This is #3 in a series of threads to determine the 25 Greatest Celtics of All-Time.
It´s the off-season, and we need something to talk about besides nonsensical trade-rumors.
So I thought we could make a big poll to decide once and for all who are the greatest Celtics of all-time. I´m sure it has been done many times before, and I know that it´s tricky to rate our legends, but I think there´s no better place for this than Celticsblog, and I haven´t seen such a poll here before.
Players to consider:
Bob Cousy
John Havlicek
Tommy Heinsohn
Paul Pierce
Dave Cowens
Kevin McHale
Sam Jones
Rules1. Only former or current players are eligible.
No former coaches, GMs or owners. The Celtics´ history has just too many characters to include all of them.
2. You can include off-the-court performances.
Although only former or current players are eligible, it is perfectly fine to include Tommy`s contributions as a coach and broadcaster, Danny Ainge´s work as a GM, or Dave Cowens´ nap on a parkbench after celebrating with the fans in 1974 in your evaluation.
3.
You have three votes.The first vote is worth 4 points, the second 2 points, and the third 1 point. This system is certainly more suited for a poll like this than a simple "one vote" poll.
Just write a post with your votes, and after the poll is closed, I will go through the thread and count every vote personally. I´ll close the poll in 2-4 days.
And if you want to discuss your votes, do it here, please:
http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=28994.0Makes it much easier for me to count the votes.
Thank you.
#1 Bill Russell
Winner of the last poll:Larry Joe Bird3× NBA Champion (1981, 1984, 1986)
3× NBA MVP (1984-1986)
12× All-Star (1980-1988, 1990-1992)
2× NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986)
9× All-NBA First Team Selection (1980-1988)
1× All-NBA Second Team Selection (1990)
3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team Selection (1982-1984)
1980 NBA Rookie of the Year
1980 NBA All-Rookie Team
1× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1982)
Bird, a versatile wing man who played the power forward and small forward positions, is considered as one of the greatest players of all time, to which his twelve All-Star team nominations are a testament. The versatile, sharpshooting Bird made his name stepping up his performance in critical situations, and is credited with a long list of dominating games, buzzer beaters and clutch defensive plays. He won two NBA Finals MVP and three regular-season MVP awards. He won them all in a row, a feat only shared by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
Bird possessed an uncanny and unparalleled ability to anticipate and react to the strategies of his opponents. His talent for recognizing the moves of opponents and teammates prompted his first coach with the Celtics, Bill Fitch, to nickname him "Kodak", because he seemed to formulate mental pictures of every play that took place on the court.
Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best all-time) and a 37.6 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 16th all-time, a further testament to his all around game. Bird's high free throw percentage is due in no small part to the fact that when he was a boy, he used to shoot 200 free throws before school, every day, according to a late 1990s Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance commercial with Larry himself.
Bird is also remembered as an excellent defender. While he was neither fast nor quick-footed, and could not always shut down an individual player one-on-one, he consistently displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, allowing him to intercept passes and create turnovers. His 1,556 career steals ranks 27th all-time. Unspectacular but effective defensive moves, such as jumping into a passing lane to make a steal or allowing his man to step past and drive to the hoop, then blocking the opponent's shot from behind, were staples of Bird's defensive game. In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams.
Source: Wikipedia
Final Outcome (points in parenthesis):
Total Votes: 22
Larry Bird (80)
John Havlicek (31)
Bob Cousy (19)
Tommy Heinsohn (9)
Paul Pierce (5)
Dana Barros (4)
Jim Loscutoff (2)
4 players tied (1)