Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on Pace to Be NBA's Best Backcourt Ever

Klay Thompson now has three Western Conference Player of the Week awards on the season after shredding the Sacramento Kings for an NBA-record 37 points in a single quarter, and he's only the second-best guard on the Golden State Warriors' roster—right behind MVP front-runner Stephen Curry.

That seems like as good of a starting point as any to make what's suddenly become a reasonable inquiry: Are we watching Curry and Thompson become the greatest guard duo in league history?

It's a weighty question—one laden with history, subjectivity and almost too many avenues to pursue an answer.

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Fortunately, ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh dug into the research back in December when he looked at the best single-season backcourt combos in NBA history. He based his analysis on a few key catch-all metrics and set a key criterion to limit the study: Both guards in consideration had to make the All-Star team during the season in question.

He included Thompson and Curry, presuming both would make the West roster this year. Curry's in; he got more votes than anyone. And Thompson's recent surge, capping a phenomenal half-season, has him looking like a strong candidate.

His coach, Steve Kerr, will lead the West squad, and he's been doing some not-so-subtle stumping for his shooting guard, via Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group:

If we assume Thompson will make Feb. 15's All-Star Game, the first indication he and Curry are on track for greatness is this: According to Haberstroh, only 20 sets of backcourt teammates have ever taken part in the exhibition together.

At the time Haberstroh compiled the list of those 20 tandems (Dec. 18), the Dubs had played just 25 games. Below is Haberstroh's chart updated with Curry and Thompson's current numbers, including player efficiency rating, win shares per 48 minutes and box-score plus-minus, via Basketball-Reference.com:

Season	PG	SG	PER	Rank	WS/48	Rank	BPM	Rank	AVG Rank
GSW 2015	S. Curry	K. Thompson	50.3	1	.500	1	13.4	1	1
POR 1991	T. Porter	C. Drexler	43.8	4	.444	2	12.8	2	2.7
DET 2008	C. Billups	R. Hamilton	41.8	6	.409	3	8.2	5	4.7
PHX 1978	P. Westphal	W. Davis	45.9	2	.377	5	5.3	10	5.7
PHX 1979	P. Westphal	W. Davis	45.6	3	.373	6	5.4	9	6.0
PHX 1980	P. Westphal	W. Davis	41.2	8	.313	12	8.6	4	8.0
NJN 2007	J. Kidd	V. Carter	42.4	5	.362	7	5	12	8.0
DET 2006	C. Billups	R. Hamilton	41.6	7	.384	4	4.8	13	8.0
PHX 1992	J. Hornacek	D. Majerle	36.7	13	.346	9	8.7	3	8.3
PHX 1993	T. Porter	C. Drexler	37.7	11	.318	11	8.1	6	9.3
DET 2007	C. Billups	R. Hamilton	39.4	10	.357	8	5.2	11	9.7
NYK 1975	W. Frazier	E. Monroe	37.6	12	.274	16	5.9	7	11.7
LAL 1974	J. West	G. Goodrich	40.9	9	.281	15	4.5	14	12.7
PHI 1983	M. Cheeks	A. Toney	36.5	14	.324	10	4	16	13.3
BOS 2011	R. Rondo	R. Allen	33.5	20	.292	14	5.6	8	14.0
PHX 1981	D. Johnson	W. Davis	35.4	15	.311	13	2.7	20	16.0
DET 1990	I. Thomas	J. Dumars	34.5	18	.269	17	4.1	15	16.7
DET 1991	I. Thomas	J. Dumars	35.4	16	.253	18	3.4	17	17.0
LAL 1998	N. Van Exel	E. Jones	40.9	17	.281	19	3.2	18	18.0
IND 1977	D. Buse	B. Knight	34.2	19	.240	20	3.1	19	19.3
DET 1993	I. Thomas	J. Dumars	33	21	.202	21	1.4	21	21.0

Based on the season Curry and Thompson are putting together, we can accurately say they're playing at a higher level than any pair of guards in history.

Maybe that's enough to prove they're the best duo of all time. Maybe reaching the highest peak of performance—even if it might be difficult to stay perched atop that mountain—ends the conversation.

But longevity always seems to matter in situations like this. All-time greatness requires staying power.

That aspect of the analysis has to be speculative.

Which makes this a good time to mention that Thompson is only 24, getting better by the day (see, again, 37 points in a quarter) and locked up for another four years after this one. He'll spend his prime with Golden State, and it should be a very, very good one.

It would be difficult to imagine a skill set better built to last than Thompson's. He relies on his size (6'7") and perfect high release to get the job done. Elite athleticism has never been an important part of his game, so an age-related slowdown in the future won't affect him like it might others.

Thompson has missed just two games in his entire career, so we also have good evidence he's durable. The guy was basically created in a lab to age well.

And he's not the type to get complacent or satisfied, as teammate Draymond Green told Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Curry is under team control for another two seasons beyond this one, and he'll hit free agency in summer 2017 at age 29. Unless he's willing to turn down the almost certain max contract the Warriors will offer him then, he'll be in the Bay Area for years to come as well.

His smaller frame (6'3") may not age as well as Thompson's, but that sweet stroke, improvisation and creativity will make modifications to his game relatively easy. Quietly, Curry has held up nearly as well as Thompson over the past few seasons; he's missed only eight games since the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

All signs point to Curry and Thompson sticking together for a long time. The only question is how well they'll play from now until whenever their run ends.

That means forgetting about measly Player of the Week honors. To solidify their place atop the list of the best backcourt duos, they'll need plenty more All-Star nods, some MVP awards and maybe even a ring or two.

It's worth noting that we've only seen an MVP and an All-Star share a backcourt in the same season once, in 1957 when Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman pulled it off for the Boston Celtics. With Thompson looking like a sure All-Star and Curry probably winning the MVP if the season ended today, there's a great chance we'll see some history (and a signal of how bright the future might be) as soon as the end of this campaign.

And that's not even taking into consideration the chances Golden State might collect a championship this year. Right now, the Warriors are blowing away the competition by miles, posting an SRS (simple rating system, which measures per-game point differential and strength of schedule) of 11.34 that ranks as the best since the 72-win Chicago Bulls in the 1995-96 season, per Basketball-Reference.com.

This won't be a one-and-done fluke of a season either. The organization is stable, with strong leadership at the top and a financial outlook that signals a sustained reign, according to SB Nation's Tom Ziller:

"

If Warriors' management can swallow one massive tax bill or move Lee a year early, the timeline will work itself out and Golden State's super team can stay together until it runs out of gas. Barring injury, that could mean seven or eight more seasons like this one in the Bay Area. It could mean a new West Coast dynasty.

"

That's as important to Curry and Thompson's all-time rank as anything. Piling up playoff wins and championships are great ways to bolster the resume. The Warriors look primed to compete indefinitely.

There's a long way to go, but these two have set the statistical bar higher than it's ever been this season. Now, all Steph and Klay have to do is sustain their production, which, given their youth and the way they've continued to improve, doesn't seem like a tall order.

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If they can stay healthy, make playoff noise and eventually break through to win a championship, the debate will be over. Curry and Thompson will be the undisputed best backcourt in NBA history.

That's just another reason to savor what the Warriors are doing this season. Not only are we watching basketball played at a level unseen for decades, but we're also seeing what might be the all-time greatest pair of guards reaching new heights.

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