NBA is a business platform. The ultimate goal is the interests of the team. No matter how deep the friendship between the pair is, when the team chooses to make drastic reforms, no one can stop it. Behind the huge commercial interests, there are countless people. victim. Sometimes I often wonder whether if "OK Connection" had not disbanded, another Purple and Gold Dynasty could have been created; without Jerry West 's bold choice, whether the Warriors would still be in a state of decline. But what is certain is that even if the team is broken up, the relationship between these players is still deep and will not disappear with commercial interests or immaturity...
There are many double partners in NBA history, but there is no such thing as a feast that lasts forever. Some may break up due to injuries, age, the business interests of the team, or even conflicts between players. In the following five pairs, one or even two of the players performed well after going solo. example of.
5. Chris Webber & Juwan Howard
In 1993, the Orlando Magic selected Chris Webber with the No. 1 pick, and then traded him to the Golden State Warriors. In the 1994-95 season, Webber was traded again. Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards ), reunited with Juwan Howard, a good comrade in college and one of the "Michigan Five Tigers". Before Webber joined, the Bullets experienced a long period of low ebb. , relying on the performance of these two twin towers, they finally returned to the ranks in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the two were involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit in 1997, and then there were reports of Webber's possession of marijuana and internal discord within the team... In 1998, Webber went to the Sacramento Kings and met with Mike Bibby and Dow Jones. Christie, Tojakovic and Verratti Divac form the "King Five". During this period with the Kings, Webber reached the peak of his career. Not only was he selected to the All-Star Game multiple times, he was also selected to the First Team of the Year (1 time) and the Second Team of the Year (3 times). He also led the Kings to the Western Conference Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers lost in seven games. In the fourth quarter of Game 6, the Lakers got 27 free throw opportunities in a single quarter, causing the Kings to lose the game. This game is still considered a game manipulated by the league. It is the so-called "black whistle". The following year, Weber suffered a serious knee injury, his explosive power gradually weakened, his performance gradually declined, and he could no longer play at the same level as before.
4. Stephen Curry & Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis entered the NBA after graduating from high school and joined the Golden State Warriors. He failed to get enough playing time in his rookie season and was gradually pulled up the following year. In the starting position, he averaged 16.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was selected as the Most Improved Player of the Season. Ellis, who became the main force of the team, participated in the Warriors' overthrow of the classic "Legend of Eight". In the following years, Ellis has maintained very stable data, averaging around 25 points per game; in 2009 In the -10 season, after Curry joined the Warriors, the two formed a double backcourt. Big brother Ellis led Curry to continue to improve, but unfortunately the team's record was never ideal.
The Warriors' management decided to choose between these two players and form a new backcourt with the newly selected shooter Thompson. In the end, the team chose to send Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut, this backcourt duo parted ways. This deal actually caused a lot of public opinion at the time. After all, Ellis was the main player in the team, and Curry was just a young player suffering from an ankle injury at the time.
Ellis, who left the Warriors, still maintained good results, but gradually became a wanderer. He successively played for the Bucks, Mavericks and Pacers. His inability to shoot three-pointers became a flaw, and his short height also became a problem for defense. After the Pacers waived him in 2017, Ellis gradually faded out of the NBA at the age of only 31, at the peak of his career...
As for Curry, after Ellis left the Warriors, he formed a team with Thompson. "Brothers of Waves", after signing a contract with Under Armor for sneakers, their ankles rarely suffer serious injuries. In the past few years, Curry has won 3 championships, 2 annual MVPs, been selected to the All-Star Game 6 times, and broke the record for the best record in a single season.I must say that I really admire Jerry West, the Warriors consultant at that time. His vision is really unique and his style is bold enough. Jerry West must be one of the biggest contributors to the Warriors' current achievements.
3. Kyle Lowry & DeMar DeRozan DeMar DeRozan
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan can be said to be the most affectionate couple among active players. The two have been together since the 2012-13 season. They began to cooperate and helped the Raptors become a regular in the playoffs; in the 2013-14 season, the Raptors achieved 48 wins and 34 losses, setting a new team record. Unfortunately, they lost to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round and were eliminated. In the 2014-15 season, the Raptors won consecutive Atlantic Division championships, but were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Washington Wizards led by John Wall.
In the 2015-16 season, the Raptors entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They battled with the Indiana Pacers in 7 games in the first round and won the first series in team history. Then they entered the Eastern Conference finals with overwhelming momentum. Met LeBron James 's Cleveland Cavaliers and were eliminated 2-4. The following year, they made it to the second round of the playoffs and met the Cavaliers again. This time they were swept out in straight games. In the 2017-18 season, the Raptors became the leader of the Eastern Conference with 59 wins and 23 losses, but were swept out by the Cavaliers again in the second round. Even though head coach Casey won the Coach of the Year Award, he still could not escape the fate of being fired. The pair, who looked like a dragon in the regular season and a worm in the playoffs, were even ridiculed as the "Styrofoam Brothers." At the end of this season, the team decided to trade DeRozan to the Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, and the backcourt partners and good brothers parted ways.
