Tag Archives: kemp

Top 100 Pro Basketball Players Ever: #90 – #81

See the tab at the top of this article to understand the process for these selections

#90: Shawn Kemp

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All-NBA 2nd Team: 3x (’94, ’95, ‘96)

NBA All-Star: 6x (’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ‘98)

NBA Top 10 Rebounds: 3x (’95, ’96, ‘97)

NBA Top 10 Blocks: 2x (’93, ‘94)

NBA Top 10 Win Shares: 1x (‘94)

NBA Top 10 WS/48: 3x (’94, ’95, ‘99)

2nd Best Player on one Runner-Up: 1996 Sonics

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 88th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 150th

Everyone talks about The Fab Five and Lenny Bias bringing playground to the big time, but Shawn Kemp was right there with them. Kemp was a symbol of the 1990s attitude that combined flash with power. Kemp is one of the all-time greatest dunkers, which was further amazing as he played power forward. Each night there seemed to a differently angled alley-oops between Kemp and Gary Payton. Kemp was going to be one of those players that kept people watching the NBA in the post MJ era…assuming that fans wouldn’t be turned off by that attitude.

But yeah, Kemp was really good too. The Kemp-Payton era peaked with 55 wins in 93 and a Conference Finals Game 7 loss to Barkley’s Suns, a 63 win campaign in ’94 (where they were the first #1 seed to be upset in Round 1 by Mutombo’s Nuggets), a 57 win 1995 (another bad first round loss), a 64 win 1996 (and a near title win, losing in six to the 72 win Bulls) and a 57 win 1997 (lost another tough seven gamer to the Hakeem-Drexler-Barkley Rockets). That’s a pretty nice peak. Kemp was a 18-10 guy for each of those teams with offensive ratings between 110 and 115 when the average was about 108. Kemp was also a very good defensive player, something that was missing when Blake Griffin was compared to Kemp earlier in his career.

Things fell apart in Seattle when Jim McIlvaine, a terrible center who averaged 2 PPG and 3 RPG in 14 MPG the season before, got paid money that Kemp was expecting. Kemp forced a trade, which landed him in Cleveland. Kemp’s personal life began to fall apart, and while he had a still okay 1998 (bad offensively though) and a surprisingly good 1999 (Cavs GM Wayne Embry said he weighed 315. Kemps normal playing weight was around 230), he got caught up in drugs, had weight problems and had seven kids with six women. He had some stints in Portland and Orlando, but it was over.

Kemp makes the list because his peak was pretty good. If it were longer, he’d be higher up. You could win a NBA Title with Shawn Kemp as one of your top two guys for sure. He was also successful in a Western Conference that had tons of great big men (Karl Malone, David Robinson, Hakeem, Barkley) and held his own in most of those match-ups (while outplayed by him, Kemp holding his own against Malone, including shooting 69%, was a big reason the Sonics and not the Jazz made the 1996 NBA Finals).

#89: Robert Horry

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All-NBA Rookie 2nd Team: (’93)

Role Player on seven NBA Champs: 1994 Rockets, 1995 Rockets, 2000 Lakers, 2001 Lakers, 2002 Lakers, 2005 Spurs, 2007 Spurs

Played in the Playoffs Every Season of His Career

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 84th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 355th

I’m with Simmons on this one. It takes a special choice to be a guy who says “you know what, instead of being this 30 minutes a game, high scoring popular athlete, I’m going to sit back, wait till coach calls me, and hit all the big shots I’m asked to”. I’m going to just post a bunch of box scores and clutch shots Horry completed over the years here. Remember that Horry’s career averages are 7 PPG and 5 RPG. There are ALL playoff/Finals games.

5/22/93: In Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Sonics and the game tied at 91, Horry beats the shot clock with 33 seconds left for a two point lead. Rockets would end up losing though. He was a rookie here by the way.

6/1/95: The Rockets defeat the San Antonio Spurs in six games of the Conference Finals. Horry had a good series, with a 22-7 in the clincher with six three pointers.

6/11/95: The Rockets go up 3-0 on the Magic in the NBA Finals. Horry has a 20-9-4, where he also scored 11 fourth quarter points. Three of those were a dagger with 15 seconds left that gave Houston a 4 point lead.

6/14/95: Horry goes for 21/13/5 as the Rockets complete the sweep of the Magic.

6/19/00: With the Pacers pushing for a Game 7 in the 2000 NBA Finals, Robert Horry scores eight points in the 4th and helps the Lakers put it away.

