| Two NBA stars is company, three's a ring |
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| Friday, 08 June 2007 | |||
Despite Cleveland's 85-76 lose to the Spurs Thursday, LeBron James is that rare NBA player who can single-handedly make an average team great. Look at Cleveland's roster and you've got to figure they'd have a hard time getting to a .500 record, much less headed to the finals against San Antonio. And if you dig through the history books, you'd have a hard time finding other players who have elevated their teams as much as King James has.
Dominique Wilkins did it on some marginal Atlanta Hawks teams, but never reached the finals. Bill Walton didn't get much help on Portland's 1977 team and still won a title. Even Michael Jordan couldn't do it all himself in the early years, not winning a title until Scottie Pippen -- and later Dennis Rodman -- helped him out. When it comes to building a championship team, you'll need at least two stars. But nothing beats three. That's the approach the San Antonio Spurs have taken. With Tim Duncan in the post, Tony Parker dishing and driving and Manu Ginobili throwing his body everywhere, the Spurs have a trio of stars that compare to some of the best in NBA history, a group that's vying for its third title together. So how well do they hold up historically? Take a look at some of the NBA's greatest trios and see where you think Duncan, Parker and Ginobili fit in: PETTIT'S HAWKS Team: St. Louis Hawks. Era: Late 1950s. Players: Bob Pettit, Ed Macauley, Cliff Hagan. Claim to fame: Macauley and Hagan were best known for being the players Boston traded to St. Louis to get Bill Russell in 1957. A year later, it was the Hawks who were taking down Russell's Celtics in six games in the finals. Pettit was the first true power forward, scoring and rebounding his way into the Hall of Fame. Macauley and Hagan weren't slouches, either, joining their more-famous teammate in the Hall.
Team: Boston Celtics. Era: Late 1950s-early 1960s. Players: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman. Claim to fame: Russell's run of 11 rings started with Cousy and Sharman, considered by many the best backcourt in NBA history. The gangly Russell was the ultimate team player, sacrificing his offense for defense and rebounding. Cousy was the game's first true showman and Sharman was its first true great shooter. The Hall of Famers won four titles together before Sharman retired in 1961. They also were named to the top NBA's 50 greatest players. RUSSELL'S DYNASTY CONTINUED Team: Boston Celtics. Era: 1960s. Players: Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Sam Jones. Claim to fame: In case Russell hadn't done enough with Cousy and Sharman, he kept it going with the always-hustling Havlicek and the clutch-shooting Jones. Russell again anchored the defense in this continuation of Boston's unmatched dynasty, Hondo provided the spark off the bench as the league's greatest sixth man and "Shooter" Jones had that smooth jumper and all-around game. The three Hall of Famers and members of the NBA's Greatest 50 won six titles, with Havlicek going on to notch two more. GARDEN GREATS Team: New York Knicks. Era: Late 1960s-early 1970s. Players: Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Walt "Clyde" Frazier. Claim to fame: All this trio of Hall of Famers did was give New York City its first NBA title, using a then-record 18-game winning streak during the regular season as the springboard to a seven-game victory over the Lakers. Reed had the iconic moment of NBA history with his chill-inducing limp onto the court at Madison Square Garden for Game 7 in the finals. He had plenty of help, too. Frazier was one of the smoothest players in NBA history, scoring a game-high 36 points in the title clincher, and Bradley seemed to make all the right decisions, even going on to become a U.S. Senator. BIG WILT'S BOYS Team: Los Angeles Lakers. Era: Early 1970s. Players: Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich. Claim to fame: This Hall of Fame trio was at the center of what is considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history. That 1972 team won an NBA-record 33 games, set another record with 69 wins and went on to win the title in five games against New York. Chamberlain was the most dominant player of any era, Goodrich was a superb ballhandler and scrapper who made up for his lack of size, and West -- well, he's on the NBA logo, which is all you need to know.
Team: Boston Celtics. Era: 1980s. Players: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish. Claim to fame: This trio of Hall of Famers made up what was, by most accounts, the greatest front line in NBA history. Bird was the scorer and playmaker, winning three MVP awards. The gangly McHale had more moves than Vince Vaughn in "Swingers," seemingly scoring at will with that perfect footwork. And the "Chief" was the stoic center with the rainbow jumper and the long arms for blocking shots. The Big Three won three titles after Parrish arrived from Golden State in one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, creating a front line that included three of the NBA's 50 greatest players. SHOWTIME Team: Los Angeles Lakers. Era: 1980s. Players: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy. Claim to fame: No team in NBA history was more fun to watch: Magic leading the break, Big-Game James finishing with thunderous dunks, Kareem floating that unstoppable sky hook. The shake-n-bake Lakers reached the finals nine times, winning five, and changed the way basketball was played for years to come. Johnson, Worthy and Abdul-Jabbar were all inducted into the Hall of Fame and named among the 50 greatest players of all time. MICHAEL'S DYNASTY Team: Chicago Bulls. Era: 1990s. Players: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman. Claim to fame: Jordan and Pippen won three straight titles together, then added "The Worm" to do it a second time after Jordan's unsuccessful stint as a baseball player. The Bulls set an NBA record by going 72-10 in 1995-96 and all three were named to the NBA's All-Defensive first team, the first time three teammates made the first team together. The trio won their first title together that same season and went on to capture the next two for the Bulls' second three-peat of the decade. John Marshall is asap's sports reporter, based in Denver. |
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