In the 2018-19 season, under the leadership of Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors won the first championship in team history, and Lowry was also an indispensable factor, with his stable performance, calm judgment, and jumping to the rescue at critical moments. The team changed the dark history of weak hands in the past playoffs and won the first championship in their career. Although the Dragons are without Kawhi Leonard this season, their combat effectiveness has not been affected. Under the leadership of Lowry, the current record ranks second in the Eastern Conference, and they once set a record in team history with a 15-game winning streak. , On the other hand, DeMar DeRozan's personal ability and statistics are also nothing to say, but he was unable to lead the Spurs to good results. In the 18-19 season, the Spurs entered the playoffs as the seventh seed, but unfortunately they were eliminated by the Golden Nuggets in the first round. The record this season has never been ideal. The winning rate so far is still less than 50%. The record of qualifying for the playoffs for 22 consecutive years may be interrupted this season... Even so, the brotherhood between the two is still extremely deep.
2. Shaquille O'Neal & Anfernee Hardaway
Shaquille O'Neal, who joined the Magic in 1992, had a dominant performance in his rookie season. The following year, the Magic traded with Golden State Warriors for the third overall pick of the year. "One Penny" Anfernee Hardaway, these two young, strong, and promising young men became the first pair of partners in each other's careers. This pair of partners, who are both inside and outside, led the team to the playoffs in their first season together, and were eliminated by the Pacers in the first round.
In the 1994-95 season, under the leadership of the two men, the Magic posted a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, the first record in the Eastern Conference. They eliminated the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers in the playoffs, all the way to the finals. They encountered the Houston Rockets, who stumbled in the regular season but were like a miracle in entering the playoffs. "African King" Hakeem Olajuwon taught O'Neal a lesson and swept the Magic in straight four to complete their second consecutive championship. . Extended reading: The hard-won O'Brien Gold Cup - a review of the five most valuable championships in history
The Magic achieved great results again the following year and reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they met Michael Jordan after his comeback and were swept out by the Chicago Bulls. Became one of the souls under the knife for the Bulls' three consecutive championships.
In the 1996-97 season, O'Neal chose to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The young and promising partners broke up, while Hardaway continued to work hard with the Magic. O'Neal, who joined the Lakers, won all MVP awards in the 1999-00 season. Since that season, he helped the Lakers complete three consecutive championships and won the Finals MVP for three consecutive years.As for Anfernee Hardaway, he was plagued by injuries and his performance gradually declined. It was not until 2007 that he reunited with O'Neal in the Heat, but his skills were no longer what they were then...
1. Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O'Neal
When it comes to the Lakers' three consecutive championships, we don't mention this love-hate partnership. Shaquille O'Neal joined the Lakers in 1996, and Kobe Bryant also joined the Lakers as a rookie in the same year. At that time, O'Neal had already performed extremely well in the league. His presence in the penalty area was frightening to other teams, and Kobe also gradually and steadily improved. In the first year of the Lakers' three consecutive championships, the average points per game had exceeded 20 points. During their dominance, the connection between the two was well received by the fans, and they were also nicknamed "OK Connection" by the fans.
In the 2002-03 season, O'Neal suffered from a right thumb injury and only played 67 games throughout the season. Although Kobe Bryant averaged a career-high 30 points per game, the team could only enter the playoffs ranked fifth in the Western Conference. They were eliminated by the Spurs in the second round, paving the way for "OK ââConnection" to break up.
The next year, the team hired Karl Malone and Gary Payton to form the new F4. However, during the season, O'Neal kept shouting to the team in the hope of increasing the contract salary, and the conflict between the two gradually expanded, more than once Kobe told the media that O'Neal's attitude was lazy and inactive and other issues. In the end, after the Lakers lost 1-4 to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals, the problems between the two finally broke out.
During the off-season, the Lakers decided to keep Kobe and traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat. "OK Connection" officially broke up. After leaving the Lakers, O'Neal joined Dwyane Wade in the Heat in 2006 and won the fourth championship ring of his career. He then played for the Suns, Cavaliers and Celtics, and officially retired in 2011.
Kobe Bryant, who stayed with the Lakers, did not disappoint the team. He won the scoring title, the annual MVP, was selected to the All-Star Game, the best team of the year, and most importantly, in 2009-10, he completed his second consecutive championship with his deputy and Pau Gasol . , won the fifth championship ring of his career, proved that he could win the championship without O'Neal, and became one of the greatest players in the history of the Lakers. Many years later, when the two of them recall this past, they will always regret their immaturity. If they had continued to cooperate at that time, they might have won a few more championships for the team. Unfortunately, they can't go back... But they are one of the few who broke up. Later, they all won the championship.