5/26/02: Lakers vs. Kings, Game 4 in the Conference Finals. Surely everyone remembers the final shot where Horry hits the game winner after Kobe and Shaq miss. But you know what else? Horry actually hit a three with 1:30 left to bring the game to 96-93. That’s two threes in the last 90 seconds of game time that the Lakers won by one. Here’s a video of the winner.

6/19/05: With the Pistons looking to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals, Big Shot Bob does it again with a 21-7 game with five three pointers in Game 5. The crazy part? He had 0 points in the first 35:57 of regulation. He scored all 21 points starting with 3 seconds left in the third. Oh yeah, he also scored the Spurs last 5 points in OT when they were down 95-91, including a gem of a three pointer with 6 seconds left when Rasheed Wallace left him open.

I’m starting to think I put him too low.

#88: Chris Mullin

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All-NBA 1st Team: 1x (’92)

All-NBA 2nd Team: 2x (’89, ‘91)

All-NBA 3rd Team: 1x (’90)

NBA All-Star: 5x (’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ‘93)

NBA Top 10 Points: 4x (’89, ’90, ’91, ‘92)

NBA Top 10 Steals: 3x (’89, ’91, ‘92)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 3x (’90, ’91, ‘92)

Member of one Runner-Up: 2000 Pacers

Member of the 1992 Dream Team

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 82nd

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 88th

Chris Mullin, like some others on this list, represents someone who threw away part of their career due to a vice, in this case alcohol. To Mullin’s credit though, he beat the disease and became one of the best dead eye shooters in the NBA, even rivaling Larry Bird. Mullin would put together five straight seasons of 26 PPG in one of the toughest eras in NBA history talent wise. Unfortunately, his body began to break down in 1993.

Why Mullin over someone like Kemp? Mullin was regarded as THE small forward in 1992 once Bird was pretty much done. To put things in perspective, Scottie Pippen was coming along and the 1992 Bulls were regarded as the best team in forever. And Mullin beat Pippen for All-NBA First team that year. At his peak, Mullin was an unstoppable shooter. Problem was, his peak didn’t last too long.

#87: Bob Dandridge

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All-NBA 2nd Team: 1x (‘79)

All-NBA Defensive 1st Team: 1x (’79)

All-NBA Rookie 1st Team: (’70)

NBA All-Star: 4x (’73, ’75, ’76, ‘79)

One of the Best Three Players on two NBA Champions: 1971 Bucks, 1978 Bullets

Third Best Player on one Runner-Up: 1974 Bucks

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 80th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 91st

One of the players that I have to read about more than actually see. There are two defining Bob Dandridge stories. The first (according to Simmons) is that in the 1978 Conference Finals Dandridge outplayed Julius Erving which was a key factor in the Bullets getting past the Sixers in route to their title. The only stats show that Dandridge hit 61 FGs in the series and averaged 22.8 PPG while Dr. J hit 53 and scored 21.5 PPG. The second defining story is really an anti-Elvin Hayes story. Turns out that Hayes fouled out of Game 7 against the Sonics in the ’78 Finals, and Dandridge led the Bullets to the Championship anyway.

That’s enough winning for me. Combine that with his Pyramid and 500 rankings and I feel good about his spot here.

#86: Paul Westphal

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All-NBA 1st Team: 3x (’77, ’79, ’80)

All-NBA 2nd Team: 1x (‘78)

NBA All-Star: 5x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’80, ’81)

NBA Top 10 Points: 3x (’76, ’78, ’79)

NBA Top 10 Assists: 2x (’77, ’79)

NBA Top 10 Steals: 1x (’76)

NBA Top 10 Win Shares: 2x (’76, ’79)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 4x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’80)

NBA Top 10 WS/48: 3x (’78, ’79, ’80)

Role Player on one NBA Champion: 1974 Celtics

Best Player on one Runner-Up: 1976 Warriors

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 79th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 141th

Seemingly an all offense point guard who scores a lot and gets a lot of assists. Westphal makes it this high as he was the top PG of the late 70s, highlighted by his three 1st Team selections. He was a solid role player for the 1974 Celtic title team and almost won the title in 1976 against the same Celtics. He led the upset over Rick Barry’s Warriors in 1976 as well.

Westphal is more of a resume thing. By all indications he was a top player of the late 70s, even though it was a short period of time.

