7. Larry Bird
Larry Bird won three NBA championships and appeared in the NBA Finals five times. Among the greats he faced in his 164 playoff games include a galaxy all-time playoff greats: Dr. J., James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Michael Jordan and, of course, Magic Johnson.
Bird and the Celtics defeated every single one of these legends at least once in the post-season. Bird did it all. He scored. He rebounded. He ran the floor. He passed the ball. And he scored some more, averaging 23.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His steal of Thomas’ inbounds pass in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals remains his most singular iconic moment.
His legacy has been defined by clutch play against the greatest players of his era when the stakes were highest. Boston beat Houston for the NBA championship in 1981, the Lakers in 1984 and the Rockets again in 1986. Bird and the Celtics fell to the Lakers in the 1985 and ’87 Finals. Just this past week none other than Bill Walton called Bird “the best player I ever played with” adding “he was Mozart, he was Michelangelo, he was Steve Jobs. He did things that I never saw anybody do.” Bird’s rivalry with Magic grew into an unbreakable friendship and bond that stands stronger than ever until this day. They made each other great and carried the NBA along for the ride.
Next: No. 6