Ranking the Best 1-2 Punches in the 2015 NBA Playoffs
The culmination of a great season of NBA basketball is here. All 30 teams have 82 games behind them, and the field of 16 is set for the postseason.
Some of the top offenses in the league will be featured in the upcoming quest for a championship. This list counts down the 10 best one-two offensive punches from the 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top two scorers (minimum 500 minutes played together) were selected as each team's dynamic duo.
From there, two-man lineup data from NBA.com was used to identify which pairing had the best offensive rating. Put simply, it's the amount of points per 100 possessions the team scored while the two were both on the floor.
Each of the 10 one-two punches here has already caused plenty of problems for opposing defenses this season and will look to do even more to secure the good ol' Larry O'Brien Trophy.
10. Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 106.6
Two-Man Net Rating: 3.8
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan may not be the most efficient duo in the postseason, but their relentless attacking mentality has made them productive.
They've combined to score over a quarter of Toronto's total points this season, and DeRozan's efficiency has been trending in the right direction heading into the playoffs.
Since April 1, he's shooting 49.2 percent from the field, and Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal has a reason:
"DeRozan seems to be figuring out that he should convert his mid-range attempts into aggressive drives or shots that come from a few steps back. After all, the former leaves the door open to free-throw opportunities, while the latter attempts are worth an extra point.
It's working out nicely during the stretch run, and the Raptors have to boast a bit more confidence now that they're winning games again.
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With DeRozan and Lowry both putting pressure on opposing defenses at the rim, Toronto's offense will be tough to match up with in the first round.
9. Portland Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 108.1
Two-Man Net Rating: 4.9
The two-man duo of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge is a jump-shooting barrage waiting to happen. And it's one that's left plenty of defenses, well, defenseless.
Bleacher Report's Joshua Vannuccini wrote about Aldridge's mid-range game:
"Aldridge's shooting ability can be likened to that of [Dirk] Nowitzki, with expert accuracy and a high release that is infuriatingly difficult to contest. It might not extend beyond the arc, but Aldridge is deadly when left open in the mid-range area...
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Like Davis, Aldridge has the ability to pull opposing big men out of the paint, making it easier for Lillard to get all the way to the cup out of pick-and-rolls.
And if anyone goes under screens on Lillard, shading for the drive, the point guard has proven more than capable of making them pay. He's sixth in the league in threes made this season with 196.
That puts him up to 599 for his career, a number no other player in NBA history has reached in his first three seasons in the league.
8. Houston Rockets: James Harden and Dwight Howard
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 108.2
Two-Man Net Rating: 10.5
MVP candidate James Harden has an individual offensive rating of 107.7, which is very good, but as you can see, not quite as good as it is when he shares the floor with Dwight Howard.
Due to Houston's three-point-centric offense, there are plenty of long rebounds available when the Rockets play. Howard grabs 10.6 percent of available offensive boards, either giving himself a putback opportunity or Harden another chance for to set up the attack.
The two can also run an effective pick-and-roll. Defenses have to respect Harden's jump-shooting ability on the perimeter and Howard's finishing inside.
The attack has been supplemented by a roster filled with shooters provided by general manager Daryl Morey. When Harden and Howard run the high ball screen, the other three Rockets are spacing the floor around the perimeter, leaving the lane wide open for Houston's stars.
7. New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 108.3
Two-Man Net Rating: 4.3
Thanks to Anthony Davis' ever-increasing shooting range, the pick-and-pop combo of Davis and Tyreke Evans has been a nightmare to defend this season.
Davis now commands the attention of opposing big men out to 20 feet, dragging them away from the paint and leaving driving lanes significantly less crowded for the slashing Evans.
It's kind of a poison-pill proposition for the defense. Do you stay with Davis and leave Evans to attack the rim one-on-one? Or do you crowd the drive and leave Davis open on the perimeter? When he catches there, he has the ability to knock down the jumper or pump fake and get to the rim.
6. Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 109.0
Two-Man Net Rating: 7.9
The Atlanta Hawks were a big part of why the ranked duos are based on who led the team in scoring. Because all five starters form such a cohesive unit, it was hard to subjectively pick just two.
As Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague led the way in scoring this season, they get the nod. But the awesome balance of the starting lineup bears reiterating.
| 1 | Paul Millsap | 32.8 | .479 | 3.0 | .358 | .758 | 3.0 | 16.8 |
| 2 | Jeff Teague | 30.6 | .460 | 2.9 | .345 | .862 | 7.1 | 16.0 |
| 3 | Al Horford | 30.6 | .536 | 0.5 | .306 | .759 | 3.2 | 15.2 |
| 4 | DeMarre Carroll | 31.3 | .491 | 4.3 | .396 | .702 | 1.7 | 12.7 |
| 5 | Kyle Korver | 32.4 | .487 | 6.0 | .493 | .897 | 2.6 | 12.2 |
Teague's ability to get to the rim makes everything easier for his teammates, collapsing defenses and giving his surrounding shooters just enough time and space to get shots off.
As for Millsap, his ability to score at all three levels (behind the arc, in the mid-range and in the post) is what makes him dangerous.
Together, they lead a five-man tandem that has played some of the most beautiful basketball we've seen this season.
