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The Small Forward is arguably the most versatile position on the basketball court. They’re almost always expected to score lots of points. In addition, they’re often asked to help out on the glass or the perimeter, provide an offensive presence in the post, face up and hit the jumper or even run the point. It’s no wonder many of the game’s most athletic players fill the 3. From the high flyers to the sharp shooters and everything in between, these are…
The Greatest Small Forwards of All Time
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10. LeBron James, 6’8” - 240
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 2 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title.
On the Floor: 27.5 ppg (3rd AT), 7.0 rpg, 6.7 apg (33rd AT), 1.8 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47.0 fg%, 73.5 ft%, 12735 pts, 3247 reb, 3098 ast, 819 st, 400 blk.
Coach Speak: I know what you’re thinking: He’s only in his 6th season and has yet to win a championship or MVP so how could he already be one of the greatest small forwards ever? The fact is you simply have to know what you’re watching. He entered the league amidst massive hype at the tender age of 19 and delivered a season in which he averaged 21-6-6 (pts-reb-ast). At 20, those numbers were 27-7-7. And he hasn’t looked back since. If he stays healthy and dedicated not only could he wind up with over 30,000 points (maybe even become the all time leading scorer) but he could also finish with over 8000 rebounds AND assists. Watching him play, there’s never been anything like him. He has all the finesse of a prototypical swingman on the perimeter but when he goes to the basket bodies bounce off him like bullets do The Man of Steel. He’s also a constantly improving defender. If I redo this list 10 years from now, the question will be whether he’s number 1 or number 2. Honestly, if this list were compiled based purely on basketball ability King James would already be number 1 or number 2. I'm just getting in on the ground floor and admitting that we really are all witnesses.
[youtube]rdO_3iW5QAA[/youtube]
9. Adrian Dantley, 6’5” – 210
On the Mantle: 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 Comeback Player of the Year, 2 Scoring Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 24.3 ppg (17th AT), 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg, 54.0 fg% (20th AT), 81.8 ft%, 23177 pts (25th AT), 5455 reb.
Coach Speak: Dantley is simply one of the best offensive players in the history of the game. He was never really known for his defense but the fact is, he wasn’t on the floor for that. He was on the floor to score points and he did that with relentless efficiency. Though only 6’5”, he often worked from the high post and had a variety of moves to free him up for his deadly accurate shots. Think about this: A 6’5” forward, who played often with his back to the basket and shot the ball around 20 times a game still shot 54% from the floor. The man simply couldn’t be stopped. He averaged over 30 ppg four times and 28 ppg or more two other times. He did play in the NBA Finals once with Detroit but they lost to the Lakers. Unfortunately, he was traded midway through the next season and the Pistons went on win the title without him. Oh well, at least we can remember him for scoring bucket after bucket after bucket after bucket…
[youtube]FzjL5eQEY1k[/youtube]
8. Paul Arizin, 6’4” – 200
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 1 Field-Goal Percentage Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1978.
On the Floor: 22.8 ppg (24th AT), 8.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 42.1 fg%, 81.0 ft%, 16266 pts, 6129 reb.
Coach Speak: Pitchin’ Paul is one of the early pioneers of the jump shot. When he came into the league, he was one of a mere handful of players to employ the shot. Most players were still going with the two-handed set shot or the hook shot. He’s also one of the game’s first high flyers, known for acrobatic drives to the lane. At a time when scoring was as hard as it’s ever been, he consistently poured in over 20 ppg. In fact, when he won his first scoring title in the 1950-51 season, his 25.4 ppg was, at that time, the third highest average ever recorded. By the time he retired, Arizin had become only the third player to score at least 15,000 points in his career.
[youtube]tyUf-9ruJi8[/youtube]
7. Dominique Wilkins, 6’8” - 224
On the Mantle: 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title, Inducted into the HOF in 2006.
On the Floor: 24.8 ppg (13th AT), 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg (54th AT), 0.6 bpg, 46.1 fg%, 81.1 ft%, 26668 pts (12th AT), 7169 reb, 1378 st (46th AT).
