Throughout NBA history, iconic and legendary duos have been a normal occurrence for any team that has won an NBA championship. In 2023, the duo that everyone has been raving about throughout the NBA playoffs has been Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets. As they continue to fight to make NBA history by becoming the first Nuggets team to ever win a title, they are also chasing another bit of history you may not be aware of. That bit of history is Murray and Jokic having an opportunity to become a top-three scoring duo to ever win an NBA championship.
When it comes to legendary duos in the NBA, there is always a clear number-one option and also someone who operates as a Robin to his Batman. There are also times when the roles reverse as Robin has to step up because Batman is off his game. We have seen it time and time again in NBA history, and we will continue to see it happen as the game progresses into the future. Today, we will count down these historic scoring duos that led their teams to NBA championships based on the total of their combined PPG in the playoff run leading to and through the NBA Finals. Many of these lethal combinations are well-known to real NBA fans, while others may surprise you with their spot on this list.
These are the highest-scoring championship duos in NBA history.
10. LeBron James And Dwyane Wade (2012) – 53.1 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
LeBron James 2012 Playoff PPG: 30.3 PPG
Dwyane Wade 2012 Playoff PPG: 22.8 PPG
Following a disaster in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat were out for revenge in 2012. The duo would lead Miami to a 46-20 record in 2012 which gave them a decent path to follow in the NBA playoffs. In the first round against the New York Knicks, the Heat would make easy work of their opponents in five games behind 27.8 PPG on 47.8% shooting from LeBron James and 21.0 PPG on 50.6% shooting from Wade.
The duo would lead Miami past the Indiana Pacers in the second round in six games. James led the series with 30.0 PPG, while Wade added 26.2 PPG in the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami would be locked in a heated seven-game battle with the Boston Celtics. In Game 7, James and Wade would combine for 54 points to take down Boston in the NBA Finals. This is where they would meet Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series would last only five games as LeBron captured his first NBA championship and Finals MVP award averaging 28.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 7.4 APG. Wade added 22.6 PPG as well, and the duo had accomplished what they set out to do the season prior.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon And Clyde Drexler (1995) – 53.5 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Hakeem Olajuwon 1995 Playoff PPG: 33.0 PPG
Clyde Drexler 1995 Playoff PPG: 20.5 PPG
Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler are not a duo that stands out among the best in NBA history. That is most likely due to the fact they only spent four seasons together during the 1990s. However, in 1995, the Rockets limped out of the gates and needed to make a deal to put another scorer next to Olajuwon in order to contend. That is exactly what they did in acquiring Drexler, who immediately made a difference and helped Houston get back to the playoffs. The Rockets took down Utah in the first round in a hard-fought five-game series that saw Hakeem average 35.0 PPG and Drexler go for 25.2 PPG.
In round two, the Rockets would have another tough series against the Phoenix Suns. It would go to seven games between the teams, and the Rockets would prevail behind the duo’s 47.0 combined PPG. In the Western Conference Finals, Houston would take down the Spurs in six games with 54.6 PPG from the duo and 35.3 PPG coming from Olajuwon. The NBA Finals would be their easiest series as they went on to sweep the Magic in four games. Hakeem stole the show as he earned Finals MVP with his dismantling of Shaquille O’Neal with 32.8 PPG. Drexler contributed his fair share as well, with 21.5 PPG for his first and only NBA title.
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo And Khris Middleton (2021) – 53.8 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Giannis Antetokounmpo 2021 Playoff PPG: 30.2 PPG
Khris Middleton 2021 Playoff PPG: 23.6 PPG
For all of the ridiculous narratives that surround the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship run, it was still one of the best championships of the last decade, in my opinion. The reason I feel that way is the fact that we got to see guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton hoist their first NBA championship. Nothing compares to watching players in complete elation after accomplishing such a feat, and the 2021 Bucks were the epitome of a team I just had to root for.
The NBA playoffs in 2021 were filled with injuries to big stars, just as every playoff is, but somehow, fans and media members ran with it. After taking care of the Heat, Nets, and Hawks, the Bucks were set to take on the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. After falling down 2-0, Giannis and Middleton fueled a comeback that ended up with the Bucks winning four straight games to win the title. There were even times during the playoffs when people were calling Khris Middleton the best player on the team (*cough* Kendrick Perkins *cough*). During the Finals, Giannis led the way with 35.2 PPG on 61.8% shooting from the field to claim Finals MVP honors. Middleton did his part as well, with 24.0 PPG on 44.8% shooting overall and 35.6% shooting from three.
