A Historical Article: Who is the Greatest #2

[SoNicks]

Mr Hanky the Christmas Poo, and all of his descendants, proudly present:

The “Kevin Durant” Award - Best #2 to win a title - a look back into History


Ive wanted to do this article the entire summer, but kept letting the years drag on and on adding more work. What better time to complete my quest during ashes 2x history special! Were going to take a look at every championship winning team and see who was their best #2. We will compile the list and then we will determine who gets the “Scottie ‘Kevin Durant’ Pippen” Award. We will primarily focus on what they did for the team over the course of the regular season. Lets dive in!


Disclaimer - sorry about the top down stats. i did this in a word doc and frankly am not inclined to fix it.


Knicks - 1996 - MJ#1
Starting in the “Mickey Mouse” era, where contracts were uniform, no one was under the soft cap, and a lot of people didn't know what they were doing, one GM did. Mr Nav Knickerbocker. He put together a very strong team around Jordan coming off of the creation draft. A Team comprising Rodman, Grain God, Steve Kerr, and Dominique Wilkins around Michael Jordan, they were extremely turnover friendly with only 10 a game, in addition to some of the league's best team shooting and arguably the number 1 defense. This team had an Origin Draft best value pick in Steve Kerr who did some wild things at the point guard position for this era of the Knicks. Kerr put up 20ppg on 47/42/86 with 1.9:1.5 sTOck ratio. He made this team a three headed efficiency monster and the first big 3 to win a title, change my mind.

#2 - Glen Rice gets the nod for the number two on this team. Midseason acquisition becomes the champ.



Glen Rice SF 29 6'8'' 215 B A C- C C- C

SF 82 33.5 24.2 6.0 2.1 1.2 0.2 1.8 .477 .895 .415


As the number two option in the playoffs, he put up buckets every game on some very nice splits. His flat A OS is as good as it comes for a number 2 as they come. Many are surely to top him in the years to come, but for the first title out the gates, Grain God will do nicely.


Kings - 1997 - Hakeem #1
The Second SLN title was a matchup between two O6 members and two SLN greats, Nav and Jesse and MJ and Hakeem. This matchup went to Hakeem in 5 games, giving Michael Jordan his first loss in a finals matchup. Hakeem was crowned champ and showed everyone why he is the greatest SLN player to date. Lol Stop it Hakeem:

37.4 28.6 12.3 3.0 1.7 3.9 2.3 .499 .796 .275


#2 - Patrick Ewing -


Patrick Ewing PF 35 7'0'' 240 A- C D+ A- B D

36.4 23.7 12.1 2.1 1.3 2.9 2.1 .468 .749 .400


Ewing is a rock solid Number 2 for this team. Ewing had a short, but great journey in this league that ended with the crowing over the team he lost to the year prior. Ewing redeemed himself with this Kings team, posting truly absurd numbers next to the GOAT. Hakeem and Ewing combined for 52 pts 24 rebounds 9.8 stocks to 4.4 turnovers. No one was stopping this duo and Ewing already usurps Grain god as the goat #2.


Jazz - 1998 - Nash #1 The OG superstar who blossomed real quick out the gates. He would go on to appear in 4 SLN titles, winning Two. During all of them he was the cog that turned the wheel. But this was a very very well constructed team. Deep, with talent all across the board. It was genuinely difficult to choose who was the clear cut #2, especially since 1998 history has been lost forever.

#2 I chose Scottie Pippen. Pippen should win his own award at least once is what I decided on.

86 39.1 711 1639 .434 347 444 .782 171 446. 383 7.7 4.4 1.8 0.8 2.5 0 22.6

He was still stocky and he scored 20PPG+ all year long. His versatility and ability to fill up the Box Score is what ultimately pushed him to this years #2 award. Big shout out to Joe smith, Theo ratliff, Big z, Derrick Anderson. I'm sure they had cool nicknames but that was a long, long time ago. Scotties performance was impressive but i dont think his stat stuffing ways is enough to usurp Ewing from his throne. Ewing remains #1.