Coach Speak: The Human Highlight Film took the term “playing above the rim” for a personal mantra. He put his legendary 44 inch vertical to use on every jump shot, rebound and of course, every dunk. Detractors often note two things: 1) He never won a title and 2) He never met a shot he didn’t like. While both are true, they ignore the fact of the teams he played on. While his Hawks teams were often good teams, who else on those rosters was going to score points? Kevin Willis? Hard worker, could score a little bit but not a guy to rely on. Doc Rivers? He was a solid game manager as a point guard, but not a scorer. Spud Webb? He had his best years in Sacramento. Bottom line: ‘Nique did what he had to do and his teams were never as good as the best teams in the East. Over the course of his career, he continually improved as a rebounder and outside shooter. He would’ve won a couple more scoring titles if he didn’t play in the Michael Jordan era and would’ve finished 1st team All-NBA a few more times if he didn’t play at the same time as a couple guys above him on this list. That’s unfortunate but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention he specialized in windmill, double-pump and backwards dunks…in the game...over other people.
[youtube]HjN-woCkf4I[/youtube]
6. Scottie Pippen, 6’7” – 210
On the Mantle: 6 NBA Championship Rings, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 8 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 NBA Steals Title.
On the Floor: 16.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 2.0 spg (14th AT), 0.8 bpg, 47.3 fg%, 70.4 ft%, 18940 pts (49th AT), 7494 reb, 6135 ast (25th AT), 2307 st (5th AT), 947 blk, 978 3pt fg (56th AT).
Coach Speak: Read the intro to this list again. What is should tell you is that Scottie Pippen is the prototypical Small Forward in every aspect. Saying he was Michael Jordan’s right-hand man is true to an extent but devalues his worth as one of the most versatile players to ever play the game. He was simply a chameleon who did whatever his team needed at any given moment. If he was needed to be a rebounder, he’d do it and do it well. Ditto, if he was needed to run the point, or be a scorer. And he was ALWAYS a lockdown defender. Extra long arms, quickness and amazing instincts made him one of the best defensive players in NBA history. Detractors will point to that Jordan guy and claim everything Pip accomplished was because of MJ. However, how many guys were really good enough to do all the things Pippen did to help his team win?
[youtube]_WXoFGqBDTc[/youtube]
5. Rick Barry, 6’7” – 205
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 1 ABA Championship Ring, 1 NBA Finals MVP, 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team, 5 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-ABA 1st Team, 1 NBA Scoring Title, 6 NBA Free-Throw Percentage Titles, 1 ABA Free-Throw Percentage Title, 1 NBA Steals Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1987.
On the Floor: 24.8 ppg (14th AT), 6.7 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 45.6 fg%, 89.3 ft% (4th AT), 25279 pts (16th AT), 6863 reb, 4952 ast (49th AT).
Coach Speak: Rick Barry is more known today for being the NBA’s version of Archie Manning, having produced a litter of sons to make it to the league. The difference being he’s light years better than any of his sons have proven to be and he’s a much much better basketball player than Archie was a quarterback. The other thing he’s most known for is the free throw shooting. He shot near a 90% clip from the line for his entire career (exactly 90% if you only count his NBA numbers) despite shooting them underhanded. That alone might be enough to consider him one of the greats, but that would be shortchanging him. Barry was an excellent scorer and ball handler who was underrated on defense, often finishing in the top 10 in scoring, assists and steals.
[youtube]pYW20vDZxQY[/youtube]
4. John Havlicek, 6’5” – 203
On the Mantle: 8 NBA Championship Rings, 1 Finals MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1984.
On the Floor: 20.8 ppg (41st AT), 6.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 43.9 fg%, 81.5 ft%, 26395 pts (14th AT), 8007 reb (67th AT), 6114 ast (27th AT).
Coach Speak: Hondo’s career arc is a fairly unique one. He excelled coming off the bench during Boston’s dynasty years in the 60s, helping them to 6 titles. Even though he was a backup he was routinely the 1st or 2nd leading scorer on the Celtics. In the 70s, he smoothly made the transition become the team’s top player and winning 2 more titles. Hondo was blessed with unbelievable stamina and played the game in perpetual motion. He worked hard to become an excellent scorer, ball-handler and defender. Above all though, he was clutch. In fact, big moments in tight Celtics’ games became known as Havlicek time. Of course, that last part has been immortalized by Johnny Most’s famous “Havlicek stole the ball!” call when Havlicek did indeed steal the ball with only 5 seconds left in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals against the 76ers sealing a one point victory and another Celtics’ trip to the NBA Finals.
