NBA Power Rankings: Michael Jordan and Each Team's Greatest Playoff Performer

Michael Jordan was the greatest postseason player the Bulls have ever had. In equally controversial news, Kobe Bryant likes winning, Dwight Howard is kind of strong and Derrick Rose is sort of quick. 

So what about the rest of the NBA? Here's the rankings of the greatest playoff performer from every team in the NBA.

Just for your entertainment, there's a little video to see what you missed if you're not that old. Ranked by greatness, here they are.

Charlotte Bobcats: Gerald Wallace

The Charlotte Bobcat's have four postseason games in franchise history, so the word "greatest" is used extremely liberally here. 

Gerald Wallace is a very nice player and the most storied player in the relatively brief franchise history. In their four games Wallas has 70 points and 36 rebounds. His 0.6 Win Shares might not sound like much, but it's three times as many as anyone else in franchise history!

Memphis Grizzlies: Pau Gasol

Of course Pau Gasol's major legacy is with the Lakers, but contrary to some claims, he actually did have a successful career before arriving in Hollywood. Now granted, that career didn't constitute any actual playoff wins but he did actually get to the playoffs. 

In his 12 career postseason games with the Grizzlies, he scored 240 points and grabbed 77 rebounds.

With Memphis getting their first ever postseason win and the chance to do more, who knows though? Maybe Zach Randolph or little brother Marc could pass him up this season.  

Toronto Raptors: Vince Carter

The furthest the Raptors have ever gone in the playoffs was all the way to the second round. In 2001, Vince Carter led them to a thrilling seven-game series that was decided by a single point.

In his 15 postseason games with Toronto, Carter averaged 25.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and five assists. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Bob McAdoo

With some of the franchises, the relatively low playoff totals are excusable as they are younger franchises. With the Clippers though, it's almost comical that they've been around for 41 years, and the player who has the most career postseason games has only 22 with the organization.

The franchise has only made it to the postseason seven times.  

What makes it even funnier is that their greatest postseason player had more success with the other Los Angeles team that wins as often as the Clippers lose, which is to say just about always. 

That's not to take anything at all away from what McAdoo did as a Clipper though or more accurately as a Buffalo Brave. While there, he averaged 32.0 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, leading the Braves all the way to the second round three of the four times they've gotten that far. 

New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul

Chris Paul's legacy in one that is only beginning. His postseason performances have been nothing short of amazing.

With 22 points and 11 dimes per postseason contest, Chris Paul stands as the only player in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 assists per game in the postseason. 

I hope for New Orleans sake that he doesn't find a new "New" to play in. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Garnett

At this point, it's hard to believe he used to wear a different shade of green isn't it? Garnett average 22.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and five assists in the postseason with the T' Wolves.

He also led them to their deepest postseason run taking them all the way to the conference finals. 

Actually, let me rephrase that. He took them to every postseason run. Minnesota has never made the playoffs without him. He's not just the greatest player in their postseason history, he is their postseason history. 

Denver Nuggets: Alex English

Alex English had a really nice backspin on his shot. Har har! Get it?

OK. I couldn't resist. 

You might have been assuming Carmelo Anthony, but Alex English makes the decision easier than you might suspect. He's the franchise leader in both total points and points per game. He has 1,540 total playoff points to Anthony's 1,104. He also has 11 more rebounds, 280 assists to Anthony's 133 and fewer turnovers.

To add the icing on the cake, he also led the Nuggets to the same number of Western Conference finals but led them to nine postseason runs to Anthony's  seven and six series wins to Anthony's two.  

Sacramento Kings: Oscar Robertson

If you wanted, you could make a case for Arnie Risen who led the team to its only franchise title. I don't know he makes the best choice though. Oscar Robertson is the franchise's postseason leader in total points and points per game, as well as total assists and assists per game. 

His averages are just shy across the board of his famous 30 points and triple-double at 29.7 points, 9.4 assists and 9.3 rebounds. 

Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is having a nice little start to the playoffs this year isn't he? I mean that little 79 points and 38 rebounds in the first two games.

I thought it would be close between Howard and Shaq, but it wasn't. Howard is franchise leader all time for both rebounds and points in the postseason.

And he's still going. How much longer will he be there? Will he 'Bron-'Bron the Magic,  'Melo them or Duncan them? I suspect they're hoping for that last choice in Orlando. 

Golden Stat Warriors: Rick Barry

This was a bit of a tough choice.

On the one hand, Wilt Chamberlain's averages are just through the roof, off the charts and to the moon. With the Warriors, he averaged 34.6 points and 25.6 rebounds.

On the other hand, Rick Barry's career totals are higher, and he has the ring. So I went with Barry. 

Barry is the Warrior's all-time leader in both total postseason points and assists. In 1975, the year they won, he was also the Finals MVP

Oklahoma City Thunder: Gus Williams

If you're a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, here's a little factoid that should put a smile on your face. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are first and fourth in franchise history in points per game. They haven't won a series yet (with the operative word being yet—that should be no longer true by the end of the month). 

