NCAA Football Predictions - 1 Sep thru 6 Sep

 Upset picks are in italics.

Wednesday

UAB vs. Jacksonville State - Blazers by 24

Thursday

Temple at Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 14

Citadel at (22) Coastal Carolina - Chanticleers by 34.5

Long Island at FIU - Golden Panthers by 2.5

Boise State at UCF - Knights by 2.5

Western Illinois at Ball State - Cardinals by 36

Wagner at Buffalo - Bulls by 35

Weber State at (24) Utah - Utes by 32

South Florida at NC State - Wolfpack by 21.5

East Carolina vs. Appalachian State - Mountaineers by 16

UC Davis at Tulsa - Golden Hurricane by 25.5

(4) Ohio State at Minnesota - Buckeyes by 20

Bowling Green at Tennessee - Volunteers by 23.5

UT Martin at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 14.5

Houston Baptist at New Mexico - Lobos by 12

Eastern Washington at UNLV - Rebels by 1

Southern Utah at (25) Arizona State - Sun Devils by 35

Friday

(10) North Carolina at Virginia Tech - Tar Heels by 5

Duke at Charlotte - 49ers by 3

Old Dominion at Wake Forest - Demon Deacons by 29

St. Francis (PA) at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 22.5

South Dakota at Kansas - Jayhawks by 14.5

Michigan State at Northwestern - Wildcats by 15.5

Northern Colorado at Colorado - Buffaloes by 27.5

South Dakota State at Colorado State - Rams by 11.5

Saturday

Tulane at (2) Oklahoma - Sooners by 24.5

(19) Penn State at (12) Wisconsin - Badgers by 5

UL Monroe at Kentucky - Wildcats by 22

Colgate at Boston College - Eagles by 29

Western Michigan at Michigan - Broncos by 10

Holy Cross at UConn - Crusaders by 7.5

Stanford at Kansas State - Cardinal by 5

Army at Georgia State - Panthers by 6.5

Fordham at Nebraska - Cornhuskers by 18.5

Fresno State at (11) Oregon - Ducks by 17.5

Rice at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 6

Lafayette at Air Force - Falcons by 24

(1) Alabama vs. (14) Miami - Crimson Tide by 32

Miami (OH) at (8) Cincinnati - Bearcats by 6

(17) Indiana at (18) Iowa - Hawkeyes by 6.5

Marshall at Navy - Thundering Herd by 9.5

West Virginia at Maryland - Mountaineers by 16

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State - MSU Bulldogs by 13.5

Central Michigan at Missouri - Chippewas by 7.5

UMass at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 32.5

Montana State at Wyoming - Cowboys by 18

Northern Iowa at (7) Iowa State - Cyclones by 48

(23) Louisiana at (21) Texas - Longhorns by 18

San Jose State at (15) USC - Trojans by 11

Campbell at Liberty - Flames by 22.5

Gardner-Webb at Georgia Southern - Eagles by 26.5

Akron at Auburn - Tigers by 24.5

Eastern Illinois at South Carolina - Gamecocks by 9.5

Monmouth at Middle Tennessee - Blue Raiders by 10

Syracuse at Ohio - Bobcats by 15.5

Oregon State at Purdue - Beavers by 5

Texas Tech vs. Houston - Red Raiders by 9.5

Missouri State at Oklahoma State - Cowboys by 33.5

Baylor at Texas State - Bears by 10.5

Nicholls at Memphis - Tigers by 17

Abilene Christian at SMU - Mustangs by 16

Norfolk State at Toledo - Rockets by 30.5

Central Arkansas at Arkansas State - Red Wolves by 14

Southern at Troy - Trojans by 23.5

(5) Georgia vs. (3) Clemson - Tigers by 10.5

FAU at (13) Florida - Gators by 24

Northwestern State at North Texas - Mean Green by 5.5

UTSA at Illinois - Illini by 3.5

Northern Illinois at Georgia Tech - Yellowjackets by 2

William & Mary at Virginia - Cavaliers by 29.5

Kent State at (6) Texas A&M - Aggies by 19.5

Montana at (20) Washington - Huskies by 34

East Tennessee State at Vanderbilt - Commodores by 8

Southern Miss at South Alabama - Jaguars by 2.5

Duquesne at TCU - Horned Frogs by 36

(16) LSU at UCLA - Bruins by 4.5

Bethune-Cookman at UTEP - Wildcats by 1

Nevada at California - Bears by 8.5

BYU vs. Arizona - Cougars by 19.5

New Mexico State at San Diego State - Aztecs by 29.5

Utah State at Washington State - Cougars by 7.5

Portland State at Hawaii - Warriors by 13.5

Sunday

(9) Notre Dame at Florida State - Irish by 22.5

Monday

Louisville vs. Ole Miss - Rebels by 1.5

Results

NCAA: 3-2 (.600)

Upsets: 0-1 (.000)

Top 100 NBA Players: #61 - Sam Jones

Sam Jones

Teams

Boston Celtics - 1957-69

Playoffs

Appearances - 12 (1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969)

Conference Finals - 12 (1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969)

NBA Finals - 11 (1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1968,1969)

Championships - 10 (1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1968,1969)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 0 (1965)

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (1965,1966,1967)

Hall of Fame - 1984

All-Time Ranks

none

League Leads

Points Per Game (#5-1965,1966)

Total Points (#4-1965)

Free Throw Percentage (#5-1967)

Sam Jones played 3 seasons for North Carolina Central before leaving school to join the Army. After his 2 years of military service were completed, he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 8th round of the NBA Draft, but he decided to return to school for his senior season. After averaging 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds as a shooting guard, Jones was drafted again, this time in the first round by the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Jones was initially pessimistic about his chances of making the team, who featured star guards Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, and had planned to take a teaching job instead, but when they turned down his request for a higher salary, he decided to try out in Boston. The team was impressed by his hustle and made room for him on the roster.

Jones hardly played as a rookie, averaging only 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds, and the team lost in the NBA Finals, one of only 2 times in Jones' career that he would fail to win a title. His role slowly increased each year, until he finally broke into the starting lineup in his 4th season when Sharman went down with an injury, and he never gave the starting spot back.

