NBA

Jokić-Murray Among the Greatest Duos of All Time

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When you think of the greatest two-man games of all time, who comes to mind?

Magic-Kareem, Bird-McHale, Kobe-Shaq, Stockton-Malone, Duncan-Parker and even Curry-Green.

If there is one thing that Denver’s historic Finals run has shown us, it’s that Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray are entering this legend-packed conversation.

A LOOK AT THEIR RESUME

Throughout history, players have been defined by their ability to perform in the playoffs. And during their time together, Jokić and Murray have built quite the resume.

In 53 playoff games together, Joker and Blue Arrow have a 32-21 overall record, 7-2 series record and an NBA Championship. Despite their foremost success taking place in this year’s playoffs, this duo had undoubtedly been dominant for a long time. If it weren’t for untimely injuries to Nuggets players — and to Murray specifically — they may have found this type of success a lot sooner.

Let’s take a look at their averages in those 53 playoff games:

  • Nikola Jokić: 26.7 PTS | 12.0 REB | 7.9 AST | 52.8 FG% | 43.0 3P% | 82.1 FT% | +239
  • Jamal Murray: 25.0 PTS | 5.0 REB | 6.3 AST | 47.3 FG% | 40.4 3P% | 91.0 FT% | +257
  • Combined: 51.7 PTS | 17.0 REB | 14.2 AST | 50.0 FG% | 41.4 3P% | 85.9 FT% | +248 (avg. +/-)

There are few duos that can be as productive as Jokić and Murray in their time together, which is why they are entering rarified air. What may be more impressive than their overall playoff stats, however, is how dominant they were during their Finals run.

Jokić has emerged as the best player in the world over the last 3-to-4 seasons. Murray may have missed two playoff runs, but has proven to be one of the best playoff-risers of all time. Their recent postseason campaign solidified their two-man game among the best in history.

BREAKING IT DOWN

There probably isn’t a better fit at guard next to Jokić than Murray. Their individual skills complement each other in a way that is overwhelming to any defense. Guard-Big duos have been prevalent for a while, though, so what makes Denver’s unique?

The Pick-and-Roll

It’s one of the simplest plays in basketball but Jokić and Murray have perfected it — generating a bucket on every possible outcome. If the defense takes away the Jokić roll, Murray is making the jumper. If the defense traps Murray off the pick, getting it to Jokić anywhere inside the arc is a guaranteed bucket. When the defense switches, both players are able to easily score on their mismatches.

They Have Gravity

Another thing their two-man game does is lure defenders in to set up other players for success. In the Finals, the Heat reverted to doubling the duo on many actions. The thing about that, though, is that Murray is a great playmaker and Joker is one of the best passers in history.

Surrounding them with the supporting cast they have now is what makes this duo so successful. Sharpshooting, aggressive cutting and brute force around them is simply unstoppable.

Needless to say, there isn’t much that can be done to stop this duo in the halfcourt (especially in a playoff setting). Even the best coach in the league Erik Spoelstra didn’t have enough adjustments to do the job.

PUTTING Jokić-Murray AGAINST THE GREATS

Yes, this Nuggets duo is in the early stages of dominance, but putting their numbers up against the other great two-man games provides a glimpse at what this potential dynasty will have to offer over years to come.

Here’s a look at how they weigh up against some of the greats in the playoffs:

  • Jokić-Murray: 53 GP | 32-21 | 51.7 PTS* | 17.0 REB | 14.2 AST | 50.0 FG% | 1 Ring
  • Stockton-Malone: 172 GP | 85-87 | 40.1 PTS | 14.3 REB | 13.5 AST | 46.8 FG% | 0 Rings
  • Shaq-Kobe: 119 GP | 76-43 | 50.3 PTS | 18.2 REB* | 7.4 AST | 49.5 FG | 3 Rings
  • Magic-Kareem: 157 GP | 110-47* | 40.3 PTS | 15.2 REB | 15.3 AST* | 52.7 FG%* | 5 Rings*
  • Duncan-Parker: 212 GP* | 131-81 | 38.5 PTS | 14.3 REB | 8.3 AST | 48.1 FG% | 4 Rings
  • Curry-Green: 145 GP | 98-47 | 38.2 PTS | 13.9 REB | 12.2 AST | 45.3 FG% | 4 Rings

(* indicates the list-leaders)

When you look at the list above, the glaring difference between each duo is that Jokić and Murray have played 66 fewer playoff games than the closest duo. If they keep this up, they are on pace to be more successful than a few others listed above.

Even if these two never lace up in the playoffs together again, the Finals run that they just went on was historic. But as long as they continue to play at this level together, they will certainly go down as one of the greatest duos in NBA history.

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