Past and Future Dynamic Duo's

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Dynamic NBA Duos 101
Jul.18.2004

This three-part article will look at the past, present and future of great duos in the NBA and the success that comes with such unions. With T-Mac’s trade to the Houston Rockets to join forces with Yao Ming, T-Mac, the long time lone star, is teamed with a dominant big man in the lone-star state.

By Gregory Urbano
T-Mac.com Feature Writer

- The Lineage of Recent Historical Duos -

While many of today’s NBA fans conjure up images of the second coming of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, those in Houston are reminded of another great duo when looking at the Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming union. After all, it wasn’t long ago that Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler donned the red and white of the Houston Rockets.

Few teams in NBA history have been lucky enough to garner a great center-guard combination, but the success of such duos is plenty reason for lofty expectations in Houston’s second go around.

In recent decades, there has been the aforementioned Hakeem and Clyde, Shaq and Kobe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Though their styles of play and supporting casts varied greatly, their triumphs were similar in manner.

With Olajuwon dominating the paint on offense and defense and Drexler’s leadership and otherworldly athleticism, Houston rocketed to the pinnacle of NBA success, bringing home the second of a pair of championships during a brief vacation from the game for Michael Jordan. They weren’t overpowering or faster than their opponents, but the Rockets of the mid-1990’s had a great coach in Rudy Tomjonovich and a dominant one-two punch leading the way.

For the Lakers of the 1980’s, the formula was much the same as that in Houston – but with a slight kick added to the mix. The “Showtime” Lakers ran the court and moved the ball better than any team in recent history. Magic had the ability to pass a basketball through a pinhole and both Johnson and Kareem let loose the unblockable “sky hook” on the league. Even with the likes of the Boston Celtics with Larry Bird and the Detroit Pistons with Isaiah Thomas, it was the inside-out dominance of Magic and Kareem that sported the most hand jewelry when it was all said and done.

The NBA’s post-Jordan era began with a pair of big men, Tim Duncan and David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs jumping to the top, but quickly reverted back to the ways of the dominant duo. There was simply no equal big man the size of Shaquille O’Neal, and with the maturation of Bryant, the Lakers’ began yet another title run that would bring three more championships to Hollywood.

- The Next Big Thing? -

Even without a single minute together on the court, the Ming and Mac combination instills fear into western and eastern conference foes.

For teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, Yao Ming is seen as a complex mixture of size, talent and potential. Entering his third year in the league, it is easy to see that Yao has not even approached the peak of his talent. With the ability to put the ball softly off the glass from the inside or knock down the mid-range jumper with ease, Yao has the tools to dominate the center position out west – especially with the Diesel shipped to Miami. Yet with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Brad Miller and Dirk Nowitzki – all over seven feet tall – still roaming the floor, Yao needed something or someone to allow him to grow.

McGrady’s previous conference rivals in the east are more than aware of his scoring prowess and superstar playmaking abilities, but they had yet to see T-Mac take the floor with a player of equal skill. Though it was supposed to be the T-Mac and Grant Hill show in O-Town, the well known health issues for Hill left McGrady on his own and open to being pushed around. For the last four seasons McGrady not only survived on his own, he thrived and blossomed into the league’s most potent scorer. Yet with scoring greatness and individual honors came team struggles. No longer able to shoulder the load by himself, McGrady sought a less stressful road to success that included a move west and a new role.

It is hard to say which player will benefit more from the trade, but it will clearly make the game easier for both Yao and Tracy. For Yao, McGrady’s ability to spread the defense and score both inside and out will create plenty of open looks and easy dunks for the big man. For T-Mac, having a consistent second scoring option on offense should reduce the number of double and triple teams he faces, and with a shot blocking presence roaming the paint on defense, McGrady can take more risks and improve his steal and block totals.

- The Big Bad Western Conference -

Even with Shaq’s departure to Miami, Yao will battle a plethora of big men night in and night out. In recent years, the west has been home to all the dominant seven footers not named Jermaine O’Neal. Now, with the Diesel out of the equation, Yao not only stands head and shoulders above everyone in the west, he should be able to become the conference’s most physically demanding big man as well.

In McGrady’s previous world, the Eastern Conference, there was no shortage of talent; there was simply shorter talent. T-Mac was able to rise to the top of the extremely deep guard and small forward talent pool in recent years, but his ascent was not an easy one. The east is home to Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton, Richard Jefferson, Michael Redd, Ron Artest and the up and coming Lebron James and Dwyane Wade – and that is without naming a single point guard. Out west, McGrady will of course take the floor to battle the likes of Kobe Bryant, but the overall depth of the players T-Mac will face each night is not as great as it was in the east.

Regardless of the opponent, both T-Mac and Yao can rest easy knowing that they have one another to rely on. Whether they must battle Duncan and the Spurs or Bryant and the Lakers, the fact remains that the Rockets can dominate the floor from basket to basket and provide a formidable match up for any team.