In 1961-62, he was named to his first All-Star team after averaging 18.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, and he earned his nickname "Mr. Clutch" in the playoffs. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he hit the series-winning shot over Wilt Chamberlain with 2 seconds left to send the Celtics back to the NBA Finals again, and in Game 7 of the Finals, he scored 5 of the team's 10 points in overtime to clinch another title. 

He continued to get better and better, reaching his peak in 1964-65, when he scored 25.9 points per game, #4 in the league and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, though I would have put him on the First Team that year. He also had his best playoff run that season, averaging 28.6 points while helping lead the Celtics to their 7th championship in a row.

Jones averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the next 3 seasons and picked up 2 more championships as well. In his final season, Jones again came up clutch in the Finals, when he hit the game-winning shot in Game 4 to tie the series at 2 games apiece, which prevented them from having to play on the road down 3-1, and they went on to win the championship again, #10 for Jones, after which both Jones and Russell retired.

Sam Jones reach the Conference Finals in every single season of his career, missed the NBA Finals only once, and won 10 total championships in 12 seasons, second only to his teammate, Bill Russell, in NBA history, because Russell joined the team a year earlier. Jones was the leading scorer on 3 of the Celtics' title teams, and was one of the best players in the league for several years late in his career, but the biggest reason he is on the list of the all-time greats is the way he always stepped up in the playoffs.

Top 100 NBA Players: #62 - Bob McAdoo

Bob McAdoo

Teams

Buffalo Braves - 1972-76

New York Knicks - 1976-79

Boston Celtics - 1979

Detroit Pistons - 1979-81

New Jersey Nets - 1981

Los Angeles Lakers - 1981-85

Philadelphia 76ers - 1986

Playoffs

Appearances - 9 (1974,1975,1976,1978,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986)

Conference Finals - 4 (1982,1983,1984,1985)

NBA Finals - (1982,1983,1984,1985)

Championships - 2 (1982,1985)

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1973

MVP - 1 (1975)

All-NBA First Team - 1 (1974,1975,1976,1978)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1974,1977)

Hall of Fame - 2000

All-Time Ranks

Points Per Game - #36

Total Blocks - #68

Total Points - #70

Blocks Per Game - #70

Total Rebounds - #81

Rebounds Per Game - #82

League Leads

Points Per Game (#1-1974,1975,1976, #3-1978, #4-1979, #5-1977)

Total Points (#1-1974,1975,1976, #3-1978)

Rebounds Per Game (#3-1974, #4-1975, #5-1977)

Total Rebounds (#1-1975, #4-1974)

Total Blocks (#4-1974, #5-1975)

Field Goal Percentage (#1-1974, #5-1975)

Blocks Per Game (#3-1974)

After playing two seasons in junior college, Bob McAdoo transferred to North Carolina, where he averaged 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds and helped guide the team to the Final Four. After that great junior season, he entered the draft, where he was the #1 overall pick in the ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires, and the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves, where he decided to sign.

McAdoo averaged 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds as a rookie, easily winning the Rookie of the Year award, but his team was terrible. The next year, he became a superstar overnight, leading the league with 30.6 points per game and a .547 field goal percentage, and grabbed 15.1 rebounds per game while blocking 3.3 shots per game, yet was somehow only named to the All-NBA Second Team. It is the last time so far that a player has averaged 30 points and 15 rebounds for a full season.

In his third season, he led the league in scoring again, with a career-high of 34.5 per game, to go with 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, and was named the MVP of the league, earning his one and only All-NBA First Team honor as well. He averaged 37.4 points in the playoffs, but his team lost in 7 games in the first round.

He finished the 1976 season leading the league in scoring for the third straight season, notching 31.1 per game to go along with 12.1 rebounds, but was left off the All-NBA teams completely. He did, however, lead the Braves to a playoff series win for the first time in his career, though they would fall in the second round.

20 games into the next season, McAdoo was only scoring 23.7 per game, and the Braves decided to ship him across the state to the Knicks. In his first full season with the Knicks, he averaged 26.5 points and 12.8 rebounds, but the Knicks fell in the second round of the playoffs, which was the furthest McAdoo would ever advance during his superstar years.

He was playing just as well the next season when the Knicks decided to trade him to the Boston Celtics, who were in a rebuilding year and had a crowded frontcourt, making it hard to find enough playing time to keep McAdoo happy. After the season he was traded again, this time to the Detroit Pistons.

He averaged 21.1 points in his first season in Detroit, but after playing just 6 games in 1980-81, he was injured, missing several months. When he told the coach that he was healthy and wanted to play again, the coach disagreed, and McAdoo left the team and was waived within the month. He signed with the Nets to finish the season, but was given very little playing time. 

The Nets did not play him at all through the first 2 months of the next season, and he was finally mercifully traded to the Lakers, where he took on a reserve role on one of the most talented teams in history. He averaged only 9.6 points during the regular season, but increased that to 16.7 per game in the playoffs on the way to his first championship. 

His role with the team increased over the next couple of years, with scoring averages of 15.0 and 13.1 points in those 2 seasons, but both ended with losses in the NBA Finals. In 1984-85, after averaging 10.5 in the regular season, he scored 11.4 in the playoffs while winning another title, though this time in a much smaller role than before.

The Lakers did not offer him a contract after that season, but he was able to catch on with the 76ers for the end of the following season for his final NBA action. He played another 7 years of professional basketball in Italy, winning multiple championships before hanging it up for good in 1992 at age 41.

McAdoo had a very quick rise, but his decline happened almost as quickly. He won a well-deserved MVP and 3 impressive scoring titles early in his career, but was never able to translate it into postseason success. Once he caught on with the right team late in his career, he was able to finally contribute to a couple of championships, though in a reduced role. But no matter how you look at it, McAdoo is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #63 - Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard 

Teams

Portland Trail Blazers - 2012-current

Playoffs

Appearances - 8 (2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 1 (2019)

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 2013

All-NBA First Team - 1 (2018,2019)

All-NBA Second Team - 4 (2016,2018,2019,2020,2021)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2014,2017)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Free Throw Percentage - #7

Three-Pointers Made - #10

Points Per Game - #16

Assists Per Game - #37

Total Assists - #91

League Leads

Three Pointers Made (#3-2014,2020,2021, #4-2016, #5-2013)

Total Points (#2-2020,2021, #5-2015,2016,2019)

Points Per Game (#3-2020,2021, #4-2018)

Free Throw Percentage (#2-2021, #3-2018,2019)

Total Assists (#5-2020)

Assists Per Game (#5-2020)

Damian Lillard was the second-leading scorer in the nation as a junior at Weber State, and was rated by many as the top college point guard that year, so he left school a year early to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected #6 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lillard was a great player from day one. In his first pro game, he scored 23 points and had 11 assists, becoming the third player ever to have at least 20 points and 10 assists in their debut game, joining Oscar Robertson and Allen Iverson. He finished the season averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists, and was the 4th player ever to be voted Rookie of the Year unanimously, after Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, and Blake Griffin.