Heat - 1999 - Shaq #1 The greatest big man to grace the game. He was pretty much Jokic and Boban put together with more stocks and rebounds. This man was a one man underdog in the Eastern playoffs his entire career. Shaq beating MJ in the finals is a story book finish
.
#2 - This number two slot feels a lot more competitive than any team yet. Both David Robinson and Rip Hamilton both put up similar production and both were invaluable in the championship run. Robinson drops 17.4-12.5 on 43/75 splits, dropping a 3.6:2.2 sTOck Ratio. Rip dropped 21ppg on 45/41/86 with 1.8:2.0 sTOcks. I got to give the nod to Rip Hamilton.

Richard Hamilton SG 21 6'6'' 185 B+ B+ C C+ C- B

SG 77 34.6 20.9 4.4 3.4 1.6 0.2 2.0 .455 .861 .408


His nice splits and lower TOs took the nod for me. He was consistently relied upon more for offensive production vs DRob, and he was sort of a one man army in the back court. Also playing next to shaq probably made things real easy for DRob. Question now remains: is Rip better than Ewing in their respective seasons? I’m inclined to say no. I would have liked to see a bit more offensive to even consider Rip jumping Ewing. In fact I so far rank Rip lower than Scottie. Ewing maintains his crown



Bucks - 2000 - Kidd #1 - These back to back Bucks were STACKED. They had 4 legitimate stars and 1 HOFer in Jason Kidd. He was the best two way rebounding PG the league has ever seen and he dropped 20+ per game very efficiently to boot. Choosing the #1 of this back to back team is easy, choosing the #2 is NOT. therefore i’m breaking them up into two years, despite the continuation. This way i can only disrespect one of the three: Glen Rice, Antwan Jamison, Rasheed Wallace

#2 This is a toss up between the two of the three really. Glen Rice produced his best SLN campaign to date, adding his second ring at year's end to cap it off. 28ppg on 49/40/87 with 1.5:1.9 sTOck ratio. An impressive uptick from his first championship campaign. But this team is certainly nothing without Rasheed Wallace, who was frankly ridiculous. He dropped 17-9.6 on 47/40/80 , but what frankly set him apart was his 3.2:0.7 sTOck ratio. This puts him in Diop territory defensively. And while Twan had similar 2way production, his defense lagged a bit behind sheed. We gotta give the nod to Sheed for this year



Rasheed Wallace PF 26 6'10'' 225 A- B D A B- B

PF 82 33.7 17.0 9.6 1.1 1.3 1.9 0.7 .477 .802 .447


Bucks - 2001 - kidd #1 - Insert additional Paragraph of JKidd smut here.
#2 - PSYCH! You bitches think I was getting off the Sheed train? Rasheed Wallace LOCKED as the first two time #2. Fuck you Glen. Fuck that this mans elite. Rice regressed this year down to 20ppg and while Twan produce elite numbers himself (21-10 on 47/35/80 with 1.4:1.2), Sheed was still on another level again this year.



Rasheed Wallace PF 27 6'10'' 225 A- B D- A B C

PF 77 33.3 18.0 9.9 1.0 0.9 2.0 1.0 .476 .788 .450

Now the question is, was Sheeds back to back two time accompanying his two individual years enough to usurp Ewing for the KD Crown?!
23-12 on 46/40/75 w/ 4.2:2.1 VS 18-10 on 47/45/79 w/ 2.9:1.0

Ewing fit his team mode a bit better but was carried by the GOAT. is his 5ppg and 2 rebounds more worth a whole stock that Sheed provides? Ewing was first ALL D while Sheed was only 3rd All team. Sheed was also on a team that included Jason Kidd, Glen Rice, Antwan Jamison and a deep bench. Frankly its a tough call. I think Ewing had to carry the Burden a bit more than twan with an interior focused offense and no third star. Hakeem is easily two stars in one, but Sheed had more supporting his presidency. Patrick Ewing Still Number 1 Number 2.


