Top 100 NBA Players: #40 - John Havlicek

John Havlicek

Teams

Boston Celtics - 1962-78

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977)

Conference Finals - 12 (1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976)

NBA Finals - 8 (1963,1964,1965,1966,1968,1969,1974,1976)

Championships - 8 (1963,1964,1965,1966,1968,1969,1974,1976)

Awards and Honors

Finals MVP - 1 (1968,1974)

All-NBA First Team - 4 (1971,1972,1973,1974)

All-NBA Second Team - 7 (1964,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1973,1974,1975,1976)

Hall of Fame - 1984

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Points - #20

Total Assists - #35

Points Per Game - #49

Total Rebounds - #84

League Leads

Total Assists (#4-1972, #5-1971)

Total Points (#2-1972, #3-1971)

Points Per Game (#2-1971, #3-1972)

Assists Per Game (#4-1971, #5-1972)

Free Throw Percentage (#4-1970)

John Havlicek won an NCAA title as a sophomore at Ohio State, then after a senior season where he averaged 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 7th overall pick. He was also drafted by the Cleveland Browns to play wide receiver, but after training camp he decided to focus on basketball and joined the Celtics.

Havlicek was used as a sixth man in his first several seasons, which made sense because he was joining the 4-time defending champs. In just his second season, he was the Celtics leading scorer, with 19.9 per game, even while he was coming off the bench all season. 

He won championships in each of his first 4 seasons in that reserve role, not a superstar like teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones, but an important important piece, except for in his rookie year. In 1965, his third season, he made one of the most famous plays in basketball history, when he stole an inbounds pass with 5 seconds left in Game 7 of the Conference Finals against the 76ers, preserving a 1-point lead and sending the Celtics back to the Finals.

His role started to grow after the 4th championship season. In 1966-67, he averaged 21.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, but the Celtics lost in the Conference Finals, breaking their streak of 8 straight titles. The next year, he began to develop more as a passer as well, finishing with averages of 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.

Havlicek was great in that season's playoffs. In the Conference Finals, with Boston trailing the series 3-1, Havlicek put up 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists to keep the team alive, then closed out the series a few days later with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists to send the Celtics back to the Finals. The Finals MVP award did not exist yet (they created it the next year), but if it had, it probably would have gone to Havlicek, who averaged 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in a six-game series win over the Lakers.

The next season was the final one for Bill Russell and Sam Jones, and the Celtics closed out that era with another championship. Havlicek was even better in that year's final round, scoring 28.3 points and grabbing 11.0 rebounds per game, but he was outplayed by Russell in that series, and the Finals MVP went to Jerry West of the Lakers, who averaged 37.9 points in the Finals and had a triple-double in Game 7.

With Havlicek the only star remaining from the Celtics' dynasty, Boston missed the playoffs during the next 2 seasons, though Havlicek became one of the best players in the league during that time. In 1970-71, he averaged 28.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, putting him at #2 in the league in scoring and #4 in assists, pretty incredible for a small forward.

He led the Celtics back to the playoffs in each of the next 2 seasons, and led them as far as the Conference Finals each season before he was able to break through to the Finals again in 1974. He averaged 22.6 points and 6.4 rebounds, then raised it to 26.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Finals as he won his 7th championship and his first Finals MVP.

Havlicek started to slowly decline after that season, and Boston lost in the Conference Finals in 1975, but they made it back to the Finals in 1976, with Dave Cowens as the team's star player and Havlicek taking a backseat, though he did make a shot with 1 second left in the second overtime of Game 5 that gave Boston a lead in a game that they eventually won in the third overtime, and Havlicek ended up with his 8th championship a couple days later.

He played two more seasons with Boston, finishing up after his 16th season as the Celtics' all-time leader in points, an honor he still holds. He was also #3 on the all-time scoring list at the time, behind only Wilt and Oscar Robertson, though he was fallen to 20th as of today. His biggest legacy is the 8 championships, two of which he won as the team's best player, with another 4 as a major contributor, and he needs to be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #11 - Bill Russell

Bill Russell

Bill Russell is usually on the short list of players considered to be the best of all time, and most experts rank him among the top 4 players of all time, but my formula ranks him significantly lower. I mean no disrespect in ranking him this low, but when you look at the facts, it just makes sense.

As I described earlier in my biography of Oscar Robertson, Russell played in an era of inflated statistics, so when you look at his career averages of 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game, you must remember that those numbers are much higher due to the faster pace of the game and the lower shooting percentages that produced more available rebounds. If you adjust his stats for deflation to today's rates, his career numbers would be 12.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. That would still place him among the greatest rebounders of all time, but makes him quite mediocre offensively.

