always at the top of that list.
For this discussion, only those legitimate NBA Big Twos will be taken into consideration. It means that the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving alliance will not be on the list since the Brooklyn Nets now have a three-headed monster with James Harden completing this fearsome trident.
Tag teams in the NBA who are looking to win the championship entering the 2021-22 season
#5 Damian Lillard – CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
The Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt duo may be undersized, but it is not lacking in firepower. Both players have seen their scoring averages go up in each of the seasons in which they have been playing for the Blazers. Lillard, in particular, is lights out in the postseason. His average last year of 34.3 points, 10.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in the playoffs is simply amazing.
What makes this combo so lethal in the NBA is their ability to hit shots from the parking lot. Each of them can also manipulate defenses to the point of breaking. The Portland Trail Blazers have never missed the playoffs in Lillard’s tenure. To sustain such success, he would need a mate that can also foil the defensive plans of the opposing teams.
#Clippers’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (@shaiglalex) on the toughest guards to match up with - “A couple guys that stood out the most: Steph (@StephenCurry30) , Westbrook (@russwest44). C.J. (@CJMcCollum) and Dame (@Dame_Lillard) is a tough tandem to guard just to name a few.” https://t.co/Wq7IdVQP0q
In many cases, this duo has carried the Blazers into the NBA Playoffs even when they have no business being there.
#4 Rudy Gobert – Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
There must be something in the waters of the Great Salt Lake in Utah that has allowed the Jazz to produce yet another partnership that has been a fixture in the postseason the past few years. In Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they have two pillars who make Utah’s offense and defense hum.
The Utah Jazz center was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2013 and was immediately shipped to the Salt Lake City franchise. Mitchell was also drafted by the Nuggets in 2017 and also moved to Utah. Since then, the duo have piled on a 165-86 record in the W-L column with an impressive 65.7 winning percentage.
Gobert’s career resume is glittering with accolades. He is the defending and 3x NBA Defensive Player of the Year awardee. His 4x All-NBA selection gives credence to the point that he is not just there for defense. The Jazz’s defensive force is a two-time All-Star in each of the last two seasons.
Mitchell, a two-time All-Star, plays his best jazz music in the playoffs. He is averaging 33.9 PPG, 5.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds on a spectacular 46.4% from the rainbow territory. While it is Gobert who dominates on defense, Mitchell gives the Jazz a go-to scorer who can get hot fast.
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are our dynamic duo 👌 https://t.co/0lHNVi6Rhs
The duo, though, have not had success in the postseason for different reasons. They’ve held series leads against the Nuggets and the Clippers in the last two postseasons and still lost both series. Utah is confident that the star tandem can still make a breakthrough and capture the team’s first-ever NBA title.
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