#85: Dan Issel

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All-ABA 1st Team: 1x (‘72)

All-ABA 2nd Team: 4x (’71, ’73, ’74, ‘76)

ABA All-Star Game MVP: 1972

ABA All-Star: 6x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA All-Star: 1x (’77)

ABA All-Rookie 1st Team: (’71)

ABA Rookie of the Year: 1971

ABA Points Leader: 3x (’71, ’72, ’73)

ABA Top 10 Points: 5x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Points: 2x (’80, ‘82)

ABA Top 10 Rebounds: 5x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76)

ABA Top 10 PER: 5x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76)

NBA Top 10 PER: 4x (’77, ’80, ’81, ’82)

ABA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 2x (’74, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 5x (’78, ’79, ’80, ’81, ’82)

ABA Offensive Win Shares Leader: 2x (’73, ’74)

ABA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 5x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 5x (’77, ’78, ’80, ’81, ’82)

ABA Top 10 Defensive Win Shares: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ‘75, ’76)

ABA Top 10 Win Shares: 5x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Win Shares: 4x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’80)

ABA Top 10 WS/48: 6x (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 WS/48: 4x (’77, ’78, ’80, ’82)

ABA All-Time Points: 2nd

ABA+NBA All-Time Points: 10th

ABA All Time Rebounds: 6th

ABA+NBA All-Time Win Shares: 22nd

Best Player on one ABA Champion: ’75 Colonels

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 76th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 106th

One of the toughest to rank for sure. His ABA stats just scream offensive player and little else, although he did seem like a good defensive player by ABA standards. Ironically, his worst ABA season led to a Championship, showing perhaps Kentucky was better off with him being the 2nd guy. He seemed like a very good but not great NBA guy as well. He won two NBA playoff series as a featured guy, and as soon as the Nuggets moved on to Alex English and Calvin Natt, the Nuggets nearly went to the Finals. So I don’t know. He doesn’t seem that highly regarded. We’ll go with very good offensive weapon that could be a 3rd guy on your NBA title team. Seems fair.

#84: Artis Gilmore

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ABA MVP: 1x (’72)

All-ABA 1st Team: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

All-ABA Defensive 1st Team: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team: 1x (’78)

All-ABA Rookie 1st Team: (’72)

ABA All-Star: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA All-Star: 6x (’78, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’86)

ABA Top 10 Points: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Points: 2x (’78, ’79)

ABA Rebounds Leader: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Rebounds: 7x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’85)

ABA Blocks Leader: 3x (’72, ’73, ’75)

ABA Top 5 Blocks: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Blocks: 7x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’85)

ABA PER Leader: 1x (’72)

ABA Top 5 PER: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 PER: 5x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’81, ’82)

NBA Offensive Rating Leader: 1x (’82)

ABA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 1x (’76)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 5x (’80, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85)

ABA Defensive Rating Leader: 2x (’74, ’75)

ABA Offensive Win Share Leader: 1x (’72)

ABA Top 5 Offensive Win Shares: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 5x (’78, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83)

ABA Defensive Win Shares Leader: 4x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75)

ABA Top 5 Defensive Win Shares: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 5 Defensive Win Shares: 1x (’77)

ABA Win Shares Leader: 2x (’72, ’73)

ABA Top 5 Win Shares: 5x (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 Win Shares: 7x (’77, ’78, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’85)

ABA WS/48 Leader: 2x (’72, ’73)

ABA Top 5 WS/48: (’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76)

NBA Top 10 WS/48: 5x (’77, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’83)

All-Time ABA Points: 17th

All-Time ABA+NBA Points: 24th

All-Time ABA Rebounds: 2nd

All-Time ABA+NBA Rebounds: 5th

All-Time ABA Blocks: 1st

All-Time NBA Blocks: 23rd

All-Time ABA+NBA Blocks: 4th

All-Time ABA PER: 3rd

All-Time NBA Offensive Rating: 116.9 (21st)

All-Time ABA Defensive Rating: 95.0 (1st)

All-Time ABA Win Shares: 82.2 (1st)

All-Time ABA+NBA Win Shares: 189.7 (9th)

2nd Best Player on one ABA Champion: ’75 Colonels

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 75th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 84th

Quite the resume. Gilmore dominated the ABA obviously and the NBA he was quite good as well. Has to get the edge on Issel because his NBA career is stronger, although not great either. Gilmore’s Bulls teams didn’t win anything and only made the playoff twice, but when he got to team up with George Gervin the Spurs were a force. They still couldn’t get by the Lakers in ’83 and wouldn’t have any success in the Gilmore era.

Still, both Issel and Gilmore were quite good players.