In order to be considered one of the all-time greatest players, a player needs to be exceptional in multiple facets of the game, whether it is offense, defense, longevity, or winning. Russell was a subpar offensive player, shooting just 44% from the field and 56% from the line for his career, and his longevity was decent at 13 seasons. Russell is, however, one of the game's greatest defensive players, and if blocked shots had been counted during his career, it may have been possible to rank him higher, but there is no way to prove what he did during those years.

When it comes to winning, there was no one better. In his 13 seasons in the NBA, he won 11 NBA Championships. The two times he didn't when occurred when he was injured and unable to compete or worn out from his first season as both a player and a coach. Of those 11 title teams, Russell was the best player on 8, the famous 8 consecutive titles that covered most of the 1960's. During their first title run the Celtics were still Bob Cousy's team, and by the time they won their final two titles they had become John Havlicek's team. The Finals MVP award did not exist during his career, but if it had, he would have deserved to win it eight times, and in recognition of that the NBA renamed the Finals MVP award after him in 2009.

There are only 4 players in history who can claim they were the best player on at least 3 consecutive title teams: George Mikan, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. There are only a few others who can even claim they were the best on 3 total, such as Bird, Magic, Duncan, Havlicek, and LeBron. Besides those titles in the NBA, he also won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics, as well as 2 national championships in his final two years at the University of San Francisco. So despite his shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball and his average longevity, Russell will always have a place among the game's greats.

Top 100 NBA Players: #19 - Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler is considered by most experts to be a second-tier star, not an all-time superstar, but these are misconceptions due to the fact that he was never able to measure up to Michael Jordan when they faced each other in the 1992 NBA Finals, but is there anybody who could?

Drexler was a great all-around player, averaging over 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 6 straight seasons during his prime, and during that same period he led the Trail Blazers to some of the best seasons in their history. In 1990, he led the Blazers from the third seed in the West to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The next season Portland had the best regular season record, but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1992, he again led the Blazers to the Finals, but they once again lost, this time to the Chicago Bulls. Many people remember Drexler for losing in those years, but he averaged over 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game during all three of those playoff campaigns and was by far the best player on his team, while the teams he lost to had great supporting stars.

Drexler suffered injuries during the next season, which caused people to forget about him as other teams began to dominate in the West, and when he became healthy again, Portland was no longer a championship contender, so he requested a trade and was sent to his hometown of Houston to be reunited with college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon. That season, the two superstars led the Rockets from the sixth seed in the West to their second straight NBA title, which finally earned Drexler his ring.

Many people try to discount Clyde's NBA championship by saying that he was no longer a star player when he won his title, and while he was no longer in his prime, he was definitely still a player capable of dominating. If you look at his stats in 1992, his best season, and 1995, when he won his title, you'll see that the dropoff isn't that big:

Drexler (1992) - 25.0 pts, 6.6 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.8 stl, .470 FG%, .337 3P%, .794 FT%
Drexler (1995) - 21.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.8 stl, .461 FG%, .360 3P%, .824 FT%

Drexler also played much bigger than his position. He is the all-time leader for offensive rebounds among guards, and is fourth all-time in overall rebounds and fifth in blocked shots for guards. The only guards with more rebounds are Jason Kidd, Oscar Robertson, and Kobe Bryant, and the only guards with more blocks are Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, and Vince Carter. He is also one of five players in history to reach 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists during his career, joining John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.

Top 100 NBA Players: #21 - John Havlicek

John Havlicek

When the greatest players in Celtics history are named, most people would list Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy, but John Havlicek was the player who kept the Celtics relevant after Russell's retirement and was a member of both championship teams between the Russell and Bird years.

When Havlicek came into the league, he joined the perennial champion Boston Celtics, and although he was only a role player for the first few years, he was a contributor to teams that continued to win titles throughout the 60's. He averaged 14.3 points as a rookie, which turned out to be the lowest he would average in his 16-year career. He ended his career with the third-most championships of any player, with 8, behind only Bill Russell and Sam Jones, and 38 years later he still hasn't been passed on that list.

Starting in 1966-67, Havlicek started a run of 9 straight seasons as one of the 10 best players in the NBA, hitting his peak in 1970-71 and 1971-72, when he averaged 28.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.5 assists over two seasons as he became the face of the Celtics. Unfortunately, his personal peak fell right in between the years of Celtic dominance, but he did have a huge part on several champs.

