Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird

Moderators: penbeast0, trex_8063, PaulieWal, Doctor MJ, Clyde Frazier

Which duo?

Nash/Garnett
21
45%
Pippen/Bird
26
55%
 
Total votes: 47

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Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#1 » by Matt15 » Sun Aug 2, 2020 8:47 pm

Which duo would you rather build around?
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#2 » by GeorgeMarcus » Sun Aug 2, 2020 9:41 pm

Hmm, good one. I rate Bird higher than KG and Pip higher than Nash, but the fit between Nash/KG is undeniable. I'll trust firepower on the wings and go with Bird/Pip.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#3 » by No-more-rings » Mon Aug 3, 2020 2:54 am

Nash/KG and it’s not that hard of a decision for me. You’d have to replace Pippen with maybe a Curry, Cp3 or something like that to make it closer.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#4 » by rrravenred » Mon Aug 3, 2020 3:13 am

The defensive synergy between Bird and Pip is excellent (especially since Pip being there means Bird can fill his natural PF spot). Bird's offball game also syncs in very well with Pippen's point-forward role.

Having said that, the passing and mobility between KG and Nash is intriguing. KG is unlikely to become Amare as a finisher, but can imagine Nash taking advantage of Garnett's high-motor game.

Think I still (marginally) favour Larry and Scottie on this one.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#5 » by Texas Chuck » Mon Aug 3, 2020 3:34 pm

I think Bird is a couple tiers better than KG or Nash and Pippen is good enough and fits well enough that I'm taking the best player because taking the best player is almost always the right way to go.

But I'd not be sad taking the consolation prize here.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#6 » by therealbig3 » Tue Aug 4, 2020 5:09 am

I personally can't pass up Nash/KG. I've ALWAYS wondered how dominant those Suns would have been if Amare was replaced by KG and they could actually play defense, with Nash running the offense.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#7 » by HeartBreakKid » Tue Aug 4, 2020 6:28 am

Aren't we also supposed to take into account longevity since we are building around a duo? If that is so, isnt it kind of lopsided in Garnett and Nash's favor? They played for a very long time, while Pippen and Bird aged pretty poorly.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#8 » by Jaivl » Tue Aug 4, 2020 12:10 pm

The best player plus the third best player plus perfect fit, operating for way longer? Not even a contest IMO.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#9 » by Hook_Em » Tue Aug 4, 2020 5:44 pm

Nash and KG would both be better today than they were in the peaks 15 years ago and so easy to build around.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#10 » by Ambrose » Tue Aug 4, 2020 6:16 pm

Bird is the best player here but a Nash/KG pairing is a match made in heaven and I rate both higher than Pippen. It's close but I'd probably go Nash/KG.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#11 » by PistolPeteJR » Tue Aug 4, 2020 6:19 pm

The wings for sure here. On one end, Pippen will lock down Nash and Garnett will get most of what he wants in the post vs Bird, but on the other end, Nash will get destroyed by whoever he's defending.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#12 » by scrabbarista » Tue Aug 4, 2020 7:37 pm

Great comparison. I went Pippen/Bird.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#13 » by Rapcity_11 » Wed Aug 5, 2020 4:54 pm

PistolPeteJR wrote:The wings for sure here. On one end, Pippen will lock down Nash and Garnett will get most of what he wants in the post vs Bird, but on the other end, Nash will get destroyed by whoever he's defending.


It's for team building, not a 2 on 2 game.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#14 » by PistolPeteJR » Wed Aug 5, 2020 5:53 pm

Rapcity_11 wrote:
PistolPeteJR wrote:The wings for sure here. On one end, Pippen will lock down Nash and Garnett will get most of what he wants in the post vs Bird, but on the other end, Nash will get destroyed by whoever he's defending.


It's for team building, not a 2 on 2 game.


Okay, well I'm still gonna take the wings because in a game of mismatches the offense will PnR Nash to death.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#15 » by HeartBreakKid » Thu Aug 6, 2020 5:26 pm

PistolPeteJR wrote:
Rapcity_11 wrote:
PistolPeteJR wrote:The wings for sure here. On one end, Pippen will lock down Nash and Garnett will get most of what he wants in the post vs Bird, but on the other end, Nash will get destroyed by whoever he's defending.


It's for team building, not a 2 on 2 game.


Okay, well I'm still gonna take the wings because in a game of mismatches the offense will PnR Nash to death.

Wouldn't Nash pick and roll every other team to death? That's actually what happened in real life.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#16 » by PistolPeteJR » Thu Aug 6, 2020 6:03 pm

HeartBreakKid wrote:
PistolPeteJR wrote:
Rapcity_11 wrote:
It's for team building, not a 2 on 2 game.


Okay, well I'm still gonna take the wings because in a game of mismatches the offense will PnR Nash to death.

Wouldn't Nash pick and roll every other team to death? That's actually what happened in real life.


Sure he would, but I'll put my money on the wings being able to stop the Nash PnR more than I'll put my money on Nash being able to do that on the other end; in regards to PnR offense, both sides will have plenty of success on that front.
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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#17 » by cupcakesnake » Thu Aug 6, 2020 6:42 pm

I voted Scottie/Bird but I think this could go either way. When in doubt I choose the more versatile duo I guess.

Nash and KG was all I wanted to see in the mid-late 2000s. You can't pick & roll Nash that bad if KG is involved (directly in the action or as a backline defender). Nash is an offense unto himself, but KG activates Nash as a shot creator in ways we only saw when Nash and Diaw starred together in the 2006 run. KG was born to synergize with a ball dominant shooter/passer, I don't think there is any possible better guard pairing for KG than Nash and vice versa.

Pippen and Bird also synergize well. Pippen's on-ball prowess on defense is complimented by Bird excellent off-ball work. Pippen can play with the ball more without having the responsibility of finishing the play when the defense is loaded up. Pippen never played with a shooter like Bird. It's fun to picture him attacking the defense while the other players set screens for Bird. Both were also terrors in transition.

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Re: Steve Nash/Kevin Garnett or Scottie Pippen/Larry Bird 

Post#18 » by carlquincy » Fri Aug 7, 2020 2:06 am

Nash KG. More optimal and effective mash skillset

Too much overlap for the 2nd duo I feel. And with that good of play making, the guards will be just be 3&d players, which is kinda a waste.

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