7. Michael Jordan And Scottie Pippen (1992) – 54.0 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Michael Jordan 1992 Playoff PPG: 34.5 PPG
Scottie Pippen 1992 Playoff PPG: 19.5 PPG
Every NBA fan knows that when it came to scoring and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, Michael Jordan was King, and everyone else served in his court. Jordan, the winner of 10 career scoring titles, carried the bulk of the offensive load during their dynastic run from 1991 thru 1998, but his partner-in-crime, Scottie Pippen, was always by his side. The duo should be considered one of the absolute best in NBA history, and their performances during the 1992 playoffs certainly add to that notion.
The 1992 title defense began with a sweep of the Heat in the first round and a seven-game series win over the Knicks in round two. In the Conference Finals, the Bulls took on a familiar foe in the Cavaliers. Jordan averaged 31.7 PPG, and Pippen added 19.8 PPG as they advanced to the NBA Finals in six games. In the Finals, it was a battle of the shooting guards, with Jordan and Clyde Drexler of Portland taking center stage. Jordan went berserk in the series averaging 35.8 PPG on 52.6% shooting from the floor to take home Finals MVP for the second straight season. Pippen averaged 20.8 PPG as well to cap off what I believe to be the Bulls’ best season as a team. Yes, even better than the 72-10 1995-96 team.
6. Kevin Durant And Stephen Curry (2018) – 54.5 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Kevin Durant 2018 Playoff PPG: 29.0 PPG
Stephen Curry 2018 Playoff PPG: 25.5 PPG
After setting the NBA world on fire in 2017, the duo of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry set out to do it once more in 2018. The Warriors were virtually unstoppable during their run to their 2017 championship and finished with 58 wins in 2018 to follow up that performance. In the regular season, Durant and Curry each averaged 26.4 PPG on 49.5% shooting overall or better, which is by far one of the most efficient shooting seasons by teammates relative to the volume of shots they were attempting.
During the 2018 playoffs, the Warriors would defeat both the Spurs and Pelicans in five games in each of the first two rounds. They found themselves locked in a battle with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals that lasted seven games. In Game 7, Durant would go for 34 points, and Curry would add 27 as the Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season to meet the Cavaliers. The series with the Cavaliers was a clean sweep for the Warriors after Durant averaged 30.4 PPG and Curry poured in 25.0 PPG. Both players shot just over 46.0% for the series, and back-to-back NBA championships were theirs.
5. Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant (2002) – 55.1 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Shaquille O’Neal 2002 Playoff PPG: 28.5 PPG
Kobe Bryant 2002 Playoff PPG: 26.6 PPG
By 2002, the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were already on their way to being dubbed as one of the greatest duos ever. They were just coming off a back-to-back dominant run as NBA champions and were seeking to become just the second team since the 1960s Boston Celtics to three-peat as NBA champions. The Lakers’ run to the NBA Finals got started with a 3-0 thrashing of Portland in the first round, led by 26.0 PPG from Bryant on 35.3% shooting and 25.7 PPG from Shaq on 56.3% shooting.
The Lakers would defeat the Spurs in five games in the second round, leading to a controversial series with the Kings in the Western Conference Finals. In Game 7, Kobe and Shaq combined for 65 points to get past Sacramento to reach their third straight Finals. The Finals would be a cakewalk compared to their path to the Finals as they swept the New Jersey Nets in four games. Shaq was named Finals MVP after averaging 36.3 PPG in one of the highest-scoring Finals series ever by a Finals MVP. Bryant added 26.8 PPG on 51.4% shooting to help seal the three-peat and etch their names into NBA history forever.
4. Michael Jordan And Scottie Pippen (1993) – 55.2 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Michael Jordan 1993 Playoff PPG: 35.1 PPG
Scottie Pippen 1993 Playoff PPG: 20.1 PPG
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen end up making their second and final appearance on this list for the work they put in during the 1993 NBA playoffs. After 1992, many feared that the Bulls would lack the motivation and drive to three-peat as NBA champions. Also, many thought it was impossible, seeing as no other team had done it since the Celtics during the 1960s with Bill Russell and company. Obviously, they didn’t know what the depths of the hunger lurking in the soul of Michael Jordan and the rest of the Bulls were.