Lillard averaged just over 20 points per game in each of the next 2 seasons, and was selected to the All-Star team both times, before elevating his game to superstar level in 2015-16, dropping 25.1 points per game and being named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time. He has scored at least 25 points per game in each season since then, a streak that currently stands at 6 in a row.

After making the All-NBA First Team for the first time in 2017-18, Lillard was finally able to lead a deep playoff run the next year. He had previously led Portland to the second round twice, but in 2019 he led them to the Conference Finals, highlighted by a buzzer beater in the first round to cap off a 50-point performance. He suffered a rib injury in the Conference Finals, but continued to play through it, but it affected him enough that they lost the series to Golden State.

In 2019-20, Lillard pushed his scoring average up to 30 points per game for the first time, and also had 3 separate 60-point games on the season, becoming the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to achieve the feat. He was named the Player of the Seeding Games in the Orlando bubble, but Portland still fell in the first round of the playoffs despite his heroics.

Lillard was his usual great self last year, scoring 28.8 points per game to go with 7.5 assists, and he even had a playoff career-high 55 points in Game 5 against Denver, but his Trail Blazers lost in the first round for the 4th time in the past 5 seasons. 

Lillard is one of the best shooters and scorers in the game today. In just 9 seasons he has already vaulted to #10 on the all-time list of 3-pointers made, and his career free throw average of .893 in the seventh-best of all time. He is also an underrated passer, averaging at least 5.5 assists in each of his 9 seasons, with a high of 8.0 in 2020. He hasn't been able to win a championship yet, but he is still just 31 years old, and with as much talent as he has, he will put his team in contention for years to come.

Top 100 NBA Players: #64 - Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace

Teams

Washington Bullets/Wizards - 1996-99

Orlando Magic - 1999-00

Detroit Pistons - 2000-06, 2009-12

Chicago Bulls - 2006-08

Cleveland Cavaliers - 2008-09

Playoffs

Appearances - 8 (2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009)

Conference Finals - 5 (2003,2004,2005,2006,2009)

NBA Finals - 2 (2004,2005)

Championships - 1 (2004)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (2003,2004,2006)

All-NBA Third Team - 2 (2002,2003,2005,2006)

Defensive Player of the Year - 4 (2002,2003,2005,2006)

Finals MVP - 0 (2004)

Hall of Fame - 2021

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Blocks - #16

Blocks Per Game - #25

Total Rebounds - #37

Total Steals - #65

Rebounds Per Game - #75

League Leads

Total Rebounds (#1-2001,2003, #2-2002,2004, #3-2005, #4-2006)

Rebounds Per Game (#1-2002,2003, #3-2001,2005, #3-2004, #4-2006)

Total Blocks (#1-2002, #2-2004,2005, #3-2003, #5-2006)

Blocks Per Game (#1-2002, #2-2003,2004, #5-2005)

Ben Wallace played two seasons of college basketball at a junior college, then transferred to Virginia Union, a Division II school, where he averaged 13.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game, and helped his team reach the Division II Final Four, but he was not drafted by any NBA team in the 1996 Draft.

Wallace was able to sign as a free agent with the Washington Bullets, where he hardly played during his first two seasons, but in his third year he averaged 6.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game off the bench, and he started to be recognized as a defensive threat.

After 3 years in Washington, he was traded to Orlando, where he would get his first opportunity to be a full-time starter, though he was still only on the court for 24 minutes per game. After the season, Orlando traded him as part of a package to Detroit for Grant Hill, a trade that turned out better for the Pistons than the Magic, surprisingly.

In his first season in Detroit, he led the league in total rebounds, and the next year, he led the league in rebounding with 13 per game, blocks with 3.5 per game, and won the Defensive Player of the Year award. He also got to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career, helping the Pistons to the second round, where they fell to the Celtics.

2002-03 was Wallace's best regular season of his career. He still wasn't a big scorer, with only 6.9 points per game, but he led the league with 15.4 rebounds per game, and blocked 3.2 shots per game, which earned him his second straight DPOY. In the playoffs, the Pistons went one step further than the year before, reaching the Conference Finals before falling to the Nets, even with Wallace averaging 16.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs.

The next year, Wallace increased his scoring to 9.5 per game, and still grabbed 12.4 boards per game, and the Pistons were able to fight their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs to reach their first NBA Finals in 14 years, where they faced the heavily-favored Lakers. The Pistons would go on to surprise everyone by winning the championship in 5 games, with Wallace putting up 18 points and 22 rebounds in the deciding game. Chauncey Billups was named the Finals MVP, but Wallace probably should have won it, especially after his dominant Game 5 performance against Shaq.

Wallace followed up the championship season with another of his best, setting his career high with 9.7 points per game, to go along with 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, which earned him his third DPOY award. The Pistons again made it through the Eastern Conference playoffs, this time to face the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals, but Tim Duncan was too much, and the Pistons lost in 7 games.

Wallace again took home the DPOY award in 2006, becoming only the second player to win it 4 times, joining Dikembe Mutombo, and the Pistons made it to the Conference Finals for the 4th year in a row, but this time they weren't able to reach the NBA Finals, falling instead to the Miami Heat, with Wallace sitting out the 4th quarter of the deciding game after an altercation with his coach.

The relationship was not able to be fixed, and Wallace left Detroit after the season to sign with Chicago as a free agent. Wallace played nearly 2 seasons with the Bulls, but saw his numbers drop due to knee issues, though he didn't miss many games. He was trade to Cleveland late in 2008, and he was able to reach one more Conference Final series with them, though he was not the star he had been in Detroit.

After a year and a half with Cleveland, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Shaq, and was immediately released. He went back to Detroit to finish out his career, playing 3 more seasons with the Pistons, though at a much lower level than in his previous stint with the team.