Gary Payton was worth 20 points and six dimes a night, as well as being arguably the greatest defensive point guard in NBA history. He also led the Thunder to the NBA Finals where they were one of the many victims of the Jordan era. 

Gus Williams led the team to their one franchise title though in 1979.  So he gets the nod as greatest postseason player in franchise history. Williams averaged 23.2 points and 5.3 assists with the SuperSonics in the playoffs.  

Phoenix Suns: Kevin Johnson

You were thinking Charles Barkley? Steve Nash?  Amar'e Stoudemire? No, no and no. All of those might have better runs while they were there, but Kevin Johnson gets it based on his sheer length of stay. His 105 postseason games is by far the most of any Sun. 

He's the franchise all-time postseason leader in assists, points and steals. He averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in the playoffs and was with the team when they reached the Finals in 1993. 

New Jersey Nets: Jason Kidd

Allow me to take note of the irony that as I type this, Jason Kidd is helping the Dallas Mavericks in their second game against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Jason Kidd is the franchise's all-time playoff leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals and led the team to its only trip to the NBA Finals.

On the "who do I chose" dilemma list,  this was was probably the easiest decision other than Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett. 

Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade

As long as they are both on the Heat, Dwyane Wade will have one more ring than LeBron James. For that reason, it's hard to see a situation where LeBron would ever pass Wade as the greatest postseason player in Heat history. 

Who was the leader of the Beatles anyway? John or Paul? Point being is it doesn't really matter as long as the hits keep coming.

Portland Trail Blazers: Clyde Drexler

I have certain steadfast opinions on certain players.

One of those is if Clyde Drexler played in the You Tube era, he would be considered one of the 20 greatest players in NBA history. He's one of only six players in NBA history to average 20 points, six boards and five dimes per game. 

He played in a small market in an era when small market's didn't get national attention near the scale they do now. He also was a victim of the Jordan era, particularly because Drexler was 90 percent of Jordan across the board. Make no mistake about it; 90 percent of Jordan is pretty spectacular. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James

There are probably some people who would prefer to judge LeBron for what he didn't do. He didn't stay in Cleveland. He didn't win a ring. He didn't give enough effort. That's one way to look at it but not the only way.

LeBron is the Cavaliers all-time leader in Cavaliers history in points, rebounds, assists and games played. He's led the team to it's only playoff run. If you look at what he has done, and not just what he hasn't done, there's not even a contest. 

Atlanta Hawks: Bob Pettit

Bob Pettit led the Hawks to their only championship in franchise history. He's their all-time postseason leader in both postseason points with 2,240 and total rebounds with 1,304.

The first ever MVP was the greatest player in Hawks history and the greatest postseason player in Hawks history.  

Milwaukee Bucks: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

What!?! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a Laker! 

Well, he was a Milwaukee Buck first. Remember the Lakers have a history of winning titles by scooping up every great center except Bill Russell. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Shaq and Pau all started off somewhere else before getting rings with LA. 

Kareem's postseason career with the Bucks was to say the least, impressive though as he averaged 29.7 points and 16.8 rebounds per game through 57 games with the team. He also led the team to its only championship in 1971 and back to the Finals where they lost to Boston in 1974. Kareem was the MVP both years.  

Washington Wizards, Wes Unseld

Wes Unseld's 1,777 rebounds are the most in postseason franchise history, his 455 assists are the most and his 1,260 points are second most. Elvin Hayes' 1,977 points are the most, and his 1,131 rebounds are second most.

It was a tough decision which of these two to select. 

So why Unseld over Hayes? Ultimately the tie-breaker was Finals appearances. Unseld was there for both Finals runs, while Hayes was only there for the championship run. In addition, in the championship year, 1978, Unseld was the Finals MVP. 

Indiana Pacers: Reggie Miller

As the franchise's all-time leader in both points and games played, it's really not even close. Miller also led the team to its only NBA Finals appearance (I'm not including ABA for the purposes of these rankings). Those are just supporting reasons though. 

Reggie was a KILL-ER. Just ask Spike Lee. His eight points in nine seconds was arguably the nine most exciting, what-in-the-heck-just-happened seconds in NBA history. 

Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk is not only the all-time Mavericks leader in points and rebounds. With 2,693 points and 1,135 rebounds, he has more than twice as many as any other Maverick ever. His 105 postseason games are 41 more than anyone else. 

I think Dirk is one of those players who gets bashed too much. I still regard him as one of the hardest players to guard in the NBA. In my opinion, he is the best shooter of any 7-footer in NBA history. His shot is a work of art. It should be studied and put in museums. 

Detroit Pistons: Isiah Thomas

Isaiah Thomas led the Detroit to the Finals three times, and they won twice. He was the Finals MVP once, in 1990. During the postseason that year, Thomas averaged 20.8 points and 8.2 assists per game. 

