Eric Gonzalez believes Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would render Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony scoreless in a hypothetical 2v2.
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The 4 greatest isolation scorers since the turn of the century could be chalked up to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson. Kobe Bryant of course, is just as good at the them, if not better during the 2000s. Fate would have it that the aforementioned 4-some would actually form duos in two separate decades.
Allen Iverson would team up with Carmelo Anthony in the summer of 2006 on the Denver Nuggets in one of the most lopsided trades in recent history. The two would make a formidable scoring duo, reaching the postseason in all 3 seasons they were together, with ‘09 being their last stint as a duo, losing to Kobe in the WCF.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving teamed up in the summer of 2019 on the Brooklyn Nets after speculation of them moving in the offseason together brewing during the 2019 ASG. The two have only played in the postseason together once and lost in the ECSF against the eventual champion Bucks.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving vs Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson.
Ball Don’t Stop, an account that focuses primarily on ‘real hoopers’, posed a question about a hypothetical 2v2. They asked, ‘Who would win in a 2v2? Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson’
Eddie Gonzalez, KD’s podcast co-host, chimed in and said that if Durant and Irving start with the ball, they might never give the Nuggets duo the ball back.
This is quite the hypothetical as there are several to be considered. Is it winner’s ball? Is there a limit on dribbles? Do 3s count as much as 2s? Is hand-checking allowed since AI played 8 seasons in an era where hand0checking was allowed?
Gonzalez is proposing that if it is winner’s ball and KD and Kyrie get the ball first, they’ll go on an 11-0 run (assuming the target is 11). So, to combat his argument, the simple question to ask is, would AI and Melo do the exact same if given the ball first?