Wallace is a very unique player. He is the only player on this list to never average 10 points per game in a single season, and the only player on this list who was never drafted by an NBA team since the draft began. He won 4 DPOY awards, the most of any player ever, and led the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season, one of only 5 players to ever do that. Add in a championship where he was probably the best player, and 3 other deep playoff runs during his prime, and you have a player who belong on the list of the greatest players of all time.

College Football Predictions - 28 Aug

Upset picks are in italics.

Nebraska at Illinois - Cornhuskers by 4

UConn at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 18.5

Hawai'i at UCLA - Bruins by 22

UTEP at New Mexico State - Aggies by 5.5

Southern Utah at San Jose State - Spartans by 25

Top 100 NBA Players: #65 - Deron Williams

 

Deron Williams

Teams

Utah Jazz - 2005-11

New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets - 2011-15

Dallas Mavericks - 2015-17

Cleveland Cavaliers - 2017

Playoffs

Appearances - 9 (2007,2008,2009,2010,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017)

Conference Finals - 2 (2007,2017)

NBA Finals - 1 (2017)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 0 (2008,2010)

All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2008,2009,2010,2012,2013)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Assists Per Game - #14

Total Assists - #22

Three-Pointers Made - #78

League Leads

Total Assists (#2-2007,2009,2010, #3-2008, #5-2011,2012,2013)

Assists Per Game (#2-2007,2009, #3-2008,2010,2011, #5-2012,2013)

Deron Williams did not have big stats in college at Illinois, putting up 12.5 points and 6.8 assists per game as a junior at Illinois, but after leading the Illini to the national championship game, he drew big notice from the NBA, and ended up being drafted #3 overall by the Utah Jazz.

Williams was good as a rookie, averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds, which earned him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team, but he made a huge leap in his second year, averaging 16.2 points and 9.3 assists, finishing behind only Steve Nash in assists. He would finish in the top 5 in assists in 7 straight seasons starting from that point, though he never took the top spot.

In the playoffs that year, Williams led the Jazz all the way to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1998, and he averaged 25.8 points per game in that series against the Spurs, but it wasn't enough to take down the perennial contenders, who beat Utah in 5 games.

In his third season, Williams was named to the All-NBA Second Team after averaging 18.8 points and 10.5 assists, but wasn't named to the All-Star Team because of the depth at the point guard position in the Western Conference. Despite another very strong playoff performance, Williams and the Jazz fell in the second round in 2008.

The next year, Williams missed 13 games with an ankle injury, the first of many nagging injuries that would eventually force him from the league. He still played at a high level when he got healthy, with 19.4 points and a career-high 10.7 assists per game on the season.

Williams was finally selected as an All-Star for the first time in 2010, something he had deserved for several years, but Utah couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs again. Midway through the following season, shortly after coach Jerry Sloan retired, Williams was traded to New Jersey. 

He didn't score as much with the Nets that year, but he averaged 12.8 assists per game for the team before he was forced to have surgery on his right wrist, which ended his season prematurely. When he came back fully healthy the next year, he averaged a career high with 21 points per game, but the Nets missed the playoffs after Brook Lopez missed most of the season with foot and ankle injuries.

Williams started to have problems with his ankles again the next year, but he played through it, and had another really good season, but it would be his final season playing at a star level. He did get the Nets to the playoffs, but they fell in the first round, even with Williams averaging over 20 points per game in the series, the final time he would do that.

Over the next couple years, Williams missed time with several injuries to his ankles, calf, and ribs, and it started to affect his production to the point that the Nets released him in 2015. He signed with the Mavericks, where his injury issues followed him, with an abdominal strain forcing him out of the playoffs early in the first game.

Williams was released by the Mavericks midway through the next season, and he signed with Cleveland to try to win a championship. Williams only averaged 7.5 points during his time with the Cavaliers, and came off the bench in most games, but the team did reach the NBA Finals, the only time he would get there in his career. After Williams averaged only 1 point per game in the Finals, he was forced to retire earlier than he wanted to.

Even though Williams retired much earlier than expected, he had a long peak of 7 years where he was among the best players in the league, as he was near the top of the league in assists consistently and averaged between 16 and 21 points every season. He was the best player on a Conference Finalist, and always played better in the playoffs through his first 8 seasons, and he deserves to be remembered as one of the best players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #66 - Maurice Cheeks

 

Maurice Cheeks

Teams

Philadelphia 76ers - 1978-89

San Antonio Spurs - 1989-90

New York Knicks - 1990-91

Atlanta Hawks - 1991-92

New Jersey Nets - 1993

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1989,1990,1991,1993)

Conference Finals - 5 (1980,1981,1982,1983,1985)

NBA Finals - 3 (1980,1982,1983)

Championships - 1 (1983)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA Second Team - 0 (1986)

Hall of Fame - 2018

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Steals - #6

Steals Per Game - #11

Total Assists - #15

Assists Per Game - #33

Field Goal Percentage - #64

League Leads

Total Steals (#2-1982,1986, #3-1981, #5-1979,1983,1984)

Steals Per Game (#2-1982, #3-1987, #4-1981,1984,1986)

Total Assists (#3-1982, #4-1986)

Assists Per Game (#3-1982, #5-1986)

Maurice Cheeks averaged 16.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists as a senior at West Texas A&M, a Division II school that most people have never heard of, but he played well enough to be noticed by the Philadelphia 76ers, who drafted him in the second round of the 1978 NBA Draft.

Cheeks became the starting point guard for Philly immediately, starting every game of his rookie season while averaging 8.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, and in the playoffs he set an all-time record by averaging 4.1 steals per game in the postseason. He would go on to average at least 2 steals per game in each of his first 10 seasons, and at least 5 assists per game in each of his first 13 seasons.

The next season, the 76ers, led by Julius Erving, would reach the NBA Finals, but would ultimately fall to Kareem, Magic, and the Lakers in 6 games. They fell just short of that the next year, losing in the Conference Finals to the Celtics, but made it back to the Finals in 1982, where they again fell to the Lakers in 6 games.

The next year is when both Philadelphia and Cheeks got over the hump. Cheeks was named to the All-Defensive Team for the first of 5 straight seasons and made his first All-Star team, and the 76ers won 65 regular season games after trading for Moses Malone, then stampeded through the playoffs, losing only 1 game on the way to a championship, a feat that has only been matched twice since.