Jazz - 2002 - Nash #1 - Welcome back Jazz! Been a grind for them to get here after dropping back to back titles to the Bucks in 7. JKidd effectively ended the Nash Vs Kidd debate right there. But we're not here to talk about Nash. We're here to talk about the others. Do not read too much into “others” cuz this team was stacked. Rightfully so as how can you appear in three straight titles without being stacked.

#2 - This one was another toss up in my opinion, and the hardest one to rank to date. You got Kris Clack, Derrick Anderson, Big Z, Theo Ratliff, and Scottie Pippen (kinda). After closer analysis, Scottie, Theo and Big Z were discarded. Scottie had regressed heavily since his first ring so that was an easy See Ya. Big Z and Theo are a much more interesting case.

34.8 15.5 12.9 1.5 0.7 2.7 1.5 .428 .791

33.5 15.7 11.6 1.7 0.9 2.5 1.3 .433 .717

I bet only Grundle could differentiate between the two!! So due to symmetry, they both are out. That leaves HOF 6MOY Kris Clack vs Derrick Anderson, and when you really think about it, its not even close between the two. KRIS CLACK has risen

Kris Clack SF 25 6'4'' 236 C A- B- A- B+ A

SF 75 37.6 17.9 8.7 3.7 1.7 1.1 1.1 .470 .899 .439

Excellent, historic numbers for this do it all bench man. A precursor to what some hope Ben Simmons might become. But in the comparison to other #2s, i rank him third behind only Ewing and Sheed.

Sonicks - 2003 - Dirk #1 - Dirk, Dirk, Dirk, Dirk, Dirk, Dirk EVERYBODY. Its the moment Everyme's been waiting for. Rosterbating to my own Roster in front of 29 internet friends! Dirk is a god. He played nearly every minute of every game. Let me just drop Prime Dirks Stats below -

PF 82 38.3 40.3 10.3 1.7 1.4 0.5 1.5 .508 .895 .426

That’ll do Goatrick… That’ll do.

#2 - i actually had fun diving into this roster as the #2 isnt as clear as you might think. The real ones know its Diop, but for the haters out there who don't appreciate that kind of greatness, i went into a deep dive into the 2nd and 3rd fiddle of Seattle's first big 3. Kerry Kittles was a god (sorry Jordo) who played every game, was an All defensive and 3rd all league team member and posted some elite figures: 27-6-5 on 46/43/81 w/ 3.2:1.6 sTOck ratio. Now on paper, Stephon Marbury looks a bit more elite than that (a statement corroborated by his FMVP) 32-4-9 on 51/46/83 w. 2.1:2.7 sTOck ratio. However, the key thing here is stephon only played 45 games this regular season due to injuries. He did play every playoff game which is why we kept him in contention. I Frankly don't know! I'm inclined to say Kerry Kittles for his consistency, availability, and two-way abilities, but I definitely think Stephons postseason run was all-time. We do not beat the Celtics without him. He was unstoppable.


Kerry Kittles SG 29 6'5'' 179 A- A B+ A C C

SG 82 39.0 27.3 6.6 5.4 2.9 0.3 1.6 .463 .816 .430


Now is where things get really interesting. These stats have him well above Ewing and Sheed, but given his return to third fiddle in the postseason and outright contesting being here in the first place over Marbury, I have a hard time ranking either of these SoNicks over Ewing. To avoid the hometown Bias, I rank the SoNicks big 3 as #1 all time, and give Ewing his crown once again. To be fair it is safe to say that Starbury and or Kittles would rank above Sheed. Starting to get crowded at the top.

Hornets - 2004 & 2005 - #1 Yao - Man! Are these teams good. The Great Yao of China wins back to back titles and cements his status among the all time greats of our fine league. Enough cant be said about Yao's uniqueness. We might not see another one like him. .

