Boston Celtics: Ranking Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley Among NBA's Best Backcourts

In case you missed it, Rajon Rondo made a case for himself to be considered not only one of the league's best point guards, but one of its best players in general with his performance in Wednesday night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 2.

Imagine how much better the Celtics as a whole could have done if Rondo's new running mate Avery Bradley had been healthy enough to play?

With the emergence of Bradley over the course of the season's second half, the Celtics owned one of the NBA's best, most diverse, most productive backcourts.

The fact that the two of them have barely played half a season together as a tandem signals that there is a lot more work to be done before they can truly be considered a star duo. But they are well on their way.

Who else stacks up in this regard? Let's take a look.

1. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili

Manu Ginobili doesn't start but that doesn't mean he can't be a part of the league's best backcourt.

The San Antonio Spurs, winners of 20 straight games ahead of Thursday night's Western Conference Finals Game 3 against the Thunder, are on a collision course with their fifth championship in 13 years.

It would be the fourth for Ginobili and Tony Parker.

The two are combining for 34 points, seven rebounds and 11.5 assists per game in the playoffs, but that doesn't begin to scratch the surface of how well they play together. It's almost like they can read each other's minds out there.

Avery Bradley is a far different type of player than Ginobili: He's smaller, quicker and far less likely to rely on instinct and guile than the Argentinian star does.

Still, if Rajon Rondo and Bradley want to be the best pair in the league, they should start by studying Parker and Ginobili.

2. Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups

A bit of an asterisk here thanks to Billups's injury and free agent status, but you can plug in Nick Young, Randy Foye or Mo Williams instead and still have little drop-off. That's because of Chris Paul.

Paul is still the best point guard in the league. He came to L.A.'s other team and instantly made them not just respectable, but a contender. These Clippers won a playoff Game 7 on the road. When was the last time they did that?

Try never.

There may be a new face playing alongside Paul in the Clippers' backcourt next year but that doesn't really matter. As long as he's there, his pairing will be near, if not at, the top of the list.

3. Ramon Sessions and Kobe Bryant

These two only played together for half of an abbreviated season, but the results once Sessions got to L.A. must be noted.

Sessions averaged 12.7 points, 6.2 assists and three rebounds per game after being traded to the Lakers from Cleveland. Although those numbers fell off somewhat in the playoffs, it was clear that he was a good match for Kobe, who hasn't played with a point guard who is more than a journeyman in quite some time.

Even though Sessions is a free agent, he has a player option in his deal so he could choose to eschew his unrestricted status for one more season in favor of a full year with Kobe.

The Lakers have to hope he does.

4. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis

The Bucks dealt for Monta Ellis around the trade deadline, and even though they didn't make the playoffs, he and Jennings have the potential to be deadly.

Both he and Jennings averaged 20 points and at least 5.5 assists per game after the deal. Both can play either guard position, and they will be together for at least one full season, with Jennings set to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Ellis had to be shipped out of the Bay Area because the experiment of having him share a backcourt with Stephen Curry didn't work. The Bucks may be looking at a similar problem with Ellis and Jennings, but in the 21 games they played together it looked like they could not only co-exist, but co-exist comfortably.

5. Russell Westbrook and James Harden

This pair would almost definitely go higher if Harden's position were more defined; he's listed as a guard but he spends enough time as a small forward to be considered a swingman.

Still, these two are sensational, both individually and as teammates. Westbrook is an All-Star, nearly matching his more heralded teammate Kevin Durant in terms of offense, heroics and star power. 

Harden is the winner of this season's Sixth Man of the Year trophy,  and he blew up this season, improving his performance in shooting, scoring, rebounds and assists while playing an average of five more minutes per game.

If you want to look at Harden as a traditional 2-guard, move this duo up to No. 2 on this list.