In his second, third, and fourth seasons, Havlicek worked his way up the ladder toward becoming the best player in Boston, passing Bob Cousy, then Tom Heinsohn, then Sam Jones, then finally Bill Russell as the best player on the title team. While it may seem almost sacrilegious to say that Havlicek ever surpassed Russell, he was actually the best player on Russell's final two title teams, in 1968 and 1969. Here are their stats from those two playoffs:

Havlicek (1968) - 25.9 pts, 8.6 reb, 7.5 ast, .452 FG%, .828 FT%

Russell (1968) - 14.4 pts, 22.8 reb, 5.2 ast, .409 FG%, .585 FT%

Havlicek (1969) - 25.4 pts, 9.9 reb, 5.6 ast, .445 FG%, .855 FT%

Russell (1969) - 10.8 pts, 20.5 reb, 5.4 ast, .423 FG%, .506 FT%

Russell was obviously the better rebounder, one of the two best of all time, but Havlicek was a much better scorer, shooter, and, most importantly, free throw shooter. 1968 happened to be the final season that the Finals MVP award didn't exist, and 1969 was the only season that a player from the losing team won the award, when Jerry West averaged over 40 points per game in the Finals and over 30 points per game over the entire playoffs. If you believe that the best player from the winning team should get the Finals MVP, then Havlicek should have won both of these. As it turns out, he did win one a few years later, when he led a completely new Boston team to the title. Look at his stats from those playoffs:

Havlicek (1974) - 27.1 pts, 6.4 reb, 6.0 ast, .484 FG%, .881 FT%

A quick glance will tell you that he hadn't dropped off at all, and had probably gained a step, despite the fact that he was 33 years old by this time. He had become a more efficient shooter and scorer while maintaining impressive averages in rebounds and assists. That was also the first season in which defensive stats were recorded, and he managed to average 1.3 steals per game during that playoff run as well.

Top 100 NBA Players: #43 - Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens was just one in a long line of star players to wear Celtic green, and though he won two championships with the team, that is actually quite low to be considered an all-time Celtic legend. That's not to say that Cowens wasn't a great player, because he was definitely one of the best players in the NBA for a few years.

For four seasons, from 1972 to 1976, Cowens was one of the very best players in the entire league, ranking as one of the top 5 players in the league three times and in the top 10 the other year. During those years, he took the Celtics to two Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA championships. His average stats over that period were very impressive, and they are listed below.

Cowens - 19.7 pts, 15.7 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.2 stl, 1.1 blk

He finished among the top 3 rebounders in each of those seasons, with three straight seasons as the runner-up. He even won an MVP award in 1973, but he wasn't even the best player on his own team that season. John Havlicek, even though he was nearing the end of his career, was still better that season. Here is a statistical comparison:

Cowens - 20.5 pts, 16.2 reb, 4.1 ast, .452 FG%, .779 FT%
Havlicek - 23.8 pts, 7.1 reb, 6.6 ast, .450 FG%, .858 FT%

Cowens had a large lead in rebounding, and Havlicek had the big edge in free throw shooting, so Havlicek's edge in scoring and passing show that he was a better player that year. However, the basketball gods made up for the mistake by giving JoJo White the Finals MVP Award over Cowens, despite Cowens' overall playoff edge. Here are their postseason stats from 1976:

Cowens - 21.0 pts, 16.4 reb, 4.6 ast, .457 FG%, .759 FT%
White - 22.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 5.4 ast, .445 FG%, .821 FT%

White may have scored a few more points than Cowens, but their assist numbers were even closer, and Cowens led all postseason players in rebounding that year. Cowens was the top player on that championship team, and the second-best player on the previous championship team, and was the best player on two Conference Finalists as well. For those few seasons, he was one of the top players in the game.

That's when things got weird. After the Finals win, he spent the night sleeping on a park bench in Boston. When the following season began, Cowens didn't show up, instead spending a couple of months as a cab driver and saying that he felt burnt out. He eventually returned, but was never quite as good as he was before. He ended up retiring at age 31, which is usually the time when most superstars are riding the back end of their peak years.

Top 100 NBA Players: #77 - Jo Jo White

Jo Jo White

Jo Jo White was one of the players who bridged the gap for the Celtics from the Bill Russell dynasty to the years of Larry Bird, and although he's not as famous as those who came before or after him, he had some pretty good days starring in Boston.

Jo Jo was not the best player on the Celtics during his time there, but playing alongside big men John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, he was able to keep the Celtics in contention through a big chunk of the 70's. From 1971 to 1977, he was one of the most consistent players in the league, and an All-Star in each of those seasons. His overall stats from that period are listed below.

White - 19.6 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.4 stl

It's also notable that during those six seasons White missed a total of 3 games, and played a total of 80 playoff games during those postseasons, which means he crammed 7 years worth of games into 6 years. Included in those 6 playoff runs were two championships, and White was one of Boston's top 3 players each time.