#2 - The rest of the Hornets team was STACKED from the top down, including Primoz, Michael Finley, and Cat Mobley, all three brought powerful and unique traits to these back to back champs. But when it comes down to it, this team had a bonafide #2 (maybe number 1? mayhaps…?). Gilbert Arenas did some wild stuff during these two years. Back to back FMVP and he wa the 2005 MVP of the league. I know, I know, Assists this, assists that. BUT DAMNIT BOBBY, Yao cant get the ball to himself.



Gilbert Arenas
PG
24
6'4''
191
B-
A
A-
A-
C
A


PG
81
38.3
25.8
5.9
11.4
2.9
0.2
2.8
.491
.881
.435



Easy to see why this man won two titles and a collection of accolades to go along with them rraannggzz. In fact, I think it's time we finally knock Ewing off that top podium and crown Gilbert Arenas the reigning champion. He had nearly 3 TOs a game which is his only knock. He shot the ball from all over, with elite Splits, two way lock down defense, and enough scoring to win him accolades. He was the cog that got Yaos wheel rolling. It would be hard to knock him off the top spot.



Sonicks - 2006 - #1 Dirk - Tall German Giant. Fadeaway shot pure magic. SoNicks Shinning Star..
So Dirk’s still good. I probably should’ve posted “not enough Dirk talk” like everyday for a 10 year period it seems. He won FMVP, how often do teams with high scoring guards have a big win the FMVP??? In case you had doubts about him:


38.2
38.0
10.5
1.8
1.0
0.4
1.4
.501
.866
.439


#2 - This team was once again carried by the two Bi-Horned dragon that is Dirk and Diop! The real ones know Diop is already the GOAT #2. But for the sake of keeping this article interesting, I threw Diop out of the competition. I mean he wass seriously the Yin to Dirks Yang. The number two position on this team is another toss up. Sonicks love their big 3s (and diop). Paul Poopy Pants Pierce and Jamal Crawford helm the co-pilot chair. The PF pierce revelation had not been discovered yet, and as such his blocks were low and his TOs were high. This years #2 goes to Jamal Crawford.



Jamal Crawford
PG
26
6'5''
185
A-
A
B-
C
D+
B


PG
80
35.9
30.9
3.8
8.2
1.6
0.2
2.8
.484
.791
.423


Jamal was him. He was a bucket. He could not be denied. No one was stopping Dirk, Diop, Crawford, Pierce, and Meaty in their primes. And i know, i know, 30ppg> than 26ppg. But Gilbert had other dudes to feed, he had way better defense, and somehow a much better splits. Gilbert takes the cake.

Celtics - 2007 - #1 Manu - This Celtics team was disgusting. 12 blocks per game is fun, spearheaded by Haywood, Martin, Outlaw, and TMac. I hate to say it but not only is Manu really good:


38.4
34.8
8.1
4.0
2.1
0.2
1.9
.511
.927
.436

#2 - But the big three of Manu, TMac, and Chauncey has got to be the best so far. One of the best rosters assembled! Nice work Joe… what happened? Now the question is, who is the Celtics #2 behind Manu?
Chauncey dropped 30-5-9 on 45/38/87 w. 2.1:2.6 sTOck ratio
TMac dropped - 23-9-4 on 45/37/84 w. 3.7:2.5 sTOck ratio


This was definitely a tough one and may be a toss up. However, I'm giving the vote to Tracy McGrady.


Tracy McGrady
SF
28
6'8''
210
A-
B+
B
B+
B+
D


SF
82
35.5
23.4
8.9
4.1
1.0
2.7
2.5
.455
.848
.372



I am fairly sure that if this team didnt have 3 other prolific shot blockers, TMacs defensive stats would have looked even better. Neither of their two Splits puts them in Gilbert's territory, but they definitely are top 5. Gilbert remains atop of the boards somehow.