[youtube]stiAd7W45yE[/youtube]
3. Julius Erving, 6-7, 210
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 2 ABA Championship Rings, 1 NBA MVP, 3 ABA MVP, 2 ABA Playoffs MVP, 1 ABA All-Rookie 1st Team, 5 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-ABA 1st Team, 1 ABA All-Defensive 1st Team, 3 ABA Scoring Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1993.
On the Floor: 24.2 ppg (20th AT), 8.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 spg (13th AT), 1.7 bpg (31st AT), 50.6 fg%, 77.7 ft%, 30026 pts (5th AT), 10525 reb (31st AT), 5176 ast (46th AT), 2272 st (6th AT), 1941 blk (20th AT).
Coach Speak: If you grew up in the 70s and were a basketball fan, you wanted to be Dr. J. He wasn’t the first to play the game above the rim, but he was the first to make it fashionable. Doc’s combined style, substance and a flair for the spectacular to become one of the game’s all time greats. He was an underrated mid-range shooter and defender who played the passing lanes well. He was also a solid rebounder (outstanding in his ABA days). Of course, everyone knew not to be in the lane if he came flying through. In fact, the term “poster dunk” came from the fact that one of the hottest selling posters of the late 70s was of him dunking on Bill Walton. And if you’ve never seen his dunk over Michael Cooper you’ve simply missed out on greatness (just watch the vid to catch up with the rest of us). The same goes for his one-handed around the backboard reverse lay-up against the Lakers in the Finals. It was so nice in fact, Magic Johnson actually said he wanted to ask Doc if he could do it again. Forget all that, what really gets him on the list is starring in the absolutely awesome The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
[youtube]_jfmoUT6lXs[/youtube]
2. Elgin Baylor, 6’5” – 225
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 10 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1977.
On the Floor: 27.4 ppg (4th AT), 13.5 rpg (10th AT), 4.3 apg, 43.1 fg%, 78.0 ft%, 23149 pts (26th AT), 11463 reb (25th AT), 3650 ast.
Coach Speak: Basketball fans now know him as one of the lousiest GMs to ever hold the position for any team in any sport after he presided over the Los Angeles Clippers franchise for over two decades. What has become lost is how great a player he was. Most historians call him the precursor to Julius Erving as acrobatic drives to the basket that required lots of hang time were the name of his game. Aside from being a great scorer, he was an excellent rebounder and passer, often finishing in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists. However, his career was defined by what almost was. He averaged over 34 ppg three times, yet never won a scoring title as Wilt Chamberlain won those. He led his teams to 8 NBA Finals, yet never won a championship as they were always turned away, usually by Bill Russell’s Celtics. He retired 9 games into the 1971-72 season. The Lakers would not only win the next game but that would become an NBA record 33 game win streak. They would subsequently win the NBA Finals that season, again leaving Baylor just on the outside looking in.
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1. Larry Bird, 6’9” – 220
On the Mantle: 3 NBA Championship Rings, 3 NBA MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 9 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1998.
On the Floor: 24.3 ppg (16th AT), 10.0 rpg (46th AT), 6.3 apg (41st AT), 1.7 spg (27th AT), 0.8 bpg, 49.6 fg%, 88.6 ft% (10th AT), 37.6 3pt fg%.
Coach Speak: Larry Legend is known for being the ultimate gym-rat, spending long hours alone working on his game. It’s also said he did more with less than any player ever had. Simply put, he wasn’t particularly athletic – he looked slow and didn’t jump very high. However all of this ignores the fact that he was still a gifted ball-player. He had unbelievable court-vision making him a brilliant passer and could always create his own shot and grab rebounds despite his lack of quickness and jumping ability. Of course, he’s most remembered as a deadly long-range shooter. The Hick from French Lick could do everything you needed him to do on the offensive end, including making his teammates better. On the defensive end, he was underrated earning All-Defensive 2nd team honors 3 times. He was also clutch. Bird is on the short list of players historians really would want to have the ball if they needed one basket to win a game.