Cheeks got better statistically in each of the next few seasons, raising his scoring average each year until it peaked at 15.6 in 1987, while his assist average reached 9.2 in 1986. Despite his increased level of play, the 76ers fortunes started to slip, with one more Conference Finals appearance in 1985, the last deep playoff run of Cheeks' career.

After the 1989 season, as he started to show signs of age, the 76ers traded Cheeks to the San Antonio Spurs, and he spent the next few years being traded around, playing short stints for the Knicks, Hawks, and Nets as well before retiring in 1993.

When Cheeks retired, he was the league's all-time leader in steals, though he has since fallen to #6, and he was #5 in assists when he hung it up, and is still at #15. Cheeks was not a big scorer, but he was a great defensive player and distributor, and he was the starting point guard for a 76ers team that made deep playoff runs nearly every year in the early 1980s and won a championship. Even though he was never considered a superstar, he can't be left out of the conversation of the best players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #67 - Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard

Teams

San Antonio Spurs - 2011-18

Toronto Raptors - 2018-19

Los Angeles Clippers - 2019-present

Playoffs

Appearances - 9 (2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2019,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 5 (2012,2013,2014,2017,2019)

NBA Finals - 3 (2013,2014,2019)

Championships - 2 (2014,2019)

Awards and Honors

Finals MVP - 2 (2014,2019)

Defensive Player of the Year - 2 (2015,2016)

All-NBA First Team - 3 (2016,2017,2021)

All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2019,2020)

All-NBA Third Team - 0 (2016,2017,2021)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Steals Per Game - #37

Free Throw Percentage - #50

Points Per Game - #87

League Leads

Total Steals (#5-2015)

Steals Per Game (#1-2015)

Three-Point Percentage (#3-2016)

After averaging 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and leading San Diego State to the Sweet 16 in 2011, Kawhi Leonard was drafted #15 by the Indiana Pacers, then immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a deal for George Hill.

Kawhi established himself early as a defensive stopper, making the All-Defensive Second Team in his third season, which was a big year for him. In the regular season, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, but he increased his scoring to 17.8 per game in the NBA Finals, allowing the Spurs to avenge their loss to Miami the previous season, and he was awarded the Finals MVP for stepping up in the Finals, becoming the third-youngest to ever win the award, behind Magic Johnson twice.

The next season, he averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.3 steals, which helped earn him the Defensive Player of the Year award. That made him only the third player in history to win both a Finals MVP and a DPOY award, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan, which is a pretty good list.

He improved on the offensive side of the ball the next season, increasing his scoring to 21.2 per game, while still keeping up his defensive intensity, and he was again voted the Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named an All-Star starter and a member of the All-NBA First Team that year, both for the first time in his career.

He got even better the next year, increasing his scoring to 25.5 per game, making a repeat appearance on the All-NBA First Team, and leading the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals for the first time as their star player. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle in the second round, then reaggravated it in Game 1 of the Conference Finals, which ended his season and the Spurs' as well.

Leonard missed the beginning of the next season with a quadriceps injury, then made a brief return in December and January, before shutting down for the rest of the season. The Spurs' medical staff believed that he was healthy enough to return, but his personal doctors did not agree, and it ruined his relationship with the team, and he requested a trade after the season.

He was traded to the Toronto Raptors during the offseason, and he picked up right where he left off before his lost season. He set new career highs with 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, and led the Raptors to their first-ever championship. Along the way, he became the first player to ever hit a game-winning buzzer beater in a Game 7, and he won the Finals MVP for the second time, and this time there was no doubt. He scored the third-most points ever in a single playoff run, behind only LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Leonard was a free agent after winning the title, and he elected to return to his hometown, signing with the LA Clippers, and had the best regular season of his career so far, with another career high of 27.1 points. It didn't quite work out in the playoffs, though, with Kawhi playing at a very high level through the first round and most of the second, but he had his worst game in game 7 of the second round, and the Clippers lost to the Nuggets.

Last season, he sat out 20 games and saw his averages drop slightly, but he was excellent when the playoffs rolled around. He was averaging over 30 points per game as he led the Nuggets back from 0-2 deficits in the first and second rounds, but he suffered a partial ACL tear late in Game 4 of the second round, ending his season early, and the Clippers lost in the Conference Finals with Kawhi in street clothes.

Kawhi is one of the youngest players on this list, only 30 years old right now, but he has already accomplished a lot in his career, especially the two DPOY awards and 2 Finals MVP awards, both huge accomplishments. As talented as he is, you have to hope that his body allows him to play at the level he is capable of for many more years, but whether or not that happens, he is already one of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #68 - Alex English

Alex English

Teams

Milwaukee Bucks - 1976-78

Indiana Pacers - 1978-80

Denver Nuggets - 1980-90

Dallas Mavericks - 1990-91

Playoffs

Appearances - 10 (1978,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990)

Conference Finals - 1 (1985)

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 0 (1983)

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987)

Hall of Fame - 1997

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Points - #23

Points Per Game - #41

Total Assists - #99

League Leads

Total Points (#1-1983,1986, #2-1987, #3-1985, #4-1982,1984, #5-1989)

Points Per Game (#1-1983, #3-1986,1987, #4-1982,1984, #5-1985)

Field Goal Percentage (#5-1978)

Alex English was a solid player for 4 years at South Carolina, capped off by a senior season where he averaged 22.6 points and 10.3 rebounds, and he was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he would spend the first two seasons of his career in obscurity, putting up less than 10 points per game in each season.

After those 2 years, he was allowed to leave as a free agent, and he signed on with the Indiana Pacers, where he became a starter and averaged 16 points per game, but after a year and a half, the team traded him to the Denver Nuggets for George McGinnis, who had been a huge star in Indiana during their ABA days.

English became a star very quickly in Denver, averaging 21.3 points per game during the tail end of the 1980 season after he was traded, and he scored at least 20 points per game for the rest of the decade with the Nuggets. He increased his scoring in each of his first 7 seasons, culminating in a scoring title in 1983, when he finished with 28.4 points, just ahead of his teammate, Kiki Vandeweghe, who came in #2 in the league.

