12 Sports Stars Who'd Be Postseason Hall of Famers

Success during the regular season is cool and all, but ask players like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone or Dan Marino if they'd trade their Hall of Fame regular-season stats for a championship, and I bet they'd say "absolutely" in a heartbeat.

The postseason is where legends are created.

Sure, there have been performances by superstars that have defined their legacies, but there are other athletes who have stepped their game up once the brightest of lights shine.

While these players are debatable Hall of Famers in real life, this piece is a tribute to them for their playoff success, where they would be first-ballot nominees if there were such a thing.

Jeremy Roenick

A nine-time NHL All-Star and the most dominant video game hockey player on the planet, Jeremy Roenick had a career that never included a Stanley Cup but was still superb.

And while Roenick may not be classified as a Hall of Famer even after his 513 career goals, 703 career assists and 1,216 career points, he would get some consideration as a postseason Hall of Famer, as he had some moments that opposing fans are still fuming about.

Roenick ranks tied for fourth in league history with four overtime playoff goals and, after netting 53 total career goals in the postseason, deserves some recognition for being a stud once the second season started.

Terrell Davis

ED REINKE/Associated Press

The Hall of Fame credentials for former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis were cut short due to injury, but that doesn't mean the guy wasn't as lethal a runner as anyone during the years he was healthy.

A beast from 1995-1998, TD showed that the brightest lights brought out the best in him, as he helped guide the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins during the '97 and '98 seasons.

Arguably one of the best postseason runners in league history, Davis "is tied with Emmitt Smith for most 100-plus-yard rushing games in the playoffs with seven," per NFL.com. Even more impressive, the performances came in seven consecutive games, which is an NFL record.

Ranking first in league history by averaging 142.5 yards per playoff game, Terrell Davis would find himself with a bust on this postseason Hall of Fame list for sure.

Derek Fisher

With five NBA championships on his resume as a player, longtime point guard Derek Fisher showed he knew how to win on the biggest stage—even if his role was to set up superstars like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and others.

A top-50 player in scoring (45) and assists (36) in NBA playoff history, Fisher was a dependable piece of each one of his title-winning squads, coming through in big moments when asked thanks to his penchant for timely shooting.

To this day, his shot to beat the San Antonio Spurs in 2004 is still one of the most remarkable in NBA history—and it helped the Lakers reach the NBA Finals for a fourth time in five years.

Andy Pettitte

Does former New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte deserve a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame? With 256 career wins and five World Series titles, one could make a very good argument.

If the crafty lefty doesn't wind up in Cooperstown, though, at least he can hang his hat on the contributions he made throughout his career that helped secure those championships, as Pettitte was one of the best playoff performers in MLB history.

That's because when October came, Pettitte turned into an absolute monster.

In 44 career playoff games—all starts—the former Yankee compiled a 19-11 record with a 3.81 ERA, with the 19 victories and 44 starts ranking first in MLB history. Pettitte also owns the record for most innings pitched in MLB postseason history with 276.2.

Pettitte's Hall of Fame credentials cause a tricky debate, but his postseason resume is one of the all-time best.

Adam Vinatieri

Sure, current Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri ranking second in league history in all-time postseason games is nice and all, but that pales in comparison to the success the four-time Super Bowl champ has had once he's gotten there.

As ice-cold as they come, Vinatieri has kicked clutch field goals on the biggest stage and in all sorts of weather, holding a number of NFL playoff records.

In fact, that right leg of his won Super Bowls for the New England Patriots on two different occasions in the final seconds, proving he was cold-hearted no matter how big the situation. There may never be another kicker as accomplished as him in NFL history.

Chauncey Billups

There was a time during his 17-year career when many gave up on Chauncey Billups, believing he had become a bust because he bounced around from team to team and failed to produce on the level expected of a former No. 3 overall pick.

Boy, did he ever silence those critics once he found a permanent home with the Detroit Pistons.

A fearless leader who helped guide his Pistons to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances—which included one victory and Billups snagging the Finals MVP—he found himself among some of the best players in NBA playoff history.

Billups ultimately finished his career ranking 35th on the all-time league scoring list in the postseason and made a name for himself with his big shots and guidance of those talented Pistons teams.

Curt Schilling

Former pitcher Curt Schilling has had a few hiccups during his broadcasting career, but while he was on the mound—especially in the postseason—the guy was as lethal as they come.

In 19 career starts in the playoffs, Schilling went an absurd 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA, etching his name in playoff lore thanks to memorable performances that included the likes of the "Bloody Sock" game in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Schilling may have been the last person any opposing team wanted to see on the bump when the calendar hit October, and his postseason legacy will live on forever—especially after winning three World Series rings.

Joe Flacco

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco elite? That has always been the one question about the guy, but based off history, one can't argue he's one of the best in the business during crunch time.

Carrying an overall postseason record of 10-5, Flacco helped guide the Ravens to their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history in February 2013, taking home game MVP honors while doing so.

Seemingly unfazed when forced to play on the road during the postseason, Flacco is as cool as they come, winning his NFL-record sixth playoff road game during the Super Bowl run and adding another road victory since then.

So is Flacco elite? He may not put up ridiculous numbers, but he's a proven playoff winner, so absolutely.

Carlos Beltran

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

While Carlos Beltran lacks the postseason experience others have had to fill the all-time records list, he still lands here because of the gaudy stats he has produced in limited action of playing playoff baseball.

Beltran, who has appeared in 52 playoff games, has blasted 16 home runs, driven in 40 runs and batted a blistering .332 during that time.

No, he's not quite the second coming of Mr. October, but Beltran has put up numbers that should get him mentioned in the same sentence as some of the best in the game once the playoffs begin, including his single-season playoff record of eight home runs and 21 runs in 56 plate appearances during the 2004 postseason.

Claude Lemieux

Always one of the most aggressive players in NHL history, when the intensity was highest during the postseason, former right winger Claude Lemieux always seemed to bring out his biggest hits.

A fierce competitor, Lemieux finished his career ranked third on the NHL's all-time list for most playoff penalty minutes as well as third with 19 career game-winning goals in the postseason, proving he would do it all for a victory.

Playing in 233 career playoff games, Claude Lemieux was a do-it-all kind of guy for four Stanley Cup championship teams—and one of the best in the biz at enforcing his will on opponents.

Robert Horry

One of the more remarkable stats about former NBA player Robert Horry's postseason career is that in five of his seven seasons in which he won a title, he didn't average double-digit points or rebounds.

To put it bluntly, Horry was nothing more than a player who knew his role, shut his mouth and did everything just about average.

Well, that is unless the game was on the line and his team needed a clutch shot, which is when "Big Shot Bob" put on a Superman cape and decided to turn into the second coming of Michael Jordan, hitting game-winners to deflate an opponent.

Robert Horry never made an All-Star Game in his 16-year career, yet he ranks tied for fourth on the all-time title list and was the ideal piece for numerous championship clubs.

Bernie Williams

A four-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, former outfielder Bernie Williams epitomized what it was to be a winner.

Williams had a fine 16-year MLB career, hitting 287 home runs, driving in 1,257 runs and batting .297. It was in the postseason where he really made his mark, finishing with a bunch of records that have stood the test of time.

Playing in 121 career playoff games, Williams finds himself in the top three on the MLB all-time postseason list in 10 different categories, and he is first in RBI (80) and second in home runs (22), runs scored (83), hits (128), total bases (223), doubles (29), and walks (71).

On regular-season stats alone, Williams probably isn't a Hall of Famer. But if based solely on postseason numbers, he's a first-ballot candidate.