Raptors - 2009 - KG the man, the myth the legend. One of the OG great rookies from the draft. He was so great he literally killed that first Portland GM, whatever his name was. After so many years getting close, KG finally gets over the hump with the Raptors. Holy cow Big Perk has been around for a minute hasnt he? This team was very fun. KG, ascending Lou Williams and superstar Jamal Crawford (Woo dont be salty no more please, see, all that “nicks a mad man” shit just resulted in you getting a ring!!!)


#2 - Both Lou and Jamal were personified buckets. They filled it up. But at this point in Lou’s career, it was easy to give the number #2 nod to Jamal Crawford.



Jamal Crawford
PG
28
6'5''
185
A-
A
B-
C
D
C


PG
82
34.4
30.8
3.3
7.4
1.4
0.2
2.3
.498
.869
.460


We finally get to see what a title squad with a full year of Jamal would look like. And it looks good! This man would have already had the #1 #2 spot for one year before Gilbert ran away with it the next year. Injuries suck! And even though Jamal is a god bucket, I think his lack of sTOck ratio, compared to GA, is what keeps Jamal off the top stop. Jamal, we love you, but Gilbert takes the crown again



Sonicks - 2009 - #1 Dirk - I miss this man. He is the only man to beat Lebron IRL and in SLN. Thats a fun little stat (Shaun Livingston doesn't count because he doesn't fit my narrative). This Sonicks squad was a bit different than the others and relied on funkier players rather than OP PGs. See Mehmet Okurrrr and Carlos Arroyo. Dirk had finally regressed to the mean, but he would still be producing 30+ppg this year and years to come.

#2 - Paul Pierce easily takes the cake with this team, despite impressive campaigns out of Diop and Okurrr.


Paul Pierce
SF
32
6'7''
235
A-
A
C
A-
C+
C


SF
77
34.6
22.5
9.0
2.7
1.3
3.2
2.2
.482
.848
.510


The Poopy Pants at the 4 experience was in full swing. The 22.5-9 on 48/51/85 w. 4.5:2.2 sTOcks was a historic line. Keep in mind Ewing threw out a 24-12 on 47/40/75 w. 4.2:2.1 and i sucked him off for half this article. The question now is, was this campaign better than GA’s MVP season? 26-6-11 on 49/43/88 w. 3.1:2.8 is what GA posted. And despite the hometown favoritism out cries, i'm going with Paul Pierce. Frankly he was put into the perfect roll and his 3 Blocks and supremely elite shooting splits will be hard to beat as we move along. 51% from 3 is dumb for a high volume PF.



Grizzlies - 2010 - #1 Wade - The Grizzlies 4th title appearance results in their first SLN title. FINALLY! This was a great team built around DWade that kept slaughtering the West only to fall to the East time and time again. But this team would not be denied! They had HOFers, they had roll players, and they had depth. A team of DWade, Pau Gaso, Jay Williams, Tayshaun Prince, and Tyson Chicken was always going to be impossible to keep out of the winners circle.



Dwyane Wade
SG
82
38.4
30.9
7.7
4.3
2.5
1.6
2.2
.471
.925
.421



#2 - While this was a great team, i think the #2 can safely be said to be Pau Gasol



Pau Gasol
PF
30
7'0''
250
A-
C
C-
A-
A-
B


36.2
18.8
12.5
2.4
1.0
2.2
1.6
.445
.796
.370

His numbers are elite and he wasn't in his prime here. An elite rebounder and defender, he paired incredibly well with Dwayne Wade. They combined for a sTOck ratio of 7.3:3.8. Tough to beat those numbers. Pau edges out Tayshaun due to his elite defense and overall stat stuffing game. He was elite all of his career, though by the time he won his first title, he was no longer putting up the best of the best in terms of #2 production. Paul Pierce will retain the crown.

Bulls - 2011 - Tony Parker is one of the all time SLN goats and he got his redemption this year after dropping the finals to the Grizzlies the year prior. Nearly a life long Bull who finally completed his assignment! A+ job Mr. Parker. This team was stacked around him to say the least, including Eddie Griffin, Rashard McCants, Caron Butler, and Sam Dalembert.