5. San Antonio Spurs: Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 109.1
Two-Man Net Rating: 10.5
It makes sense that the team Atlanta emulated would have a balanced attack as well, and that describes the San Antonio Spurs exactly. Really, their everyone-plays-a-role offense has inspired the whole league to move in the direction of a more team-oriented game.
And even though the primary players are well into their thirties (and in the case of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, approaching 40), this offense still has the ability to put up tons of points in a hurry.
The top scorers for this incarnation of the Spurs are Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, whose games may not seem to complement each other too well. After all, both have the ability to effectively dominate the ball.
It works, in part, thanks to the selfless nature of Parker and the Spurs in general. The six-time All-Star recently explained to Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News:
"It's like me and Manu back in the day. You have to share and wait your turn. Sometimes I don't see the ball for a long time but Kawhi is playing unbelievable. And it's going to be Kawhi's team anyway. Like Timmy transitioned to Manu, Manu transitioned to me, now it's going to be transitioned to Kawhi. I'll try to do my best to stay aggressive and be involved.
But Kawhi's going to be the man. He's playing great and sometimes I'll have nights like this where I have the ball. But most of the time it's going to be Kawhi. We have to transition to that. He's young, he's playing great, and he's going to demand double teams. So I'll play off him, like all those years I did with Timmy.
I'll just stand in the corner and just wait for Timmy to do his thing. We always did a great job sharing and wait our turn. It will be no different with me.
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As evidenced by the end of this season, the transition's going quite smoothly. Since an overtime loss to the dreadful New York Knicks on March 17, San Antonio went 14-2 with an offensive rating of 112.
4: Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis
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Two-Man Net Rating: 5.4
Dallas's offense may have fallen off upon acquiring Rajon Rondo, but the one-two punch of Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki has managed to stay very efficient throughout the season.
Like some of the other previously explained guard/big combos, it's all about Nowitzki's ability to draw defenders away from the rim and make drives easier for Ellis.
Both have shown the ability to score when the roles are basically reversed as well.
| 1 | Monta Ellis | .444 | 13.6 | .486 | .625 | .390 | .413 | .439 | .286 |
| 3 | Dirk Nowitzki | .460 | 16.9 | .487 | .696 | .365 | .480 | .478 | .381 |
Ellis has a solid dribble pull-up and catch-and-shoot game, making it difficult for opposing teams to double Nowitzki when he catches in the post.
3: Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James and Kyrie Irving
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 113.4
Two-Man Net Rating: 10.4
LeBron James may have finally found the perfect complement to his point forward game in shooting guard Kyrie Irving. Yes, I said shooting guard, and it's a hill I'll die on.
Basketball-Reference.com says he's played 99 percent of his possessions at point guard, simply because that's where he's listed. But Irving plays a shooting guard's game, spotting up off James' drives, then slashing and hitting pull-ups when he's on the ball.
Hard evidence that James is the real point man can be found in player tracking data at NBA.com/stats. He averages 13.7 assist opportunities per game, compared to Irving's 9.9. Add to that the fact that Irving attempts 16.6 field goals per game, and it's clear that Irving's stylistically a shooting guard.
The point of this exercise is simply to reinforce the point that Irving's scoring mentality perfectly complements James' passing. And their 113.4 points per 100 possessions together makes them one of the most dangerous duos in the league.
2. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 115.4
Two-Man Net Rating: 18.3
There are few players who can take over a game as quickly and dramatically as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Take, for example, Thompson's recent 26-point second quarter against the Grizzlies that inspired Ricky Rubio to tweet, "KlayThompson is doing it again..." and Kendall Marshall to add, "video game Klay."
Rubio's "again" is obviously in reference to a 37-point quarter that Thompson had earlier in the season against the Sacramento Kings. The point is, it's happened before, and it will happen again.
Curry, meanwhile, has been hurling fire since the All-Star break. He's averaging 8.5 three-point attempts since then and shooting a ridiculous 51.7 percent from distance.
There's really no defense for what these two are capable of, as evidenced by the sky-high offensive rating.
1: Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul and Blake Griffin
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Two-Man Offensive Rating: 116.7
Even though they took over Los Angeles basketball years ago in terms of on-court competitiveness, the Clippers still somehow get the little-brother treatment.
Curry/Thompson and James/Irving may get a lot of that older-sibling attention, but when Chris Paul and Blake Griffin share the floor, they pack a bigger punch than any of those previous combinations.
Individually, Paul is having an MVP-caliber season that doesn't always get MVP-caliber buzz. Clippers coach Doc Rivers talked about Paul's candidacy, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:
"I just think CP is taken for granted. He should take that as a compliment, really. He's really good and he's very consistent at being really good. I think we just kind of take it for granted. I've seen it done in a lot of places. But the MVP thing, I think people have already decided between two or three guys. I don't think anybody else is going to enter into that.
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Paul's the only player in the league averaging 19 points and 10 assists, and he's second in the league in win shares. Combine his scoring and playmaking with Griffin's abilities as a finisher in both pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops, and you have a nearly unstoppable combination.
The Clippers are already first in the league in offensive efficiency, but they're even ratcheted up another notch when CP3 and Griffin are on the floor.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com and are current through games played on April 16, 2015.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