After Vandeweghe left the team in 1984, English took on an even bigger role, and it resulted in the deepest playoff run of his career in 1985. He averaged over 30 points per game in the playoffs as the Nuggets beat the Spurs and the Jazz, but after English broke his shooting thumb in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, the Nuggets season was over.

He set his career high in scoring the next year, averaging 29.8 points per game, which put him at #3 behind Dominique Wilkins and Adrian Dantley for the season, but the Nuggets' season ended in the second round. He continued to score big for the Nuggets for the rest of the decade, but they were never able to get past the second round again.

After he averaged only 17.9 points in 1989-90, English was allowed to leave as a free agent. He signed with the Dallas Mavericks, where he scored only 9.7 per game in one season with the team, and he was unable to find a team to take him after that, so his NBA career ended.

English scored more points than any other player in the 1980s, and was the first player ever to score over 2000 points 8 times in a row. Just like the two players before him in this countdown, he won a single scoring title, but never reached the NBA Finals, though English reached the second round 5 times, which was better than the other two, which allows him to sit just ahead of them in this countdown of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #69 - Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony

Teams

Denver Nuggets - 2003-11

New York Knicks - 2011-17

Oklahoma City Thunder - 2017-18

Houston Rockets - 2018

Portland Trail Blazers - 2019-21

Los Angeles Lakers - 2021-present

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2018,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 1 (2009)

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2010,2013)

All-NBA Third Team - 4 (2006,2007,2009,2010,2012,2013)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Points - #12

Points Per Game - #27

Three-Pointers Made - #33

League Leads

Points Per Game (#1-2013, #2-2007,2014, #3-2010,2011, #4-2008)

Total Points (#2-2014, #5-2008,2013)

Carmelo Anthony only played one year of college basketball at Syracuse, averaging 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he led the Orange to their only national championship, setting the freshman tournament scoring record and winning the Most Outstanding Player award along the way, which led to him being picked #3 overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Anthony led all rookies in scoring that year, putting up 21.0 points per game, and led the Nuggets to the playoffs, becoming the first rookie since David Robinson to lead a playoff team in scoring. He was unanimously voted to the All-Rookie Team, but lost the Rookie of the Year award to LeBron James.

Anthony became one of the best scorers in the league over the next few years. In his third year, he averaged 26.5 per game, then set his career high the next year with 28.9 per game, which was #2 in the league that season, behind only Kobe Bryant. He surpassed 25 points per game again the next year, giving him 3 straight years at that level, but the Nuggets fell in the first round of the playoffs in each of those seasons.

In 2008-09, his scoring dipped to 22.8 per game, but the Nuggets had their best season during his time with the team, earning the #2 seed in the West and winning 2 playoff series before falling to the Lakers in the Conference Finals. So far, it is the only Conference Finals Anthony has reached in his career.

The next year, he boosted his scoring back up near the top of the league, dropping 28.2 per game, good for third place, and averaged over 30 points per game in the playoffs for the first time, but the Nuggets fell to the Jazz in the first round. It was reported that Anthony had requested a trade after the season, but it didn't take place until the next season's trade deadline, when he was dealt to the New York Knicks.

His first full season in New York was marred by injuries to most of the team, but with a healthy roster in 2012-13, things somewhat came together. Anthony led the league in scoring with 28.7 per game, and he led the Knicks to their first playoff series win in 13 years, but they fell in the second round to the Pacers, ending their season.

Things fell apart after that in New York. Anthony still put up big scoring numbers, but the Knicks missed the playoffs in each of the next 4 seasons, and in 2017, he requested a trade. He was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged only 16.2 points per game before being traded away after the season in a cost-cutting move.

He signed on with the Houston Rockets for the next season, but the team decided after just 10 games that it wasn't working out, and did not play him for over 2 months before finally trading him away to the Bulls, who immediately released him.

Anthony was not able to find another team during that season, but found a home in Portland for the past couple of seasons, where he played well in a lesser role than before while continuing to climb up the all-time scoring list. Portland lost in the first round in both seasons with Anthony, and he has recently signed with the Lakers in hopes of finally getting over the hump in the playoffs.

Anthony is one of only 5 players in history to score at least 20 points per game in each of their first 14 seasons, joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal on that list. Despite the high scoring numbers, his other stats have all been relatively average for most of his career, and he has only gotten past the first round of the playoffs twice, and to the Conference Finals only once. Still, there is no doubt that a player this talented can't be left off the list of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #70 - Dominique Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins

Teams

Atlanta Hawks - 1982-94

Los Angeles Clippers - 1994

Boston Celtics - 1994-95

San Antonio Spurs - 1996-97

Orlando Magic - 1999

Playoffs

Appearances - 10 (1983,1984,1986,1987,1988,1989,1991,1993,1995,1999)

Conference Finals - 0

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 1 (1986)

All-NBA Second Team - 4 (1987,1988,1991,1993)

All-NBA Third Team - 2 (1989,1991,1993,1994)

Hall of Fame - 2006

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Points Per Game - #14

Total Points - #16

Total Steals - #64

League Leads

Total Points (#2-1986,1988, #3-1987, #4-1985,1993, #5-1990,1991)

Points Per Game (#1-1986, #2-1987,1988,1993, #4-1994, #5-1990)

Dominique Wilkins was the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore at Georgia, then left school after his junior year to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 3rd overall pick. Wilkins refused to play for Utah, so he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for 2 players and cash.

Wilkins averaged 17.5 points per game as a rookie while starting every game, then bumped it up to 21.6 during his second season. In 1985, he finished sixth in the league in scoring with 27.4 points per game, and won the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend, living up to his nickname, "The Human Highlight Film."

He became a true superstar the next season, when he led the league in scoring at 30.3 per game, along with 7.9 rebounds, his first All-Star appearance, and a spot on the All-NBA First Team. He also led the Hawks past the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, but they fell to the Celtics in 5 games in the second round.

Wilkins finished second to Michael Jordan in scoring in each of the next 2 seasons, even when he averaged a career-high 30.7 in 1988, but the Hawks lost in the second round of the playoffs both times. In 1988, the Hawks pushed the Celtics to 7 games, and Game 7 featured Wilkins and Larry Bird scoring back and forth throughout the 4th quarter, with the Celtics eventually winning by 2. It would be the closest Wilkins ever got to a championship.