Tony Parker
PG
78
38.0
34.9
5.0
9.6
2.0
0.2
1.6
.506
.938
.421



#2 - These Bulls definitely were very well built and most certainly had a big three in Parker, Griffin, and McCants. But between Griffin and McCants, who was the number 2?

18.5-13.5 on 45/65 w. 2.5:2.2 sTOck ratio vs 25-5 on 46/43/90 w. 2.5:2.2 sTOck ratio
This is a tough one! Is nearly 10 boards worth the extra 7 ppg and the shooting efficiency that comes with it? Giffin’s historic rebounding vs a true number #2 options to score the ball. Tough indeed! I decided to consult the wisest man i know (Pacers GM aka “me so longer for tonger”) on this and gave him a blind taste test with absolutely no context. He has chosen Eddie Griffin.


Eddie Griffin
PF
29
6'10''
220
A-
C
B-
A-
A-
C


PF
78
37.4
18.5
13.5
3.7
1.0
3.6
1.5
.450
.653
.107


I have to agree that his rebounding is much more elite than scoring 25ppg as a #2 guy. Eddies historic tush pushed him into the endzone. Now we gotta evaluate if this man did enjoy beating off the grand poobah, Mr Poopy Pants, son of Mr Poopy Butt Hole, son of Mr Hanky the Christmas Poo, wiped by Towely the towel. I rate eddie with a B+ for big ass thats plus sized. But idk if his all around stats are enough to close the gap on PP. The elite rebounding crushes everyone on this list, but his lack of scoring and stocks keeps him off the top spot. I choose violence. I choose Paul Pierce

Rockets - 2012 - Im getting tired of weeding through these elite teams. Makes me pine for the glory years. This team was stacked. IDK who even to consider #1 on this team. I should disqualify them all for being this confusing. Eddy Curry, Blake Griffin, TMac, and Shaun Livingston all are #1s in my book. I'm gonna give the #1 crown to Eddie Curry. The man's last name is good enough for me. His 25.6-14 with 4 stocks is historic. He was the goat center in this time period and he lead the third interior focused offense to a title in league history.



Eddy Curry
C
77
37.4
25.6
14.2
2.1
0.9
3.1
2.2
.477
.640
.000


#2 - But he did not lead alone. While Blake Griffin is elite, and continues to be so to this Sim-Day, he was only 23 this year and didnt have enough juice to reach the #2 spot. So its between Shauny and TMac:
17.5-6.4-12 on 50/89 w. 3.0:1.7 sTOck ratio vs 24-10-4.7 on 46/47/83 w. 4.5:2.5 sTOck ratio

Off the bat i'm inclined to go with… I have no idea Shaun has elite FG% and low TOs, while TMac had elite rebounding, scoring, and stocks. While TMac did have more turnovers, he still had a higher Stocks per turnover metric than Shauny. And given the importance of Rebounds vs assists, i have no choice but to give the #2 to Tracy McGrady



Tracy McGrady
SF
33
6'8''
210
A
A-
C+
B+
B-
D


SF
80
37.5
24.3
10.1
4.7
1.0
3.5
2.5
.458
.832
.474


TMac was ELITE his whole career and won titles with multiple teams. He is an offensive, defensive, and lockeroomensive stud. But is he the greatest #2 to win a title?
24-10 on 45/47/83 w. 4.5:2.5 sTOcks
22.5-9 on 48/51/85 w. 4.5:2.2 sTOcks

These guys are practically twins. I might literally have to toss a coin to decide. Lets break it down. TMac was in an inside offense which inflated his blocks and rebounds. Poop was playing PF in an outside offense. He also shot the ball way better from 3, and while TMac was elite 3pt shooter this year, his volume was smaller due to the inside offense. Wish i could say Tie! I mean Poop wins the effeciency metrics by a few % across the board and has a tiny bit better sTOck ratio, while TMac has 1.5ppg more and a whole rebound more per game. GIVE ME IGUODALA . NAH fuck that imma be a home town bitch, give me Paul Pierce. Rock Chalk

Kings - 2013 - Dwayne Wade Mr. SLNF himself makes another trip to the show, and claims his second ring while doing so. This Kangz team conquered Wade, Parker, and Boban! What an elite big three. I had a little bit of difficulty placing Wade above Parker as the #1, so i referenced Jesses DCs and saw that Wade wass the #1 option most year long so there you go!