#83: Tracy McGrady

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All-NBA 1st Team: 2x (’02, ’03)

All-NBA 2nd Team: 3x (’01, ’04, ‘07)

All-NBA 3rd Team: 2x (’05, ‘08)

NBA Most Improved Player: 2001

NBA All-Star: 7x (’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ‘07)

NBA Top 10 Points: 6x (’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ‘07)

NBA Top 10 Steals: 1x (‘05)

NBA Top 10 Blocks: (’00)

NBA PPG Leader: 2x (’03, ’04)

NBA PER Leader: 1x (’03)

NBA Top 5 PER: 4x (’01, ’02, ’03, ’04)

NBA Offensive Win Shares Leader: 1x (’03)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 4x (’01, ’02, ’03, ’04)

NBA Top 5 Defensive Win Shares: 1x (’05)

NBA Top 10 NBA Win Shares: 3x (’01, ’03, ’05)

NBA WS/48 Leader: 1x (’03)

NBA All-Time Single Season WS/48: .262 (59th, 40th in 3P Era)

NBA All-Time Single Season PER: 30.3 (17th, one of eight players to hit 30)

Has a 62 Point Game

Never Won a Playoff Series

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 77th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 97th

When I wrote my “What-If Injury All-Stars” article one name I did not include but I was asked about was Tracy McGrady. And while yes, injuries did cut short a tremendous career, the truth of the matter is T-Mac still had the opportunities to have a better career than he did, but he just didn’t want it badly enough.

There was an article that I read a while ago that I THINK came from Grantland that wrote about how everything came so easily to McGrady that the drive to push himself just wasn’t there. Here’s someone with such physical gifts that he actually was Top 10 in blocks one year (2000) despite being a small forward and 6’8”. He also managed to have a top 10 season in steals as well. What you are looking at is someone who had everything offensively. He could be an elite shooter, an elite driver, an elite passer (and in 2003, was those things) and POTENTIALLY could be as good as, if not better than, Scottie Pippen defensively. That is no exaggeration.

In 2003 in terms of pure physical gifts I would take McGrady over Kobe Bryant without question…that’s how great McGrady was. T-Mac’s 2003, before hand checking was banned, was 32.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 46% FG, 38% 3P, 80% FT, 116 Offensive Rating on 35.2 % usage for a WS/48 of .262 and a 30.3 PER (one of eight players to hit 30). Kobe never touched that. Not even Kobe’s crazy 2006. The only teammates T-Mac had that season with a PER above 15? Grant Hill for 29 games and Drew Gooden for 19.

T-Mac was so good that he nearly led his Magic team to a huge upset of the 2003 Pistons. The Magic were up 3-1 (T-Mac famous said that “it was nice to finally get past the first round) but the Pistons won three straight. T-Mac shouldn’t be faulted though, as here were the players who started with him in those playoffs: Gooden (7 games), washed-up Darrell Armstrong (1 game), Pat Garrity (1 game), Gordan Giricek (7 games), Jacque Vaughn (6 games), and Andrew DeClerq (6 games). Even a “how the hell is this guy still in the league” Shawn Kemp played about 10 minutes per game. This team was awful. The fact that McGrady got this team almost over a Pistons team that would make six straight Conference Finals is nuts. It’s also a great what-if, as I think T-Mac’s Magic can beat Iverson’s Sixers in Round 2, and then I have no idea how the Nets planned to guard him.

Back to reality, McGrady never reached those heights again, which was crazy because he was only 24. He had a good season in 2004…he still led the league in PPG, but it wasn’t as transcendent as the year before and since the Magic still sucked around him the team plummeted (and got Dwight Howard in the draft). McGrady went to Houston to team up with Yao, only they couldn’t both stay healthy or win anything (and when the Rockets did win a playoff series…McGrady was injured). McGrady’s last great moment was when he led the 2008 Rockets to 22 straight wins. Those 2008 Rockets again lost in Round 1.

It all comes down to how hard did Tracy McGrady try. I think up until 2003 he tried his damnest (although, even then, the destructive defensive potential he had wasn’t being realized). Then he coasted on his natural talents. When Phil Jackson wrote about how McGrady was potentially going to get traded for Kobe, Jackson said “everytime someone asked McGrady to play defense his back hurt”. Ouch. Even T-Mac’s 62 point game, there’s a point near the end where he could have gotten more but he starts laughing and missing free throws. It’s an odd lack of focus (it’s also the most entertaining game between two 20 wins teams ever probably, as Gilbert Arenas also goes for 40).

