Strolling down the NBA memory lane (at least since 1980), we see that, although unforgettable individual players have brought their teams within reach of the brass ring, ultimately it is teams that win that June prize.  Even Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippen aboard before clinching the ultimate win.  So what kind of combination creates championship teams?

It seems that one winning combination is the presence of a post player, typically a center or power forward, combined with a perimeter player, typically a guard.  Notable examples of such winning teams include: the Showtime Lakers, who had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center and Magic Johnson at guard; the San Antonio Spurs, who have Tim Duncan at power forward, and Tony Parker at point for three of their four championships (for his first title run, Duncan had Avery Johnson, a veteran point guard, but co-Twin Tower David Robinson was a bigger factor in the lockout shortened season); the 2005-06 Miami Heat, with Shaquille O’Neal at center and Dwyane Wade at shooting guard; the Lakers three-peat of 2000-02 featuring O’Neal and Kobe Bryant; the 2007-08 Boston Celtics, with an All-Star forward in Kevin Garnett and both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce at the guard position, with Pierce also capable of playing up as a small forward to allow the team to play with all three All-Stars at once; and, as a slight reversal of the Boston formula, the 2008-09 Lakers, who fielded an All-Star one-two punch with Bryant at guard, and Pau Gasol at power forward or center, supplemented by potential All-Stars in both roles (Bynum at center, Odom at power forward).  Even the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, a head-scratcher of an NBA champion, arguably fir the formula, with big men Ben and Rasheed Wallace, and your choice of Chauncey Billups or Richard Hamilton at guard.

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