The Eternal Debate: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

When comparing two basketball players, how do you determine who’s better? There’s many factors; per game stats, advanced stats, individual accolades, championships, finals appearances, etc. There are players who had very good, very long careers, and others who were in the NBA for shorter spans but were spectacular while they were there. These days, the debate over who’s the greatest ever mostly comes down to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, although there’s a few others, like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that I think should be in the conversation, but there’s too much recency bias for that it seems. Some people have Kobe Bryant at number one, which I think is a bit ridiculous and I’m guessing most of them are just deranged Laker fans.

For full disclosure, it’s my opinion that Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player ever. I think there’s a case to be made for LeBron James, but I happen to think Michael’s case is stronger. Since LeBron’s career is ongoing, it’s more difficult to compare them than it is to compare MJ to Kareem for example, but I’ll try anyway.

So what is Michael Jordan’s case vs. LeBron?

He won twice as many championships.

Championships aren’t everything, but they are the ultimate goal NBA players strive for, and Michael Jordan has, so far, twice as many of them. Some say that championships don’t matter because they’re a team accomplishment. To me that makes no sense, because Jordan was the number one reason his team was able to accomplish winning six of them. People are often inconsistent with this and will use LeBron’s victory over Golden State in 2016 or his nine finals appearances to ague that he’s better than Jordan. If winning a championship is just a team accomplishment, shouldn’t you say the same thing about a Finals appearance?

He never lost in the Finals.

Jordan never failed once he reached basketball’s biggest stage, and his teams beat some of the best teams to ever lose the Finals in the ’93 Suns, ’96 SuperSonics, and ’97 and ’98 Jazz. He was the MVP in all six of those Finals, and he average over 30 points in five of them. He also never had a Finals where he played flat out poorly by his standards, like LeBron did in 2011. Unlike LeBron, he never needed to go seven games to win a Finals, and usually closed them out in six, and on one occasion, five.

He played in a tougher Eastern Conference.

In five of Jordan’s 15 seasons, the East had more 50+ win teams than the West (’85, ’86, ’87, ’89, ’97). There were five other years where there were equal numbers of 50 win teams in each conference (’88, ’92, ’95, ’96, 98). The Big Three Celtics, Bad Boy Pistons, Cavaliers of the late ’80s-early ’90s and Patrick Ewing’s Knicks all come to mind when thinking of the East in his era. In the 15 years LeBron spent in the Eastern Conference, there was only one season where there were more 50 win teams in the East, that being 2018 (for 2012 I extrapolated based on win%). There was an equal number of 50 win teams just once also, in 2006. In total, that’s eight more seasons in Jordan’s era that the East was as tough or tougher than the West.

He actually played good teams in the first round.

Much is made of the fact that in their first three trips to the playoffs, Jordan’s Bulls were eliminated in the first round and had a record of one win and nine losses in those three series. Those who harp on about that never say how good their opponents were or how weak the Bulls were outside of Jordan. In 1985, they faced the Milwaukee Bucks, a 59 win team and one of the best defensive teams in the league, who were coached by Don Nelson and led by Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings and Paul Pressey The Bulls lost to Milwaukee three games to one. In 1986, they faced one of the greatest teams of all time in the 67 win Boston Celtics, featuring Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson. Jordan had an incredible series, averaging almost 44 points a game, and set a new playoff record with 63 points in game two, but Boston was unstoppable. In ’87 he met another Celtics team, this one with 59 wins. Boston’s bench wasn’t what it was the year before, but their starting five was still there, and it was another sweep. Jordan’s Bulls later beat two 50+ win teams in the first round, those being the 57 win Cavaliers in 1989 and the 50 win Hornets in ’95. They played fewer weak teams in the first round compared to LeBron’s teams. Jordan’s Bulls played only two teams with a record of .500 or less, while LeBron’s teams have played seven .500 or less teams in the first round and even one in the second (the ’07 Nets). The best opponent that a LeBron team has faced in round one was the 48 win Pacers in 2018, who pushed his Cavs to seven games.

He had slightly tougher playoff competition but was still slightly more successful.

Collectively, Jordan’s playoff opponents had an average winning percentage of .653 (about equal to a 54-28 record). For LeBron’s teams, the average opponent’s win% is a bit lower at .632 (about equal to 51-31). Despite that, Jordan’s Bulls won 80.1% of their playoff series, as opposed to LeBron’s 77.8%. Not a huge difference, but it’s there.

He never left to form a super team.

It’s hard to define exactly what a super team is, but however you define it, Michael Jordan certainly never joined one. Some might argue that the Bulls of ’96 to ’98 were a super team. Personally I don’t think so, but even if they were, that team was created around Jordan; he didn’t create it himself. LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010 after losing to the big three Celtics for the second time in three seasons. I’m not sure what I think of LeBron’s ‘decision,’ other than it might’ve been better received if not for the terrible TV special he used to announce it. It’s true he didn’t have much help in Cleveland the first time around and Boston looked like it might dominate the East for years to come, but it’s hard to imagine Jordan, after losing to the Bad Boy Pistons for the third time, bailing on Chicago to join up with Charles Barkley or Patrick Ewing. What bugs me is LeBron saying that he doesn’t think he’s ever played on a super team, when Dwyane Wade was one of the best players in the league besides James himself in 2010, and Chris Bosh was an All Star every year from 2006 until he retired in 2016. I’d like to know what he considers a super team if that doesn’t qualify. Even LeBron’s team in Cleveland from ’15 through ’17 with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love could possibly be considered super team territory.