White had a major part in one of the most memorable Finals games of all time, the triple overtime thriller in 1976 against Phoenix. White played 60 minutes in that game and hit the technical free throw that gave Boston a 2-point lead with a second left in the second overtime, which prevented them from losing on Gar Heard's miracle shot. He then hit the two free throws that iced the game in the third overtime.

Top 100 NBA Players: #84 - Grant Hill

Grant Hill

It's easy to forget what a great player Grant Hill once was when he spent so many seasons at the end of his career as a role player or on injured reserve, but he was once one of the league's top players and the heir apparent to Michael Jordan before injuries derailed his career.

In his rookie season, Hill firmly established himself as a rising star, averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while leading all players in All-Star voting and winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He was the first rookie in any major American sports league to lead all players in fan voting for the All-Star Game, and he was already the best player on the Detroit Pistons.

Over the next 5 seasons, he was one of the top 10 players in the league every year, and in 1997 he put up some historic numbers. That year, he became just the fifth player in history to average at least 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird in that select club. No player has accomplished that since.

What followed was nothing short of tragic. Hill injured his ankle late in the 2000 season, then was traded to Orlando in the offseason, where he missed a total of 364 games over his seven seasons with the Magic, an average of 52 games missed per season. He had numerous ankle surgeries during that time, and nearly died once when he contracted a major infection after one operation.

Rather than retiring, Hill signed with Phoenix as a free agent, where he was a starter and a captain for a few years, but not the star player he was at his peak. Hill's star power never led to playoff success, as he was on the winning side in a playoff series for the first time in 2010, making him the oldest first-time playoff series winner in history.

Top 100 NBA Players: #13

Elgin Baylor

(Kalb: #13, Simmons: #14, BBR: #20)

If you don't know who Elgin Baylor is, you're not alone. He is easily the least recognizable or remembered player among the top 20, and a big part of that is the era in which he played. Games were not televised, so the only chance fans got to see him was live at the game. Baylor is also one of only three players remaining on this list that never won a championship, but it isn't for lack of trying.

Elgin played 12 full seasons in the NBA, with 8 of those seasons ending in the NBA Finals, 7 against the Boston Celtics. Baylor was the best player on 4 of those teams, #2 on two others, and still the third best player on the team in his 12th season in the NBA. The players who ranked ahead of him on those teams were Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, so it's not like he was taking a back seat to a flash in the pan. There was one other season in which the Lakers lost to Boston in the Finals with Baylor sitting on the bench with a knee injury.

Baylor was not only a good player on a good team for all those years, he was one of the top 10 players in the league for 10 of his 12 full seasons. As a rookie, he was already the second-best player in the NBA, behind only Bob Pettit, and he only got better from there. Even though he was only 6-5, he averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists that season, and he was known as the first player to play above the rim, showing hang time that had never been seen before.

His fourth season was 1961-62, the season of incomprehensible stats, and Baylor's numbers that season were yet another example. He had been called to active military duty during the season, so he was only able to play on weekends, but he still managed to participate in 48 games and average 38.3 points, 18.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, all during his weekend breaks from the military.

Baylor averaged over 24 points and 10 rebounds for 11 seasons, making him the greatest scorer/rebounder under 6-6 in league history, narrowly edging out Charles Barkley, another player who was never able to win a title. Baylor, however, may have allowed the Lakers to win a title. In 1971-72, he was returning from a major knee injury that had cost him almost a full season, and after nine games he felt that he was holding back a team that could be historically good, so he retired, and the very next game was the beginning of Los Angeles' record 33-game winning streak, and the Lakers also went on to win the title that season. There are not many players who would step aside in order to allow their team to reach their full potential, let alone one as great as Baylor, so that gesture was huge.

While Baylor did not win the championships that Russell did, mostly because of Russell, he did make it to the Finals 8 times, not far behind Russell's 12, and their careers covered almost the exactly same timeframe. Russell was a slightly better rebounder, but he was also at least 6 inches taller, so that's to be expected, but Baylor's worst scoring season was still 6 points per game better than Russell's best. What really puts Baylor ahead here is that he did more with less, since he took the Lakers to all those Finals with only one other star for the majority of his career, while Russell always had at least two, whether it was Cousy, Jones, or Havlicek helping him out.

Top 100 NBA Players: #14

Bill Russell

(Kalb: #4, Simmons: #2, BBR: #4)

Bill Russell is usually on the short list of players considered to be the best of all time, and you can see that each of the other rankings I have referenced above had him among the top 4 players of all time, but I've chosen to rank him significantly lower. I mean no disrespect in ranking him this low, but when you look at the facts, it just makes sense.