Other Big Timers at Small Forward
Billy Cunningham
Alex English
Bernard King
Chris Mullin
And this guy…
James Worthy
I had to give this guy a special section because I KNOW this is the guy everyone will say is missing. Of course, I say “hogwash.” Before I go any further, let me be perfectly clear: I LIKE JAMES WORTHY! However, I never at any point in time thought he was a Hall of Fame caliber player or one of the best ever at his position. Well he’s in the HOF anyway, so what do I know?
I digress. Worthy was absolutely one of the best finishers the game has ever seen. And what else? He made his career by simply being able to fill the lane. He was the perfect small forward for his team, much like longtime teammate Byron Scott was the perfect shooting guard for that same team. There’s nothing wrong with that but I was always looking for more from Worthy to really consider him among the game’s greats. He was a good but not great offensive player in the half-court set as well. He was also average or below in just about every other aspect of the game. Though his being named MVP of the 1987-88 NBA Finals and a career playoff scoring average of 21.1 ppg (compared to his regular season average of 17.6) validate the moniker “Big Game James” I wouldn’t say his post-season performances are so overwhelming they push him ahead of the other greats at his position with the exception of Game 7 of that ’87-88 Finals. He recorded an unbelievable triple-double with 36 pts, 16 reb, and 10 ast. Still, it wasn’t like he was consistently putting the Lakers on his back and carrying them to victory.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming…
All Julius Erving, All the Time!
Dr. J’s Top 10 Dunks
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The Doc showing off the acting chops
In The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (love the line: “I had to learn to walk and lean on air.”)
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The Greatest Basketball Video Game Ever Made!!!
One-on-One for the Commodore 64 Featuring Dr. J and Larry Bird
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Oh, Bird & Wilkins in one of the great playoff duels ever…
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NOTE: LeBron James' stats are accurate through 3/28/09
The Greatest Small Forwards of All Time
Code:
[size=1]Key: On the Mantle: championships, awards and honors On the Floor: career averages and notable totals pts: points ppg: points per game reb: rebounds rpg: rebounds per game ast: assists apg: assists per game st: steals spg: steals per game blk: blocked shots bpg: blocks per game fg%: field-goal percentage ft%: free-throw percentage HOF: Hall of Fame AT: all time Coach Speak: about the player Sidenotes: Steals, blocked shots and offensive rebounds did not become official NBA stats until the 1973-74 NBA season.[/size]
[youtube]g6j5CuLkAjc[/youtube]
10. LeBron James, 6’8” - 240
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 2 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title.
On the Floor: 27.5 ppg (3rd AT), 7.0 rpg, 6.7 apg (33rd AT), 1.8 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47.0 fg%, 73.5 ft%, 12735 pts, 3247 reb, 3098 ast, 819 st, 400 blk.
Coach Speak: I know what you’re thinking: He’s only in his 6th season and has yet to win a championship or MVP so how could he already be one of the greatest small forwards ever? The fact is you simply have to know what you’re watching. He entered the league amidst massive hype at the tender age of 19 and delivered a season in which he averaged 21-6-6 (pts-reb-ast). At 20, those numbers were 27-7-7. And he hasn’t looked back since. If he stays healthy and dedicated not only could he wind up with over 30,000 points (maybe even become the all time leading scorer) but he could also finish with over 8000 rebounds AND assists. Watching him play, there’s never been anything like him. He has all the finesse of a prototypical swingman on the perimeter but when he goes to the basket bodies bounce off him like bullets do The Man of Steel. He’s also a constantly improving defender. If I redo this list 10 years from now, the question will be whether he’s number 1 or number 2. Honestly, if this list were compiled based purely on basketball ability King James would already be number 1 or number 2. I'm just getting in on the ground floor and admitting that we really are all witnesses.
[youtube]rdO_3iW5QAA[/youtube]
9. Adrian Dantley, 6’5” – 210
On the Mantle: 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 Comeback Player of the Year, 2 Scoring Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 24.3 ppg (17th AT), 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg, 54.0 fg% (20th AT), 81.8 ft%, 23177 pts (25th AT), 5455 reb.
