NBA teams
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Splash Brothers' historic rise

NBA

After Golden State's Game 2 win over the Denver Nuggets in the 2012-13 playoffs, then-head coach (now ESPN analyst) Mark Jackson heaped praise on his sharpshooting duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

"In my opinion, they're the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game," Jackson said.

At the time, it seemed like a classic case of head coach hyperbole. But Jackson's declaration rang true in the numbers. The following season under Jackson's watch, Curry and Thompson finished No. 1 and No. 2 in 3-point makes, respectively, converting a blistering 42.4 percent and 41.7 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. Indeed, it turned out that no backcourt in history has rivaled the Splash Brothers in both categories of 3-point volume and efficiency.

But this season, Curry and Thompson are pushing the envelope. Curry is an early front-runner for MVP while Thompson is on track to be an All-Star. Nowadays, it seems Jackson's statement might have not gone far enough. At some point, we might have to grapple with the fact not only are Curry and Thompson the greatest shooting backcourt ever, but they soon might be the best backcourt in NBA history. Period.

(Sorry, Dion Waiters.)

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