His scoring dipped a little over the next 3 years, down to around 26 per game, and the Hawks either missed the playoffs or fell in the first round each year. In 1991-92, he was having a small resurgence when he tore his Achilles, ending his season with the first and only major injury of his career.

He made a strong comeback the next year, averaging 29.9 points per game, to come in second in scoring for the third time, once again coming in behind Michael Jordan. He also got Atlanta back to the playoffs, but they lost in the first round to the Bulls in his only career matchup against Jordan in the playoffs.

The next season, Wilkins had Atlanta in first place in the East as the trade deadline approached, and the Hawks made a surprising move by trading him away to the Clippers for Danny Manning. It is still the only time in history that a first-place team has traded their leading scorer at the deadline. He averaged 29.1 points per game during his time in LA, raising his season average up to 26.0, and earning himself a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, the 7th time in 9 years he would be voted to one of the teams.

Wilkins signed as a free agent with Boston after the season, but the team was not good and Wilkins struggled, scoring less than 20 per game for the first time since he was a rookie, and he decided to leave the NBA to play in Greece. After one very successful season in Europe, he returned to the NBA to play for the Spurs, and he led them in scoring while coming off the bench during the season David Robinson was out with an injury.

After one season in San Antonio, he left again to play in Italy, then made one final return to the NBA, to play alongside his brother Gerald in Orlando. He averaged only 5 points in 9 minutes per game, then retired from the game for good.

Wilkins was one of the best scorers the league has seen, putting up 10 straight seasons of at least 25 points per game and winning a scoring title. He was also a decent rebounder, averaging 6-7 per game for most of his career, but he was never able to break through in the playoffs. It didn't help that he never played with another star in his prime, the closest thing being a couple of seasons with late-career Moses Malone, but Wilkins is definitely one of the greatest players of all time, and the greatest player never to reach the Conference Finals.

Top 100 NBA Players: #71 - Sam Cassell

Sam Cassell

Teams

Houston Rockets - 1993-96

Phoenix Suns - 1996

Dallas Mavericks - 1996-97

New Jersey Nets - 1997-99

Milwaukee Bucks - 1999-03

Minnesota Timberwolves - 2003-05

Los Angeles Clippers - 2005-08

Boston Celtics - 2008

Playoffs

Appearances - 11 (1994,1995,1996,1998,1999,2000,2001,2003,2004,2006,2008)

Conference Finals - 5 (1994,1995,2001,2004,2008)

NBA Finals - 3 (1994,1995,2008)

Championships - 3 (1994,1995,2008)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 0 (2004)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1998,2000,2004)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Assists - #39

Free Throw Percentage - #47

Assists Per Game - #65

League Leads

Total Assists (#2-2000, #4-2004)

Assists Per Game (#3-2000, #5-2004)

Sam Cassell was an 18-point-per-game scorer in his 2 seasons at Florida State after transferring from junior college, and he led the ACC in steals, which led to the Houston Rockets picking him late in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft.

He spent the first few years of his career as a backup to Kenny Smith, and he played an important sixth man role on championship teams for the Rockets in each of his first two seasons. He scored 7 points in the final 32 seconds of Game 3 of the NBA Finals as a rookie, and scored 31 in Game 2 of the Finals during his second season.

In his third season, he averaged 14.5 points per game, the first of 13 straight seasons where he would score in double figures. Following the season, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a deal for Charles Barkley, but would be traded again a few months later to Dallas in a deal for Jason Kidd, and then one more time late in the season to the New Jersey Nets.

In 1997-98, his first full year as a starter, he averaged 19.6 points and 8 assists per game for the Nets, leading them to the playoffs for the first time in 4 years, but they were swept by the Bulls in the first round. The Nets were expected to improve on that the next year, but Cassell was injured in the first game of the season, and played only 4 games for New Jersey before he was traded to Milwaukee, where he played the final 4 games of the season.

The team he joined in Milwaukee featured Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, and he was one of the top point guards in the league in his first couple of seasons with the Bucks. In 2000, he finished with 18.6 points and 9 assists per game, which was #3 in the league, and in 2001, the threesome led the Bucks to the Conference Finals, where they fell in 7 games to the 76ers.

After averaging 19.7 points in each of the next 2 seasons with Milwaukee, he was traded yet again, this time to Minnesota. His first season there was his best individual season, with a career-high 19.8 points to go with 7.3 assists, and he and Kevin Garnett led the Wolves to the Conference Finals for the first time in their history, where they fell to the Lakers. That year he made his only All-Star and All-NBA teams, though he should have made the First Team that year instead of the Second Team.

When the team couldn't match their success the next year, Cassell was traded to the Clippers, who had not won a playoff series since moving to California. He scored 17.2 points per game in his first season with the Clippers, and led them to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever, though that's as far as they would go.

After 2.5 years in LA, Cassell and the Clippers decided to part ways, and he signed for the rest of the season with the Boston Celtics, reuniting him with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who had been his teammates in his two best seasons. He played just 17.6 minutes per game off the bench for Boston, the fewest since his rookie year, but was able to earn another championship at the tail end of his career. He was technically an active player the next season, but never played in a game, and retired after the season.

Cassell was one of the top point guards in the NBA for well over a decade, averaging over 17 points per game in 7 different seasons, and over 18 per game in 5 straight seasons during his prime. He helped lead two teams to the Conference Finals during his best seasons, and they were teams that did not usually experience playoff success, and won three championships in his bookend seasons, even though those were his worst individual seasons. All of this put together makes Cassell one of the most underrated players of all time, one who deserves mention among the best.

Top 100 NBA Players: #72 - Chris Webber

Chris Webber

Teams

Golden State Warriors - 1993-94, 2008

Washington Bullets/Wizards - 1994-98

Sacramento Kings - 1998-05

Philadelphia 76ers - 2005-07

Detroit Pistons - 2007

Playoffs

Appearances - 10 (1994,1997,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2007)

Conference Finals - 2 (2002,2007)

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1994

All-NBA First Team - 1 (2001)

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (1999,2000,2001,2002,2003)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (1999,2000,2002,2003)

Hall of Fame - 2021

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Points Per Game - #55

Total Blocks - #62

Blocks Per Game - #62

Rebounds Per Game - #69

Total Rebounds - #79

Total Points - #99

Total Steals - #100

League Leads

Rebounds Per Game (#1-1999, #5-2000)

Total Rebounds (#4-1999)

Field Goal Percentage (#4-1994)

Chris Webber was a huge star at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the championship game in both of his college seasons, including the first-ever team to reach the title game with 5 freshmen as starters, so it was no surprise when he was the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in 1993 by the Orlando Magic.