Coach Speak: Dantley is simply one of the best offensive players in the history of the game. He was never really known for his defense but the fact is, he wasn’t on the floor for that. He was on the floor to score points and he did that with relentless efficiency. Though only 6’5”, he often worked from the high post and had a variety of moves to free him up for his deadly accurate shots. Think about this: A 6’5” forward, who played often with his back to the basket and shot the ball around 20 times a game still shot 54% from the floor. The man simply couldn’t be stopped. He averaged over 30 ppg four times and 28 ppg or more two other times. He did play in the NBA Finals once with Detroit but they lost to the Lakers. Unfortunately, he was traded midway through the next season and the Pistons went on win the title without him. Oh well, at least we can remember him for scoring bucket after bucket after bucket after bucket…
[youtube]FzjL5eQEY1k[/youtube]
8. Paul Arizin, 6’4” – 200
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 1 Field-Goal Percentage Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1978.
On the Floor: 22.8 ppg (24th AT), 8.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 42.1 fg%, 81.0 ft%, 16266 pts, 6129 reb.
Coach Speak: Pitchin’ Paul is one of the early pioneers of the jump shot. When he came into the league, he was one of a mere handful of players to employ the shot. Most players were still going with the two-handed set shot or the hook shot. He’s also one of the game’s first high flyers, known for acrobatic drives to the lane. At a time when scoring was as hard as it’s ever been, he consistently poured in over 20 ppg. In fact, when he won his first scoring title in the 1950-51 season, his 25.4 ppg was, at that time, the third highest average ever recorded. By the time he retired, Arizin had become only the third player to score at least 15,000 points in his career.
[youtube]tyUf-9ruJi8[/youtube]
7. Dominique Wilkins, 6’8” - 224
On the Mantle: 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title, Inducted into the HOF in 2006.
On the Floor: 24.8 ppg (13th AT), 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg (54th AT), 0.6 bpg, 46.1 fg%, 81.1 ft%, 26668 pts (12th AT), 7169 reb, 1378 st (46th AT).
Coach Speak: The Human Highlight Film took the term “playing above the rim” for a personal mantra. He put his legendary 44 inch vertical to use on every jump shot, rebound and of course, every dunk. Detractors often note two things: 1) He never won a title and 2) He never met a shot he didn’t like. While both are true, they ignore the fact of the teams he played on. While his Hawks teams were often good teams, who else on those rosters was going to score points? Kevin Willis? Hard worker, could score a little bit but not a guy to rely on. Doc Rivers? He was a solid game manager as a point guard, but not a scorer. Spud Webb? He had his best years in Sacramento. Bottom line: ‘Nique did what he had to do and his teams were never as good as the best teams in the East. Over the course of his career, he continually improved as a rebounder and outside shooter. He would’ve won a couple more scoring titles if he didn’t play in the Michael Jordan era and would’ve finished 1st team All-NBA a few more times if he didn’t play at the same time as a couple guys above him on this list. That’s unfortunate but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention he specialized in windmill, double-pump and backwards dunks…in the game...over other people.
[youtube]HjN-woCkf4I[/youtube]
6. Scottie Pippen, 6’7” – 210
On the Mantle: 6 NBA Championship Rings, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 8 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 NBA Steals Title.
On the Floor: 16.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 2.0 spg (14th AT), 0.8 bpg, 47.3 fg%, 70.4 ft%, 18940 pts (49th AT), 7494 reb, 6135 ast (25th AT), 2307 st (5th AT), 947 blk, 978 3pt fg (56th AT).
Coach Speak: Read the intro to this list again. What is should tell you is that Scottie Pippen is the prototypical Small Forward in every aspect. Saying he was Michael Jordan’s right-hand man is true to an extent but devalues his worth as one of the most versatile players to ever play the game. He was simply a chameleon who did whatever his team needed at any given moment. If he was needed to be a rebounder, he’d do it and do it well. Ditto, if he was needed to run the point, or be a scorer. And he was ALWAYS a lockdown defender. Extra long arms, quickness and amazing instincts made him one of the best defensive players in NBA history. Detractors will point to that Jordan guy and claim everything Pip accomplished was because of MJ. However, how many guys were really good enough to do all the things Pippen did to help his team win?
