Caesar and Pompey: 60 – 45 BC

IN A NUTSHELL:

Caesar and Pompey – two of the greatest military leaders in Roman history – had an informal alliance (along with this rich guy named Crassus) towards the end of the Roman Republic. It was called the First Triumvirate. The first Big 3, and together for one cause: helping each other "seek personal advantage." And it worked. Pompey even married Caesar's daughter, Julia. But when Julia died (54 BC), then Crassus died (53 BC), their relationship began to sour, eventually leading to war. Caesar won, and Pompey would later be assassinated after fleeing the defeat.

COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?

Harden wants a title. Westbrook wants a title. And I think they both know that their best chance to get one is by playing with one another, not against each other in Houston and Oklahoma City. THAT is the "personal advantage" they seek.

…Unless Russell views Harden as a key to more triple doubles. Which I doubt. Because if he disrupts the Harden-centric offense, he'll likely leave the Rockets the way Pompey did.

PS: If you liked Game of Thrones, you need to check out Rome on HBO. It covers the Great Roman Civil War between Caesar and Pompei through the eyes of two soldiers who just stumble into some of the most important events in Roman history. It's basically a period themed buddy cop with all the sex and violence of GOT.

Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen: ~700 AD

"PAWL, they weren't REAL."

"Enough with the HBO plugging PAWL, you wannabe Bill Simmons. They aren't going to pay you"

IN A NUTSHELL:

(SPOILER ALERT)

Jon (desperate for soldiers to fight an army of zombies) made a visit to Casa Daenerys asking for help from the self-proclaimed Queen (who somehow has three dragons for children). In classic Cocky Dany fashion, the Mad Queen imprisons Jon until he decides to bend the knee and recognize her as Queen. Speaking of bending, some more bending goes on (hehe), and these two become lovers even though Daenerys is actually Jon's Aunt. Together they defeat the army of the dead, and team up to win Dany control over all the land. Unfortunately, Dany got upset that her best friend died and murders 500,000 people on a whim. Classic. So, Jon makes out with her and stabs her to death while doing it. This actually happened like 1000 or so years ago!

COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?

I can confirm this: James Harden will not stab Russell Westbrook to death while making out with him. Also, I can confirm the vice versa. But I do know that ole Russ could easily do the equivalent of murdering 500,000 innocents come playoff time: a patented 8-24 game from the field with 9 turnovers. For this partnership to work, Russell will need to bend the knee to James when they're both on the court.

Isabella and Ferdinand: 1469 – 1504 AD

IN A NUTSHELL:

Their marriage unified the Spanish Kingdoms of Castile and Leon, and ultimately established Spain as a dominant Global Power. Over their reign, they:

• Funded Christopher Columbus' discovery of America
• Defeated the Moors and ended Muslim rule in Spain
• Forced all the Jews and Muslims out of their country
• Tortured / killed everyone who didn't convert to Catholicism in the Spanish Inquisition.

What a lovely couple! Basically, these two could and would ruin you.

COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?

THIS would be the best-case scenario for the Harden and Westbrook (minus those invading / persecuting / torturing things): a whole lot of conquering over a long period of time. I'd be shocked if their partnership pays off that way, but I won't rule the possibility ENTIRELY out.

USA and the Soviet Union: 1941 – 1945

IN A NUTSHELL:

They hated each other. But for 4 years, they hated Nazis more.

The US delivered $11 Billion in materials (17.5 million tons in weight) to the Soviets as part of the American Lend-Lease program during World War 2. And the Soviets – who bore the brunt of what they call the "Great Patriotic War" (~27 million combined citizens and soldier deaths) – held the Eastern front, eventually over-powering ~200 German divisions. The two combined to crush Germany, and Russia ultimately helped speed up the unconditional surrender of Japan by invading Manchuria.

But afterwards? A nearly 45 year passive aggressive "Cold War".

COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?

Yeah. It's how I see this playing out. Minus taking down NBA Nazis. Those don't exist.

I can see Harden and Westbrook winning A LOT of regular season games. I can see Rockets fans talking themselves into a title run because of those regular season wins. Hell, I could even see the Rockets beating up on the NBA's star-less peasant teams and sporting the league's best record heading into the playoffs.

But do we really believe that these two super-powers can co-exist when the regular season war is over? Can their ball dominance overcome fatigue? When Mike D'Antoni shrinks his rotations, and Harden and Westbrook are on the court together 40+ minutes a game, will they actually complement each other? Can a team led by two elite guards beat teams with superstar wings? I'm having a hard time seeing any of those working out. And I could easily see Harden and Westbrook getting extremely frustrated with each other's play.

Paul Gallant hosts the "Gallant Says" podcast (Mondays & Fridays on iTunes), "Just Sayin'", Fridays on Kube 57, and contributes to SB Nation Radio. Have any questions? Get after him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.