As I described earlier in my biography of Oscar Robertson, Russell played in an era of inflated statistics, so when you look at his career averages of 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game, you must remember that those numbers are much higher due to the faster pace of the game and the lower shooting percentages that produced more available rebounds. If you adjust his stats for deflation to today's rates, his career numbers would be 12.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. That would still place him among the greatest rebounders of all time, but makes him quite average offensively.

In order to be considered one of the all-time greatest players, a player needs to be exceptional in multiple facets of the game, whether it is offense, defense, longevity, or winning. Russell was a subpar offensive player, shooting just 44% from the field and 56% from the line for his career, and his longevity was just average at 13 seasons. Russell is, however, one of the game's greatest defensive players, and if blocked shots had been counted during his career, it may have been possible to rank him higher, but there is no way to prove what he did during those years.

When it comes to winning, there was no one better. In his 13 seasons in the NBA, he won 11 NBA Championships. The two times he didn't when occurred when he was injured and unable to compete or worn out from his first season as both a player and a coach. Of those 11 title teams, Russell was the best player on 8, the famous 8 consecutive titles that covered most of the 1960's. During their first title run the Celtics were still Bob Cousy's team, and by the time they won their final two titles they had become John Havlicek's team. The Finals MVP award did not exist during his career, but if it had, he would have deserved to win it eight times, and in recognition of that the NBA renamed the Finals MVP award after him in 2009.

There are only 4 players in history who can claim they were the best player on at least 3 consecutive title teams: George Mikan, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. There are only a few others who can even claim they were the best on 3 total, such as Bird, Magic, Duncan, and Havlicek. Besides those titles in the NBA, he also won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics, as well as 2 national championship in his final two years at the University of San Francisco. So despite his shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball and his average longevity, Russell will always have a place among the game's greats.

The question of Russell vs. Drexler seems almost silly, but I have already shows that Russell was slightly overrated and Drexler was vastly underrated, so when you compare the two, they're actually closer than you think. They were both very good defensive players, with the slight edge going to Russell, and Drexler's 15 seasons give him the longevity edge over Russell. Drexler was a far better offensive player than Russell, averaging over 20 points per game for the majority of his career, a number that Russell never matched in a single season. But Russell still gets the edge here for his winning ways, since Drexler's title came after he became Olajuwon's second banana, while Russell led his team to championships nearly every season.

Top 100 NBA Players: #15

Clyde Drexler

(Kalb: #50, Simmons: #43, BBR: #23)

Clyde Drexler is considered by most experts to be a second-tier star, not an all-time superstar, but these are misconceptions due to the fact that he was never able to measure up to Michael Jordan when they faced each other in the 1992 NBA Finals, but is there anybody who could?

Drexler was a great all-around player, averaging over 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 6 straight seasons during his prime, and during that same period he led the Trail Blazers to some of the best seasons in their history. In 1990, he led the Blazers from the third seed in the West to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The next season Portland had the best regular season record, but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1992, he again led the Blazers to the Finals, but they once again lost, this time to the Chicago Bulls. Many people remember Drexler for losing in those years, but he averaged over 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game during all three of those playoff campaigns and was by far the best player on his team, while the teams he lost to had great supporting stars.

Drexler suffered injuries during the next season, which caused people to forget about him as other teams began to dominate in the West, and when he became healthy again, Portland was no longer a championship contender, so he requested a trade and was sent to his hometown of Houston to be reunited with college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon. That season, the two superstars led the Rockets from the sixth seed in the West to their second straight NBA title, which finally earned Drexler his ring.

Many people try to discount Clyde's NBA championship by saying that he was no longer a star player when he won his title, and while he was no longer in his prime, he was definitely still a player capable of dominating. If you look at his stats in 1992, his best season, and 1995, when he won his title, you'll see that the dropoff isn't that big:

Drexler (1992) - 25.0 pts, 6.6 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.8 stl, .470 FG%, .337 3P%, .794 FT%
Drexler (1995) - 21.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.8 stl, .461 FG%, .360 3P%, .824 FT%

Drexler also played much bigger than his position. He is the all-time leader for offensive rebounds among guards, and is third all-time in overall rebounds and blocked shots for guards. The only guards with more rebounds are Jason Kidd and Oscar Robertson, and the only guards with more blocks are Ron Harper and Michael Jordan. He is also one of three players in history to reach 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists during his career, joining John Havlicek and Oscar Robertson.