In franchise history, he is the all-time leader in assists with 987 and second in points with 2,261. He is the easy choice even though there are other Pistons who would be the choice on other teams. Both Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups have impressive resumes as well. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Julius Erving

Julius Erving is the easier choice than you might have expected.

His 3,088 career postseason points are nearly 1,200 more than Allen Iverson's 1,899.  Erving is also second in franchise history in assists to Maurice Cheeks with 594 and second to Wilt Chamberlain in points.

Along with Moses Malone, he also led the 76ers to the "Fo, fo, fo" championship. 

New York Knicks: Walt Frazier

This one wasn't easy. Ultimately though there were two reasons I chose Frazier over Patrick Ewing. Those reasons are 1970 and 1973.

Then, just in case there was any more doubt, there's Game 7 in 1970 where Frazier scored 39 points and had 19 assists in one of the four or five greatest Game 7 performance in Finals history. 

Utah Jazz: John Stockton and Karl Malone

This one was a bit of a cheat on a couple of counts. Stockton and Malone are actually two people not one. They also never won a championship, which makes them the highest ranking of anyone who didn't actually win a ring and over some players who won multiple rings. 

So why have them here? Well, there's something I like to call the Jordan exception. People that had to play against Jordan just don't have to abide by the same standards, because Jordan is Jordan.

One thing that some people don't know is that Dominque Wilkins was selected by the Jazz but didn't want to play there. That along with money problems in the franchise led him to be traded to Atlanta. 

Let's just say hypothetically that he stayed in Utah and played with John Stockton and Karl Malone. Would we be talking about Jordan and Pippen the way we talk about Stockton and Malone now and would Stockton and Malone be Jordan and Pippen? Food for thought.

Houston Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem is far and away the greatest player in the history of the Houston Rockets. He led the team to its only two titles, but that only begins to  tell the story. It's not just that he did that but how he did that. 

What makes Hakeem's first title so impressive is that he did it almost single handedly. He averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the postseason in 1993, as well as being the most dominant defensive presence on the court. 

Otis Thorpe was second on the team in PER with 16.1. That makes Thorpe the worst "Robin" in the history of the NBA. No one ever won an championship with less help than Hakeem. If there was ever a "Superman," it was Hakeem. 

San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan

The conversation of "greatest player playing right now" is not as cut and dry as some might believe. I think there's a very credible case to be made for Tim Duncan.

It's not just in numbers, and that's really not a backhanded swipe at Kobe Bryant, although some will read that into it. 

It's not because Kobe Bryant's first three rings were because of Shaq either; I think that without Kobe, the Lakes don't have those rings, so I don't take anything away from him for that. 

The reason I think that Duncan deserves some extra consideration is that Duncan was the psychological core, the personality and the fortitude of the Spurs. For the Lakers, that was always the Zen Master,  Phil Jackson. Kobe is the "killer" in the games, but Duncan is the solidity and consistency of the Spurs and that's why they won.  

Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson

Lakers history is so rich that this one is a tough one to pick, but ultimately I had to go with Magic. He is the franchise all-time postseason leader in Win Shares with 32.6 ( Jerry West is second with 26.7) and assists with 2,346 (West is second with 970). He is also fifth in rebounds and fourth in points.

It came down to either Magic or Kobe. Kobe has about 1,300 more points, Magic has about 1,400 more assists and 400 more boards. Both have five rings. Kobe is still playing though and has time to claim the top spot though.

Either would claim the top spot for all but two other teams in the NBA though.  

Boston Celtics: Bill Russell

His 11 rings make him an easy choice and one that really doesn't need a lot of defense. He was without a doubt the greatest player of his era, one of the three greatest of all time (second on my personal list) and the leader of the greatest dynasty in the history of American professional sports.

So why is he second overall and not first? That's what needs to be defended here.

It's because the league was smaller then. Winning the championship is not as difficult in an eight-team league. Keeping a dynasty together isn't as hard when there's no free agency. I'm not trying to take anything away from Russell. It's just that there are mitigating circumstances.

Having said that, I think when it comes to what goes beyond basketball, Russell's greatness goes way beyond the court and is most assuredly deserving of the Medal of Freedom recently bestowed on him.  

Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is the greatest postseason player not just in the history of the Chicago Bulls but in the history of the NBA. To put things in perspective, in the last eight seasons he played a full season, he led the NBA in postseason scoring, including the years where he had one less series than other teams.

His career postseason average was 33.4 points per game, combined with 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists. It's just amazing what he did. People wonder about the next Jordan. There might be another greatest player, but there will never be another Jordan. 

There will never be another Jordan because the defining thing about him was beyond his stats, as ridiculous as they were. His last five titles, it wasn't even a question as to whether he'd win. The only question was who would he beat, and he beat all the greatest from his era. 

He's Jordan.