[youtube]_WXoFGqBDTc[/youtube]
5. Rick Barry, 6’7” – 205
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 1 ABA Championship Ring, 1 NBA Finals MVP, 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team, 5 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-ABA 1st Team, 1 NBA Scoring Title, 6 NBA Free-Throw Percentage Titles, 1 ABA Free-Throw Percentage Title, 1 NBA Steals Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1987.
On the Floor: 24.8 ppg (14th AT), 6.7 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 45.6 fg%, 89.3 ft% (4th AT), 25279 pts (16th AT), 6863 reb, 4952 ast (49th AT).
Coach Speak: Rick Barry is more known today for being the NBA’s version of Archie Manning, having produced a litter of sons to make it to the league. The difference being he’s light years better than any of his sons have proven to be and he’s a much much better basketball player than Archie was a quarterback. The other thing he’s most known for is the free throw shooting. He shot near a 90% clip from the line for his entire career (exactly 90% if you only count his NBA numbers) despite shooting them underhanded. That alone might be enough to consider him one of the greats, but that would be shortchanging him. Barry was an excellent scorer and ball handler who was underrated on defense, often finishing in the top 10 in scoring, assists and steals.
[youtube]pYW20vDZxQY[/youtube]
4. John Havlicek, 6’5” – 203
On the Mantle: 8 NBA Championship Rings, 1 Finals MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1984.
On the Floor: 20.8 ppg (41st AT), 6.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 43.9 fg%, 81.5 ft%, 26395 pts (14th AT), 8007 reb (67th AT), 6114 ast (27th AT).
Coach Speak: Hondo’s career arc is a fairly unique one. He excelled coming off the bench during Boston’s dynasty years in the 60s, helping them to 6 titles. Even though he was a backup he was routinely the 1st or 2nd leading scorer on the Celtics. In the 70s, he smoothly made the transition become the team’s top player and winning 2 more titles. Hondo was blessed with unbelievable stamina and played the game in perpetual motion. He worked hard to become an excellent scorer, ball-handler and defender. Above all though, he was clutch. In fact, big moments in tight Celtics’ games became known as Havlicek time. Of course, that last part has been immortalized by Johnny Most’s famous “Havlicek stole the ball!” call when Havlicek did indeed steal the ball with only 5 seconds left in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals against the 76ers sealing a one point victory and another Celtics’ trip to the NBA Finals.
[youtube]stiAd7W45yE[/youtube]
3. Julius Erving, 6-7, 210
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Championship Ring, 2 ABA Championship Rings, 1 NBA MVP, 3 ABA MVP, 2 ABA Playoffs MVP, 1 ABA All-Rookie 1st Team, 5 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-ABA 1st Team, 1 ABA All-Defensive 1st Team, 3 ABA Scoring Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1993.
On the Floor: 24.2 ppg (20th AT), 8.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 spg (13th AT), 1.7 bpg (31st AT), 50.6 fg%, 77.7 ft%, 30026 pts (5th AT), 10525 reb (31st AT), 5176 ast (46th AT), 2272 st (6th AT), 1941 blk (20th AT).
Coach Speak: If you grew up in the 70s and were a basketball fan, you wanted to be Dr. J. He wasn’t the first to play the game above the rim, but he was the first to make it fashionable. Doc’s combined style, substance and a flair for the spectacular to become one of the game’s all time greats. He was an underrated mid-range shooter and defender who played the passing lanes well. He was also a solid rebounder (outstanding in his ABA days). Of course, everyone knew not to be in the lane if he came flying through. In fact, the term “poster dunk” came from the fact that one of the hottest selling posters of the late 70s was of him dunking on Bill Walton. And if you’ve never seen his dunk over Michael Cooper you’ve simply missed out on greatness (just watch the vid to catch up with the rest of us). The same goes for his one-handed around the backboard reverse lay-up against the Lakers in the Finals. It was so nice in fact, Magic Johnson actually said he wanted to ask Doc if he could do it again. Forget all that, what really gets him on the list is starring in the absolutely awesome The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
[youtube]_jfmoUT6lXs[/youtube]
2. Elgin Baylor, 6’5” – 225
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 10 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1977.