Robertson reached his peak early, then dropped off slowly throughout the rest of his career, while Drexler built up to his peak for a few seasons, then maintained it for several seasons. He also had a rebirth in Houston for one season that was much better than anything Robertson did after he went to Milwaukee. Both won titles late in their careers as #2 guys to some of the all-time greatest centers, but Drexler led Portland to two Finals while he was the star, something the Big O never did. The two spent an equal amount of time as superstars, and each earned a ring, but the difference here is what Clyde did in the playoffs while he was still the man.

Top 100 NBA Players: #23

George Mikan

(Kalb: #19, Simmons: #36, BBR: #59)

George Mikan is probably the most difficult player to place within any countdown of the greatest players of all time, but any list that doesn't contain him is absolutely flawed. Mikan dominated the league in an era where the game was played very differently, and he is the reason for many rule changes that we recognize today as integral parts of the game.

In Mikan's first three seasons, he led the NBA in scoring, scoring over 27 points per game over 3 straight seasons, while only a couple of other players were even reaching the 20-point plateau. The MVP award did not exist in his day, but if it did, his name would have been permanently etched on it. Here are his stats from his first three seasons compared to those of the second-best players in each of those seasons:

Mikan (1949) - 28.3 pts, 3.6 ast, .416 FG%, .772 FT%
Fulks (1949) - 26.0 pts, 1.2 ast, .313 FG%, .787 FT%

Mikan (1950) - 27.4 pts, 2.9 ast, .407 FG%, .779 FT%
Groza (1950) - 23.4 pts, 2.5 ast, .478 FG%, .729 FT%

Mikan (1951) - 28.4 pts, 14.1 reb, 3.1 ast, .428 FG%, .803 FT%
Schayes (1951) - 17.0 pts, 16.4 reb, 3.8 ast, .357 FG%, .752 FT%

Fulks shot free throws better than Mikan, Groza shot field goals better, and Schayes was better on the boards, but Mikan was the top player in the NBA in all of those seasons with no doubt. He would have won all 3 MVP awards easily, and would have won championships in all three seasons if he hadn't broken his leg during the playoffs. Instead of sitting out with such a major injury, he had the team doctor tape it up with a plate on each side and played through it, getting his team to the conference finals anyway. There also was no Finals MVP award yet at that point, but he would have won two in those first two seasons.

After the 1951 season, the league made a rule change to prevent Mikan from being so dominant, and that rule change was widening the three-second lane from 6 feet to twelve feet, which is much closer to what we recognize today. Mikan's scoring average and shooting percentage dropped significantly due to this change, so he focused more on rebounding, and in the next two seasons he led the league in that category instead. Here are his stats over the next two seasons, both of which would have been MVP seasons for him as well:

Mikan (1952) - 23.8 pts, 13.5 reb, 3.0 ast, .385 FG%, .780 FT%
Cousy (1952) - 21.7 pts, 6.4 reb, 6.7 ast, .369 FG%, .808 FT%

Mikan (1953) - 20.6 pts, 14.4 reb, 2.9 ast, .399 FG%, .780 FT%
Cousy (1953) - 19.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 7.7 ast, .352 FG%, .816 FT%

Mikan was still the best player in the league, but the #2 player was no longer a center or power forward, he was a point guard. The rule change had made it possible for a player to dominate the game from any position, making Mikan's grip on the best player title less sure. He did lead the Lakers to two more championships in those seasons, and would have added two more Finals MVP's to his collection.

1954 was the season in which Cousy finally displaced Mikan as the league's premier player, and Mikan knew that the end was near. Even though he wasn't the best player anymore, he still led the Lakers to one more title, giving him 5 in six seasons. He retired after the playoffs, possibly because of the aforementioned reason, or possibly to spend more time with his family, which is the reason he gave. Most likely, it was because of another rule that was implemented that summer: the 24-second shot clock. That rule prevented the Lakers from standing around waiting for Mikan to get into position before tossing him the ball for an easy inside shot. His lack of speed would have been his downfall, and he proved it by attempting a comeback a year later, averaging only 10 points and 8 rebounds during half a season of action.

Though Mikan's career was extremely short (only 7 seasons) he was the dominant player of his era, and if the awards had been thought of earlier, Mikan's trophy case would include 5 Regular Season and 5 Finals MVP awards. Also, he is the one we can thank for many of the rules today that keep the game interesting and competitive, so there is no way that he can be left out of the top section of these rankings.

It's tough to compare Mikan to Havlicek, because the times were different and their careers were very different. Both were Finals MVP's, with Mikan deserving two more than Hondo, but Mikan was the best player in the league for 5 years, and Havlicek was never able to say that. Longevity helps Havlicek out a bit, but it's not enough to make up for how great Mikan was in those six seasons.

