Best second option in NBA playoff history?

[riseagainst]

the sixers were the best team they faced

early 00's was horrible in general

[TheMilkyBarKid]

You are forgetting that LeBron had Bosh too, without Bosh, Wades stats would be much higher, thats a fact.

I don't think you know what a fact is.

[TheMilkyBarKid]

Kobe was getting it done in crunch time too though.

Because lebron choked hard in 2012 right?

[ArbitraryWater]

I don't think you know what a fact is.

[Odinn]

Magic had:
KAJ in 1980 put up 32/12/3 on 57% with 4 blocks per game

Cedric Maxwell had:
Bird in 1981 put up 22/14/6 on 47% with 2.3 steals per game

Parker had:
Duncan in 2007 put up 22/12/3 on 52% with 3 blocks per game

It's sad that you think you understand the game.

[KG215]

I do realize that Maxwell and Bird is probably the one example we can "switch" but as I've mentioned before, I only did it this way so peeps wouldn't say "But what about Kareem, what about Duncan, What about Parker, etc"

If we are comparing Bird's second option in 1981 the he had:
Cedrix Maxwell in 1981 put up 16/7/3 on 58% with 1 block per game

But we would probably also have to include his third option, Robert Parish:
Robert Parish in 1981 put up 15/9/1 on 49% with 2 blocks and 1 steal per game

Since they're very close in stats. So he had like 2 good 2nd options vs 1 great one? lol McHale was still a rookie and didn't play a lot of minutes in 81, he started to come alive in 82 though.

Bird also had yet another 16 ppg scorer in Tiny Archibald (16/6 on 45% with 1 steal per game). Dat stackage.

Fair enough on the first part.

On another note, the whole "Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers were unfairly stacked," comments always bug me. In theory, yes, that's true, but if I recall correctly, teams at that time were deeper in general...or at least the contenders/better playoff teams were. I remember reading an article a while back (can't even begin to remember where or the name of it or I'd look for it) about how teams today (2000s) simply wouldn't be able to afford rosters like that under the more recent CBAs. Never mind that it wasn't just one "stacked" team competing against the rest of the league. The Lakers, Celtics, and 76ers were all "stacked", and other fringe contenders throughout the decade (Rockets, Hawks, Bucks, Suns, etc.) were more "stacked" than what we're used to in the NBA today.

[Heavincent]

except lebron

[TheCorporation]

Kobe was getting it done in crunch time too though.

I always love these comments so I serve out an ether

So you're saying that either:

a) LeBron is so good he didn't even need to play in "crunch" time, thus playing less and STILL maintaning better stats? lol

b)LeBron is so good his team doesn't usually play much crunch time since they don't have guys shooting 44% from the field and thus making the game very close.

[Ne 1]

b)LeBron is so good his team doesn't usually play much crunch time since they don't have guys shooting 44% from the field and thus making the game very close.

You know difference between 50% and 45% in one game is like 1 extra missed shot?

[TheCorporation]

You know difference between 50% and 45% in one game is like 1 extra missed shot?

10/20
9/20

Yes, exactly. Do you know how many times an extra 2-3 points would make all the difference in a game? Imagine having that edge, every single game.

[Ne 1]

10/20
9/20

Yes, exactly. Do you know how many times an extra 2-3 points would make all the difference in a game? Imagine having that edge, every single game.

It would matter, except it's well known LeBron plays to his FG% and admittedly protects his induvidual efficiency.