Dwyane Wade
SG
78
36.0
27.4
6.9
4.7
1.7
1.2
2.3
.483
.916
.448


#2 - This has been my easiest #2 in quite some time. Tony Parker



Tony Parker
PG
31
6'2''
185
B+
A-
A-
A-
C-
D


PG
78
38.1
30.2
4.1
10.3
2.3
0.3
2.2
.468
.916
.377


Boban had yet to be crowned king, and Old man Parker was still at the top of his game. Kind of hard to keep the pierce train rolling when stacked up against this cat. While his splits look a bit soft, he more than made up for it with the highest volume we've seen from a #2. Were gonna lock in a quick Tony Parker to take the spot as #1 #2.


Spurs - 2014 - Tony Parker Lol look who's back as the #1 cat! Long live the Goat PG! SLNs favorite son (sorry tyler) finally gets over the hump with Tony Parker leading the charge. He has had a historic career, love seeing his name continue to pop up. 3rd ring with his 3rd team! Dirk-like (kinda). Spurs were stacked this year with Tony, Kawhi, KLove, Danny Granger, PJ Tucker, TheMeat, and Deandre Jordan!



Tony Parker
PG
82
39.9
30.4
4.5
9.8
2.3
0.3
2.6
.486
.893
.446

#2 - Bit of a toss up imo between Kawhi and Kevin Love. Ultimately i went with Kevin Love



Kevin Love
PF
26
6'8''
251
B-
A-
C+
C
A
C


PF
82
34.0
25.7
12.3
3.4
0.7
0.6
1.4
.456
.860
.394


Kawhi’s high turnovers and poor shooting this year bumped him off the #2 spot, and off Jordos Options entirely come seasons end. If you can't be trusted as an option, I don't love you. Kahwi still had very high TOs despite his stocks. Kevin Love was efficient and he rebounded at an extremely high level. His defense definitely lacked, but he was enough of a plus player to propel thes cowboys to a ring! Regarding the #2 spot on the article list, lol, its Tony Parker still.

Nuggets - 2015 - Carmelo Anthony gets the nod here. Though it was not the easiest choice when comparing him to Steph Curry and the great Monta Ellis. IDK if this is the best big three of all time, but it undoubtedly is my favorite. Nuggets have long been denied a chance at the ring, and this was a title the entire league celebrated. He has seen many iterations fail, and CapKey was so excited with this championship, he decided to tank.



Carmelo Anthony
SF
75
33.9
32.9
7.5
2.8
1.0
0.2
1.3
.483
.900
.468

#2 - Choosing between one of the best scorers in history, and the guy he replaced in GSW was a fun one! Steph was undoubtedly a bucket. And he got steals too which makes him one of the best PGs in the league. But what Monta did this year was too much to deny him the #2 spot. Monta Ellis



Monta Ellis
SG
30
6'3''
185
B
A
A-
C+
C+
C


SG
82
35.1
26.5
7.2
4.8
2.7
0.2
1.9
.447
.902
.372


Monta’s only knock against him this season was his 3pt shooting. If it was higher, he may have been given the nod over Melo too. Monta dropped All D stats while keeping his high volume TOs under 2. Thats TOUGH. And to boot, he added 7 rebounds which was the finally stat that gave him the accolade this year. Now to compare his year with Tonys should be a fun one

26.5-7.2-4.8 on 45/37/90 w. 2.9:1.9 sTOcks ratio
30.2-4.1-10.3 on 47/37/91 w. 2.6:2.2 sTOcks ratio

This is as close as it can come right? Montas rebounding or Tonys scoring. Neither were the Top option that year. Their splits are nearly identical, with the edge to Tony, and Montas stock ratio was much better. I really dont know what to do here. Time for some Mervalytics. He too made an educated guess with no real information. Monta Ellis, due to his defense and Rebounding.



