Hey Booker et al,
10 Best Sports Duos in History
http://www.sportsbreak.com/sports/10-best-sports-duos-in-history/
10. Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves
9. Tom Brady and Randy Moss, New England Patriots
8. Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
6. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees
5. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Boston Celtics
4. Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
3. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts
2. Steve Young and Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers
1. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
Scottie Pippen was to Michael Jordan what Ed McMahon was to Johnny Carson. Air Jordan was all the rage, winning nine straight scoring titles in their time together, while Pippen was more of a defensive whiz, copping all-defensive team honours six times. Together, they were hardwood dynamite, leading Chicago to six titles in eight seasons. Besides all the championships, Jordan and Pippen also teamed up to take the ‘Dream Team’ to gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. They are the only teammates to win an NBA championship and Olympic gold in the same year. Fittingly, both Jordan and Pippen are in the Hall of Fame, and both had their numbers (23 Jordan and 33 Pippen) retired by the Bulls.
Number 5 is the one I remember most. One deadly from the outside, the other nearly unstoppable from the inside. Add in Robert Parish and you have the TRIO Real Clear Sports calls the best of all-time. All three could play defense and rebound, along with their varying offensive specialties and well known as Boston's 40-minute men it seemed like opponents never got a break from the great skills they brought.
http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/top_trios_in_sports/bird_mchale_parish.html
10. Kelly/Thomas/Reed - Buffalo Bills
9. Gretzky/Messier/Kurri - Edmonton Oilers
8. Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz - Atlanta Braves
7. Aikman/Smith/Irvin - Dallas Cowboys
6. Montana/Craig/Rice - San Francisco 49ers
5. Howe/Lindsay/Abel - Detroit Red Wings
4. Unitas/Moore/Berry - Baltimore Colts
3. Johnson/Abdul-Jabbar/Worthy
2. Rose/Morgan/Bench - Cincinnati Reds
1. Bird/McHale/Parish
Larry Bird was the star, Robert Parish was a beast in the paint and Kevin McHale was a rebounding and defensive force as the power forward. All three are Hall of Famers and together they formed the greatest front court in NBA history. As the core of the Celtics' 1980s dynasty, they went to five NBA Finals and won three. For most of that run these three accounted for over 50 percent of the Celtics' points and were the top three rebounders on the team.
The 1985-86 Celtics are widely thought of as one of the best teams of all-time. The Big Three combined to average 63.2 points per game and 27.4 rebounds per game as they finished with a 67-15 regular-season record and an NBA Championship. The next year the Big Three were even more impressive, averaging 71.7 ppg and 29.7 rpg, but they fell short in the finals, losing to the Lakers - with their own formidable trio - in six games.
Cheers,
Merlot