The 1993 playoffs went how many did for Chicago and their opponents during the 1990s. The Bulls would sweep the Hawks and Cavaliers in their first two series in the playoffs and eventually take out the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. This set up a showdown between Chicago and the Phoenix Suns led by Charles Barkley. Jordan would have a historic series with the most PPG by any player in the NBA Finals, finishing with 41.0 PPG on over 50.0% shooting in the series for his third straight Finals MVP award. Pippen would add 21.2 PPG as the duo combined for a ridiculous 62.2 PPG in the series, well over half of their team’s PPG.
3. LeBron James And Anthony Davis (2020) – 55.3 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
LeBron James 2020 Playoff PPG: 27.6 PPG
Anthony Davis 2020 Playoff PPG: 27.7 PPG
The next high-scoring championship duo on our list is from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship run during the COVID-19-shortened season. After the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many pondered if the NBA would return to action at all during the 2020 season to finish the playoffs. Our prayers were answered when they decided on a Bubble format in Orlando, Florida, to finish out the season without fans, travel, friends, or family.
This didn’t seem to affect the Lakers as they cruised through the NBA playoffs. They defeated the Trail Blazers and Rockets in five games in each of their first two rounds during the playoffs, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis looking completely unstoppable. The Lakers then took down the Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Finals as well to advance to their first NBA Finals of the LeBron/Davis era. It would take only six games for the Lakers to dismiss the Miami Heat in the Finals, with LeBron claiming his fourth Finals MVP. James averaged 29.8 PPG in the Finals series, while Davis added 25.0 PPG. Both players shot over 57.0% from the field in an extremely efficient series.
2. Kevin Durant And Stephen Curry (2017) – 56.6 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Kevin Durant 2017 Playoff PPG: 28.5 PPG
Stephen Curry 2017 Playoff PPG: 28.1 PPG
After a collapse of epic proportions in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors sought to not only set the league on fire but completely blow it up. Even after a 73-9 season and a trip to the NBA Finals, the Warriors would go nuclear on the NBA and sign Kevin Durant, the offseason’s most coveted prize and one of the most lethal offensive weapons in NBA history. The move sent shockwaves throughout the entire sports world as NBA championship glory was not a certainty for Golden State.
The Warriors stormed their way to 67 wins, with their new roster basically being The Avengers, with two of the best offensive players ever sharing the court. The playoffs were a massacre as the Warriors swept through the Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs in the first three rounds of the playoffs, going a perfect 12-0. In the NBA Finals, the Warriors sought revenge on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin Durant was determined to win his first NBA championship as he cruised to Finals MVP honors with 35.2 PPG on 55.6% shooting from the floor. The Warriors would win the title in five games as Stephen Curry also provided 26.8 PPG on 38.8% shooting from three in the series.
1. Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant (2001) – 60.3 PPG
Credit: Fadeaway World
Shaquille O’Neal 2001 Playoff PPG: 30.4 PPG
Kobe Bryant 2001 Playoff PPG: 29.4 PPG
If I had to pinpoint one season that was the purest form of the Shaq and Kobe era, it would have to be 2001. They were perfectly in sync for the entire season and playoff run. Each knew when to turn the duties over to the other when it came to taking over a game. Make no mistake about it, Shaq was still number one at the time, but Kobe made it known that he was ready to take over the reins. Bryant and O’Neal would head into the NBA playoffs after leading the Lakers to 56 wins and combining for 57.2 PPG during the 2001 regular season.
The 2001 NBA playoffs are infamous for the way the Lakers destroyed every opponent they faced en route to another appearance in the NBA Finals. They swept the Trail Blazers, Kings, and Spurs, going 12-0 in the first three rounds of the playoffs, leading to a showdown with MVP Allen Iverson and the 76ers in the NBA Finals. Everyone remembers Iverson’s infamous 48-point performance in Game 1, becoming the only player to lead his team to victory over Los Angeles that postseason. The rest of the series was all Lakers as O’Neal averaged 33.0 PPG to claim Finals MVP honors for the second straight year while Bryant added 24.6 PPG, and the duo made NBA history.