Pacers - 2016 - Jrue Holiday - The pacers third SLNF appearance results in their first championship! A big three of Jrue, Deron, and Bosh was bound to do big things after all!



Jrue Holiday
PG
92
38.3
24.8
5.2
9.7
2.8
0.3
2.5
.489
.866
.418

#2 - The #2 of this team is a toss up between Chris Bosh and Deron Williams. Keep in mind Deron was acquired on a draft day trade for 100 picks!
Deron dropped 25-6-7 on 47/42/87 w. 1.9:2.6 sTOcks ratio
Bosh Dropped 20.5-12 on 46/33/77 w. 2.8:1.6 sTOcks ratio

Given my emphasis on the complete package in this article, i'm going with Chris Bosh. His high rebounding and two way ability really propelled this team and his high scoring and nearly 1.5 TOs are in the elite of the elite. Regarding Monta vs Bosh were going Monta Ellis again

Suns - 2017 - Boban - A title 20+ years in the making, no one wanted to see the Sun shining on the league more than tyler. A Kid hard nosed about not tanking and winning the hard way (aka without a top pick) wins his title! With a top pick on the bench no less. The 4th interior offense weve seen win the cup, this one was especially well built with Livingston, Boban, Jokic, Dwight, Wright, and many others. This team was talented and deep and they took like 3 road game 7s to the face.



Boban Marjanovic
C
75
35.6
28.9
12.2
1.3
0.7
1.3
2.0
.510
.893
.360


#2 - I'm going hard lock on Shaun livingston. It should be Nikola Jokic, but how #2 can a guy be when his GM benches him literally every game 7 he plays in? Nah fuck that noise.



Shaun Livingston
PG
32
6'7''
192
A-
C+
A
A-
C
D


PG
77
38.7
17.5
5.9
12.2
1.9
0.2
2.1
.463
.927
.182


Shaun has been on this article twice now, and he finally gets his crown! He was an excellent interior guard who won an MVP on his rookie contract. Now with 2 rings on his hand, many are wondering if hes on a freight train towards the HOF office when he finally hangs it up. In regards to the finally comparison of whose the greatest number two, Ladies and BitchBois… I present




CLINTS PRIDE AND JOY MONTA ELLIS

This man was a two way superstar with elite splits, high rebounding, and low turnovers. He wasn't the best player in this article (see Poop or Parker), but somehow he runs away with the crown due to his sheer swagger and inability to use a computer.

Thanks for reading! flame me in the comments below.

[Clinton]

CLINTS PRIDE AND JOY MONTA ELLIS

Nuff said, S Tier

[jwoo]

B- for will you please B kind and fix the formatting

[SoNicks]

B- for will you please B kind and fix the formatting

"Isildur!!! Fix your formatting after writing this all weeeeek"

"No cap, im good, For real for real"

[GrundleSauce]

lol they did have cool nicknames. my favorite was Joe "FUCKING" Smith

[Tyler]

this is great work

[Tyler]

If Kidd is considered #1 (which i don't disagree with), I think Sheed is the best Robin in SLN history

[SoNicks]

If Kidd is considered #1 (which i don't disagree with), I think Sheed is the best Robin in SLN history

My day is ruined. I have been working on this article for waaay too long and not once did I think of Batman and robin… the fucking KD award?! it’s the Robin award. How dumb could I be…
Fuck

[pacers]

can confirm that it was in fact a blind taste test with absolutely zero context

[Joe]

Tmac def the #2. He shut down four of the leagues best wings in consecutive series in the playoffs. Chauncey was incredible but was not the lockdown defender that his rating suggested he should be