On the Floor: 27.4 ppg (4th AT), 13.5 rpg (10th AT), 4.3 apg, 43.1 fg%, 78.0 ft%, 23149 pts (26th AT), 11463 reb (25th AT), 3650 ast.
Coach Speak: Basketball fans now know him as one of the lousiest GMs to ever hold the position for any team in any sport after he presided over the Los Angeles Clippers franchise for over two decades. What has become lost is how great a player he was. Most historians call him the precursor to Julius Erving as acrobatic drives to the basket that required lots of hang time were the name of his game. Aside from being a great scorer, he was an excellent rebounder and passer, often finishing in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists. However, his career was defined by what almost was. He averaged over 34 ppg three times, yet never won a scoring title as Wilt Chamberlain won those. He led his teams to 8 NBA Finals, yet never won a championship as they were always turned away, usually by Bill Russell’s Celtics. He retired 9 games into the 1971-72 season. The Lakers would not only win the next game but that would become an NBA record 33 game win streak. They would subsequently win the NBA Finals that season, again leaving Baylor just on the outside looking in.
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1. Larry Bird, 6’9” – 220
On the Mantle: 3 NBA Championship Rings, 3 NBA MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 1 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 9 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 1998.
On the Floor: 24.3 ppg (16th AT), 10.0 rpg (46th AT), 6.3 apg (41st AT), 1.7 spg (27th AT), 0.8 bpg, 49.6 fg%, 88.6 ft% (10th AT), 37.6 3pt fg%.
Coach Speak: Larry Legend is known for being the ultimate gym-rat, spending long hours alone working on his game. It’s also said he did more with less than any player ever had. Simply put, he wasn’t particularly athletic – he looked slow and didn’t jump very high. However all of this ignores the fact that he was still a gifted ball-player. He had unbelievable court-vision making him a brilliant passer and could always create his own shot and grab rebounds despite his lack of quickness and jumping ability. Of course, he’s most remembered as a deadly long-range shooter. The Hick from French Lick could do everything you needed him to do on the offensive end, including making his teammates better. On the defensive end, he was underrated earning All-Defensive 2nd team honors 3 times. He was also clutch. Bird is on the short list of players historians really would want to have the ball if they needed one basket to win a game.
Other Big Timers at Small Forward
Billy Cunningham
Alex English
Bernard King
Chris Mullin
And this guy…
James Worthy
I had to give this guy a special section because I KNOW this is the guy everyone will say is missing. Of course, I say “hogwash.” Before I go any further, let me be perfectly clear: I LIKE JAMES WORTHY! However, I never at any point in time thought he was a Hall of Fame caliber player or one of the best ever at his position. Well he’s in the HOF anyway, so what do I know?
I digress. Worthy was absolutely one of the best finishers the game has ever seen. And what else? He made his career by simply being able to fill the lane. He was the perfect small forward for his team, much like longtime teammate Byron Scott was the perfect shooting guard for that same team. There’s nothing wrong with that but I was always looking for more from Worthy to really consider him among the game’s greats. He was a good but not great offensive player in the half-court set as well. He was also average or below in just about every other aspect of the game. Though his being named MVP of the 1987-88 NBA Finals and a career playoff scoring average of 21.1 ppg (compared to his regular season average of 17.6) validate the moniker “Big Game James” I wouldn’t say his post-season performances are so overwhelming they push him ahead of the other greats at his position with the exception of Game 7 of that ’87-88 Finals. He recorded an unbelievable triple-double with 36 pts, 16 reb, and 10 ast. Still, it wasn’t like he was consistently putting the Lakers on his back and carrying them to victory.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming…
All Julius Erving, All the Time!
Dr. J’s Top 10 Dunks
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The Doc showing off the acting chops
In The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (love the line: “I had to learn to walk and lean on air.”)
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The Greatest Basketball Video Game Ever Made!!!
One-on-One for the Commodore 64 Featuring Dr. J and Larry Bird
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Oh, Bird & Wilkins in one of the great playoff duels ever…
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NOTE: LeBron James' stats are accurate through 3/28/09
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