Webber was traded on draft day to Golden State in exchange for Penny Hardaway and 3 draft picks, and he cruised to the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds and leading the Warriors to the playoffs despite Tim Hardaway missing the season with a knee injury. He didn't get along with his coach, though, so he exercised an escape clause in his contract, and the Warriors were forced to trade him away to the Washington Bullets.

Webber would be limited by injuries to only 69 games over his first two seasons in Washington, but he still averaged over 20 points per game when he played. When he finally played a full season in 1996-97, he put up 20.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and made his first All-Star team while leading the Bullets to the playoffs for the first time in 9 years, where they were swept by the Bulls.

He played one more season in Washington, and still put up good numbers, but the Wizards decided to part ways with their star, trading him to the Sacramento Kings, another team that rarely made the playoffs. In his first season with the Kings, he averaged 20 points and a league-leading 13 rebounds per game, and led the Kings to only their third playoff berth since their move to California.

The next few years were the peak of Webber's career. After putting up 24.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 2000, he pushed those up to 27.1 points and 11.1 rebounds in 2001, when he earned his only berth on the All-NBA First Team, and won a playoff series for the first time in his career, but they lost to the Lakers for the second year in a row. 

He missed some time the next year, but still scored 24.5 points per game and 10.1 rebounds, and was healthy when the playoffs rolled around. They rolled through the first two rounds to face the Lakers once again, this time in the Conference Finals, and they ended up losing after a very controversial Game 6 where the Lakers shot 27 free throws in the 4th quarter alone.

Webber was still great the next season, averaging 23 points and 10.5 rebounds, and the Kings looked primed for another deep playoff run until Webber went down with a career-threatening knee injury early in the second round. That injury would cause him to miss the remainder of the series, which they lost, as well as most of the next season.

After another second-round exit the following season after returning from the injury, Sacramento traded Webber to Philadelphia midway through the 2004-05 season. It was the first time in his career that he wasn't the main scoring option, since he was now playing with Allen Iverson, and things even though he still averaged over 20 points per game in his first full season with the 76ers, the two sides agreed to a buyout of his contract less than two years into his stint there.

He would sign with his hometown Detroit Pistons to finish the season, and was able to help the team reach the Conference Finals again, though by this time he was just a role player, and they fell short of the Finals, preventing Webber from ever reaching the ultimate series. He made a brief comeback with Golden State late in the next season, but was released less than 2 months later, at which time he officially retired.

Webber was never quite able to win the ultimate prize during his career, though it can be argued that the opportunity was stolen from him, but he did average at least 20 points per game 10 different times, and had over 10 rebounds per game in 5 of those seasons as well. He lifted the Kings from the basement to title contenders, and was voted into the Hall of Fame this year, just more proof that he belongs here on this list of the best players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #73 - Tim Hardaway

Tim Hardaway

Teams

Golden State Warriors - 1989-96

Miami Heat - 1996-01

Dallas Mavericks - 2001-02

Denver Nuggets - 2002

Indiana Pacers - 2003

Playoffs

Appearances - 9 (1991,1992,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2003)

Conference Finals - 1 (1997)

NBA Finals - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 1 (1997)

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (1991,1992,1998,1999)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (1993,1999)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Assists Per Game - #12

Total Assists - #18

Three-Pointers Made - #36

Steals Per Game - #55

Total Steals - #57

League Leads

Total Assists (#3-1991,1992, #5-1993,1996,1997)

Assists Per Game (#2-1993, #3-1992,1995, #5-1991)

Three-Pointers Made (#2-1999, #3-2001, #5-1997,1998)

Total Steals (#4-1991)

Steals Per Game (#4-1991)

Tim Hardaway was a good college basketball player, averaging 22 points per game as a senior at UTEP, and was famous for his crossover dribble that was nicknamed the "UTEP Two-Step." He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors at #14 overall, and immediately stepped into a starting role.

As a rookie, he scored 14.7 points per game, to go along with 8.7 assists and 2.1 steals, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. In his second season, he was already among the best players in the league, with averages of 22.9 points, 9.7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game, but he wasn't voted to any of the All-NBA teams, despite being very deserving. The Warriors upset the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, but fell to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the second round, even with Hardaway putting up 26.8 points and 12.8 assists per game in the series.

He finally started to get some recognition the next season, when he averaged a career-high 23.4 points per game, and also dished out 10 assists per game, earning a nod on the All-NBA Second Team. Even with his personal success, the team lost in the first round of the playoffs, and wouldn't earn another postseason berth during his tenure with the team.

After setting a career-high with 10.6 assists per game in 1992-93, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the entire next season. He would return fully healthy in 1994-95, and was able to put up similar numbers to those from before his injury, but they missed the playoffs. After coming off the bench for most of the following season, he was traded late in the season to the Miami Heat, where he was able to be a starter again, and he showed that he still had something left in the tank.

His first full season in Miami was one of his best. He averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 assists and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the only time in his career, all while leading the Heat to 61 wins and the deepest playoff run of his career. Unfortunately, it ended a step short of the Finals, as they weren't able to knock off the Bulls in the Conference Finals.

His numbers started to drop slowly over the next few years, though he was still playing at an All-Star level. The Heat would lose to the Knicks in the playoffs 3 straight years, twice in the first round and once in the second round. He had a slight uptick in his numbers in 2000-01, after Alonzo Mourning was forced to sit due to his kidney issues, but the Heat decided to trade him away after the season.

He played briefly for Dallas, Denver and Indiana over the next 2 years, mostly coming off the bench, before retiring from the league for good. Even though he missed an entire season to a knee injury, he was actually relatively healthy throughout his career, both before and after the major injury.

Hardaway was one of the rare players to suffer a major injury, then return to anywhere near his previous level of play. Early in his career, he was always among the league leaders in assists while scoring over 20 points per game, and later in his career he became a very good three-point shooter when his scoring and assist numbers dipped slightly. He is among the top 20 in both total assists and assists per game, but that missed season during his prime along with the lack of deep playoff runs kept him from being ranked any higher on this list of the best players of all time.