Top 100 NBA Players - #24

John Havlicek

(Kalb: #24, Simmons: #13, BBR: #44)

When the greatest players in Celtics history are named, most people would list Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy, but John Havlicek was the player who kept the Celtics relevant after Russell's retirement and was a member of both championship teams between the Russell and Bird years.

When Havlicek came into the league, he joined the perennial champion Boston Celtics, and although he was only a role player for the first few years, he was a contributor to teams that continued to win titles throughout the 60's. He averaged 14.3 points as a rookie, which turned out to be the lowest he would average in his 16-year career. He ended his career with the third-most championships of any player, behind only Bill Russell and Sam Jones, and 33 years later he still hasn't been passed on that list.

Starting in 1966-67, Havlicek started a run of 9 straight seasons as one of the 10 best players in the NBA, hitting his peak in 1970-71 and 1971-72, when he averaged 28.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.5 assists over two seasons as he became the face of the Celtics. Unfortunately, his personal peak fell right in between the years of Celtic dominance, but he did have a huge part on several champs.

In his second, third, and fourth seasons, Havlicek worked his way up the ladder toward becoming the best player in Boston, passing Bob Cousy, then Tom Heinsohn, then Sam Jones, then finally Bill Russell as the best player on the title team. While it may seem almost sacrilegious to say that Havlicek ever surpassed Russell, he was actually the best player on Russell's final two title teams, in 1968 and 1969. Here are their stats from those two playoffs:

Havlicek (1968) - 25.9 pts, 8.6 reb, 7.5 ast, .452 FG%, .828 FT%

Russell (1968) - 14.4 pts, 22.8 reb, 5.2 ast, .409 FG%, .585 FT%

Havlicek (1969) - 25.4 pts, 9.9 reb, 5.6 ast, .445 FG%, .855 FT%

Russell (1969) - 10.8 pts, 20.5 reb, 5.4 ast, .423 FG%, .506 FT%

Russell was obviously the better rebounder, one of the two best of all time, but Havlicek was a much better scorer, shooter, and, most importantly, free throw shooter. 1968 happened to be the final season that the Finals MVP award didn't exist, and 1969 was the only season that a player from the losing team won the award, when Jerry West averaged over 40 points per game in the Finals and over 30 points per game over the entire playoffs. If you believe that the best player from the winning team should get the Finals MVP, then Havlicek should have won both of these. As it turns out, he did win one a few years later, when he led a completely new Boston team to the title. Look at his stats from those playoffs:

Havlicek (1974) - 27.1 pts, 6.4 reb, 6.0 ast, .484 FG%, .881 FT%

A quick glance will tell you that he hadn't dropped off at all, and had probably gained a step, despite the fact that he was 33 years old by this time. He had become a more efficient shooter and scorer while maintaining impressive averages in rebounds and assists. That was also the first season in which defensive stats were recorded, and he managed to average 1.3 steals per game during that playoff run as well.

Havlicek and Erving had similar career peaks in both level and length, with Havlicek reaching it a little bit later as he grew up behind other superstar players, unlike Erving, who was thrust into a starring role immediately. Erving single-handedly led his team to the Conference Finals and Finals numerous times, but there's no way his playoff accomplishments can stack up with Havlicek's, who was the best player on three champions and a top-4 player on three others. The fact that Hondo was consistently able to get one step further than Erving in the playoffs is what separates these two players among the all-time greats.

Top 100 NBA Players: #47

Dave Cowens

(Kalb: #32, Simmons: #31, BBR: #67)

Dave Cowens was just one in a long line of star players to wear Celtic green, and though he won two championships with the team, that is actually quite low to be considered an all-time Celtic legend. That's not to say that Cowens wasn't a great player, because he was definitely one of the best players in the NBA for a few years.

For four seasons, from 1972 to 1976, Cowens was one of the very best players in the entire league, ranking as one of the top 5 players in the league three times and in the top 10 the other year. During those years, he took the Celtics to two Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA championships. His average stats over that period were very impressive, and they are listed below.

Cowens - 19.7 pts, 15.7 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.2 stl, 1.1 blk

He finished among the top 3 rebounders in each of those seasons, with three straight seasons as the runner-up. He even won an MVP award in 1973, but he wasn't even the best player on his own team that season. John Havlicek, even though he was nearing the end of his career, was still better that season. Here is a statistical comparison:

Cowens - 20.5 pts, 16.2 reb, 4.1 ast, .452 FG%, .779 FT%
Havlicek - 23.8 pts, 7.1 reb, 6.6 ast, .450 FG%, .858 FT%

Cowens had a large lead in rebounding, and Havlicek had the big edge in free throw shooting, so Havlicek's edge in scoring and passing show that he was a better player that year. However, the basketball gods made up for the mistake by giving JoJo White the Finals MVP Award over Cowens, despite Cowens' overall playoff edge. Here are their postseason stats from 1976:

Cowens - 21.0 pts, 16.4 reb, 4.6 ast, .457 FG%, .759 FT%
White - 22.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 5.4 ast, .445 FG%, .821 FT%

White may have scored a few more points than Cowens, but their assist numbers were even closer, and Cowens led all postseason players in rebounding that year. Cowens was the top player on that championship team, and the second-best player on the previous championship team, and was the best player on two Conference Finalists as well. For those few seasons, he was one of the top players in the game.