I think that’s the big difference between T-Mac and Kobe. Yes T-Mac had an edge in physical, pure basketball talent. But Kobe wanted it more. Kobe wanted to be the greatest. Kobe worked out every day. I think that’s why T-Mac’s body fell apart when Kobe’s didn’t. And that’s a big reason why Kobe is where he is and T-Mac’s down here. Nothing wrong with #83, but he’s someone who should be in the top 20.

#82: Joe Dumars

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NBA Finals MVP: 1x (’89)

All-NBA 2nd Team: 1x (‘93)

All-NBA 3rd Team: 3x (’90, ’91, ’93)

All-NBA Rookie 1st Team: (’86)

All-NBA Defensive 1st Team: 4x (’89, ’90, ’92, ’93)

All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team: 1x (’91)

NBA All-Star: 6x (’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’95, ‘97)

NBA Top 10 Points: 1x (‘93)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 1x (’97)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 1x (‘93)

Role Player on two NBA Champions: 1989 Pistons, 1990 Pistons

Role Player on one Runner-Up: 1988 Pistons

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 74th

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 78th

Dumars is also a tough one to rank, as his advanced metrics defensively suck (as do pretty much all the Piston players of those title teams do…just wait till we get to Isiah) and a lot of his greatness seems to hinge on reputation. Truth is though, Dumars was a tough defensive player, one who gave Jordan tons of problems in the late 80s. Defensive rating just isn’t going to capture a perimeter player’s value. Dumars was so respected defensively that it was considered that he would replace the injured John Stockton on the Dream Team. That’s high praise for sure.

Otherwise, Dumars was fit as a 2nd or 3rd option for title team. His 1989 Finals, where he won MVP, were pretty ridiculous at 27 PPG, 6 APG, 58% FG. That actually made me want to rank him higher. He couldn’t be a leader of a playoff team, but as a 2nd or 3rd guy he was a deadly weapon.

#81: Sidney Moncrief

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NBA Defensive Player of the Year: (’83, ’84)

All-NBA 1st Team: 1x (’83)

All-NBA 2nd Team: 4x (’82, ‘84, ‘85, ‘86)

All-NBA Defensive 1st Team: 1x (‘83)

All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team: 4x (’82, ‘84, ‘85, ‘86)

NBA All-Star: 5x (’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ‘86)

NBA Offensive Rating Leader: 1x (’81)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Rating: 5x (’81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’86)

NBA Top 10 Offensive Win Shares: 5x (’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’86)

NBA Top 10 Defensive Win Shares: 1x (’84)

NBA Top 5 Win Shares: 5x (’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’86)

NBA Top 10 WS/48: 6x (’81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’86)

NBA All-Time Offensive Rating: 119.4 (6th)

Simmons Pyramid Ranking (2010): 73rd

Slam Magazine 500 Ranking (2011): 90th

“When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball. He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.”

That’s a quote from none other than Michael Jordan.

Moncrief’s Bucks were always a tough out in the playoffs. In 1981 they lost by 1 point in Game 7 to the Sixers (although Moncrief was merely a role player then). In 1982, another tough loss to the Sixers although still Moncrief was coming along.

1983 was a breakout, as Moncrief average 23.3 PPG as the Bucks beat Bird’s Celtics in a sweep…but again fell to the (best) Sixers team in the Conference Finals. The Bucks would be back in the Conference Finals again, but this time Bird’s Celtics were ready for them.

The 1985 playoffs are notable because Moncrief’s Bucks are historically one of seven teams to beat a Michael Jordan team in the playoffs, and one of four unique teams (’85 Bucks, ’86 Celtics, ’87 Celtics, ’88 Pistons, ’89 Pistons, ’90 Pistons, ’95 Magic). Moncrief had an insane 150 offensive rating against the Bulls in that series. Jordan was still great, but his 44% shooting was low for him even as a rookie and part of that was because of Moncrief. The Bucks would fall to the Sixers again.

The Bucks would make their third Conference Finals in four years, but the best Celtics team was ready for them. In 1987 it took seven games for the Celtics to get by the Bucks. Moncrief’s body would break down after that, and Terry Cummings and an old Jack Sikma weren’t enough to contend in the East.

Losing to Dr. J, Moses Malone and Larry Bird year after year isn’t that bad. If his career was longer and healthier, who knows, perhaps it’s the Bucks in the 1987 Finals. Too bad Moncrief couldn’t stay healthy. He’s one of the best two way players of all time. Even Michael Jordan said so.