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The guard tandems you'd want in a 2-on-2 tournament
Could any backcourt upend Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry of the Warriors in a 2-on-2 tournament? Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

The guard tandems you'd want in a 2-on-2 tournament

One of the NBA's recurring annual debates centers around the best backcourts in the league, whether we're talking present-day backcourts or all-time backcourts. It's always a fun endeavor, and there are myriad ways to settle the argument: rings, All-Star appearances, win-loss record, what have you.

Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable, where we take a look at arguably the four most talented backcourts in the NBA today: the Warriors tandem of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, Portland's Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Wizards' John Wall and Bradley Beal, and Toronto's Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

Given the underwhelming All-Star Weekend, capped by some of the most boring Dunk Contests and All-Star Games in memory, maybe the NBA should consider adding a 2-on-2 tournament to its midseason festivities.

If there was a 2-on-2 tournament between these four guard tandems, who would you pick: Curry/Thompson, Lillard/McCollum, Wall/Beal or Lowry/DeRozan?

Alex Wong: I would go with Dame and C.J. just because I think they would truly be in their element playing in a 2-on-2 tournament where the impetus would just be to score as many points as quickly as possible. It's almost like they were be born to play in this format where you don't have to worry about teammates and defense. Actually, why isn't this an actual event on All-Star Saturday?

Sam Greszes: If you've ever played "NBA Jam," you know that in any 2-on-2 situation, all you have to do to win is pick a guy with a 10 rating in three-point shooting and then another guy with a 10 rating in shot blocking and rebounding. So, according to "NBA Jam" rules, the pick here is Curry/Thompson.


Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum give the Portland Trail Blazers a dynamic backcourt duo. Sam Forencich/Getty Images

Jason Clinkscales: The Splash Brothers would clearly be favored, but missed threes become long rebounds both of them would have to chase. Though it’s really splitting hairs between each group, I’d be inclined to go with the duo out of Washington. Something has to be said about constantly taking the ball to the hole to force opponents to play some defense. In a much more open space with fewer players, Wall can get to the cup with relative ease while Beal has finally complemented his perimeter game with more assertiveness inside the key. For the heck of it, this should be an All-Star Weekend event because we’d be highly entertained.

Daniel Tran: When it comes to 2-on-2, success is based on two factors: spacing and playmaking. While some people will automatically jump to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson because of their shooting ability, Thompson’s inability to consistently create his own shots off the dribble will hurt them in a 2-on-2 situation.

That’s why I like the Damian Lillard/C.J. McCollum combination here. Both players can create for themselves at any time, and with so much room to work with in 2-on-2, it would be difficult to stop them. They might not be the best passers in this group, but they don’t need to be Steve Nash to find an open man once they get dribble penetration.

I’m actually excited just thinking about this tournament. Next All-Star Game event?

Sean Keane: Lillard/McCollum is the JV version of Curry/Thompson, and I think Klay would shut down DeMar as well. That leaves Wall/Beal. I think the Splash Brothers take it in real life, but I go with Wall/Beal if the game is played on "NBA Jam."


Bradley Beal and John Wall have the Washington Wizards in the top three in the Eastern Conference. Credit: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

Shiloh Carder: Curry/Thompson. These are all great tandems in their own way, but I like the Curry/Thompson possibilities. Curry can not only get his shot up quickly, but can do so from virtually anywhere. He may not be as quick as Lillard, Wall or Lowry, but he has a nice handle and is deceptive in creating his own shot. As for Thompson, he may be the best of this bunch at heating up in a ridiculous way. When he's in the zone, it's unreal. When he's not, he's also the best defender of the bunch. Plus, these two have done it together at a level the other three haven't seen yet.

Demetrius Bell: Phew, this is a tough question. I doubt that they'd stop the other three teams on this list, but I'm sure that Curry and Thompson would out-shoot everybody else. That may not count for a lot considering that you really have to be dynamic in order to survive in a 2-on-2 environment like that, but again, I just like seeing good shooters take good shots and I think that the Splash Bros. would have a field day from the field in this thing. It's fun to think about, though!

David Matthews: Curry/Thompson would shoot threes and run through that tournament in a very annoying fashion, especially if they were playing Make It, Take It rules.

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