That's when things got weird. After the Finals win, he spent the night sleeping on a park bench in Boston. When the following season began, Cowens didn't show up, instead spending a couple of months as a cab driver and saying that he felt burnt out. He eventually returned, but was never quite as good as he was before. He ended up retiring at age 31, which is usually the time when most superstars are riding the back end of their peak years.

Wilkins may have been flashier and had a longer career peak, but Cowens was a winner, making it to the Conference Finals in 5 straight seasons, and he was a top-2 player on four of those teams. If Cowens hadn't burnt out, he could have been just as good as Wilkins overall, but the fact that he made a difference in the playoffs gives him an edge over Wilkins, who could never clear the second round.

Top 100 NBA Players: #75

Grant Hill

(BBR: #52)

It's easy to forget what a great player Grant Hill once was when he has spent so many seasons as a role player or on injured reserve, but he was once one of the league's top players and the heir apparent to Michael Jordan before injuries derailed his career.

In his rookie season, Hill firmly established himself as a rising star, averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while leading all players in All-Star voting and winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He was the first rookie in any major American sports league to lead all players in fan voting for the All-Star Game, and he was already the best player on the Detroit Pistons.

Over the next 5 seasons, he was one of the top 10 players in the league every year, and in 1997 he put up some historic numbers. That year, he became just the fifth player in history to average at least 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird in that select club. No player has accomplished that since.

What followed was nothing short of tragic. Hill injured his ankle late in the 2000 season, then was traded to Orlando in the offseason, where he missed a total of 364 games over his seven seasons with the Magic, an average of 52 games missed per season. He had numerous ankle surgeries during that time, and nearly died once when he contracted a major infection after one operation.

Rather than retiring, Hill signed with Phoenix as a free agent, where he has been a starter and a captain for the past few years, but he is not the star player he was at his peak. Hill's star power never led to playoff success, as he was on the winning side in a playoff series for the first time in 2010, making him the oldest first-time playoff series winner in history.

It may look like Greer had a better and longer career than Grant Hill, and in many respects that is absolutely true. So why is Grant Hill ranked ahead of Greer in my all-time rankings? The only reason that I can see is that Hill was the best player on his team for 6 straight years, and he was one of the league's top 10 for five of those seasons, while Greer was always playing second fiddle to more talented teammates. No disrespect to Greer, but if Hill had been able to maintain his level of play through his prime, he would have been one of the top 20 players of all time, and there would be no discussion over which of these two was the best player.

Top 100 NBA Players: #77

Jo Jo White

(Simmons: #95, BBR: #117)

Jo Jo White was one of the players who bridged the gap for the Celtics from the Bill Russell dynasty to the years of Larry Bird, and although he's not as famous as those who came before and after him, he had some pretty good days starring in Boston.

Jo Jo was not the best player on the Celtics during his time there, but playing alongside big men John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, he was able to keep the Celtics in contention through a big chunk of the 70's. From 1971 to 1977, he was one of the most consistent player in the league, and an All-Star in each of those seasons. His overall stats from that period are listed below.

White - 19.6 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.4 stl

It's also notable that during those six seasons White missed a total of 3 games, and played a total of 80 playoff games during those postseasons, which means he crammed 7 years worth of games into 6 years. Included in those 6 playoff runs were two championships, and White was one of Boston's top 3 players each time.

White had a major part in one of the most memorable Finals games of all time, the triple overtime thriller in 1976 against Phoenix. White played 60 minutes in that game and hit the technical free throw that gave Boston a 2-point lead with a second left in the second overtime, which prevented them from losing on Gar Heard's miracle shot. He then hit the two free throws that iced the game in the third overtime.

Jo Jo's career peak was nowhere near Bellamy's, but Bellamy's peak occurred early, and he was never able to duplicate that success. White reached his peak level in year 3 and stayed steady for 6 seasons before injuries knocked him off the top. With just the regular season stats, there's no way that White is put ahead of Bellamy, but when you include those 2 championships and his contributions to those teams, he's definitely worthy of passing Walt in the all-time rankings.