He played fewer seasons, games and minutes than LeBron has but accomplished more.

It’s true LeBron has only played one more season than Jordan did (16 vs. 15), but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Jordan only played 18 games in ’85-86 because of a broken foot, and only averaged 23 minutes a game due to minute restrictions when he returned. In ’94-95, he only played the last 17 games after coming back from minor league baseball, and wasn’t really in basketball shape until the next season. He played his last two seasons in ’02 and ’03 for the Wizards at ages 38-40 after being retired for three full years. Most of what he accomplished, including all six championships, took place in just eleven seasons he played in Chicago when he wasn’t either coming back from an injury or from playing a different sport. LeBron did miss 27 games due to injury this past year, but that was the first time he was sidelined for a significant chunk of a season. Some of this I got from Dom2k’s awesome Youtube video on the subject, so if you’re a basketball junkie like me and you haven’t looked at his stuff yet, I strongly recommend you check him out.

He won 25 out of 26 playoff series between 1991 and 1998.

MJ took all of ’93-94 off, but I still think it’s crazy that he only lost one playoff series in the seven seasons he played between 1991 and ’98. He and the Bulls took on 26 teams, and only one, the ’95 Magic, were able to bump them off, and that was when MJ was still in baseball shape and adjusting to the NBA. It also showed the importance that Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman had for the Bulls, as that was the year after Grant’s departure and before Rodman’s arrival. Grant was now playing for Orlando, and played a big role in beating his old team.

He didn’t miss the playoffs as many times.

Not a huge difference here, but Jordan only missed the playoffs twice, and that was when he was in his late 30s and early 40s playing for the Wizards. LeBron’s Cavs missed the post-season his first two years in the league and his Lakers missed out this year. Of course in the ’04 and ’05 seasons LeBron ranged in age from 18 to 20, and this past year, LBJ only played 55 games due to injury.

He didn’t have much help winning his first three rings besides Pippen.

From the ’91 to ’93 seasons, Jordan and Pippen weren’t exactly surrounded by talent. Horace Grant was a damn good rebounder and defensive player, but was only an All Star once, in 1994, when Jordan was playing baseball. Center Bill Cartwright did make an All Star game. While playing for the Knicks. In 1980. John Paxson was a solid PG, but only twice did he average over ten points per game. I don’t mean to disrespect anyone who played for those teams, but if you compare their rosters to the Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons of a few years earlier, they clearly don’t have the same kind of depth. And yet, for three straight years, they were winning between 57 and 67 games and bringing home a banner.

He had more points per game on a higher FG% excluding the Wizards years

Michael Jordan is the NBA’s all time leader in points per game with 30.1, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain. If you exclude his Wizards years, his average rises to 31.5 ppg. LeBron James so far has averaged a still elite 27.2 ppg. Jordan’s fg% as a Bull was 50.5%, although including the Wizards years lowers it to 49.7%. LeBron James so far has averaged 50.4%. When comparing the two, I think it makes sense to exclude Jordan’s Washington stats, as LeBron is still only 34, much younger than Jordan was at that stage. Jordan also led the league in scoring a record ten times, something LeBron has done once.

He was a much better free throw shooter.

Jordan averaged 83.5% at the line for his career, while LeBron so far is at 73.6%. Jordan ranged from 85.7% in ’87 to 78.4% in ’98. LeBron’s best mark so far was 78% in ’09 and his worst was 66.5% this past season. Not to crap on LBJ, but it’s a bit surprising that Jordan’s worst ft% (including when he was a Wizard) is still better LeBron’s best.

He was likely a better defensive player.

Jordan is usually considered the better defensive player, although LeBron’s size allows him to guard more positions than Jordan usually did. Jordan was Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, which is an award LeBron’s yet to win. Jordan averaged 2.3 steals per game, 2.5 during the Bulls years, and led the league in steals three times (’88, ’90 and ’93), something LeBron has never done. LBJ has averaged 1.6 steals during his career. Despite the height difference in LeBron’s favor, Jordan averaged just as many blocks per game (0.8), and as a Bull averaged slightly more at 0.9. LeBron has been accused of slacking off on defense recently, something that, as far as I know, MJ was never criticized for.

He averaged more offensive rebounds.

As mentioned earlier, LeBron has the obvious size advantage, so this isn’t one you’d necessarily expect. In LBJ’s defense though, offensive rebounding was a bigger part of the game in Jordan’s day and he still has more rebounds overall.

He has a higher PER, BPM and WS/48.

He has the advantage in these three advanced stats and also has nearly as many win shares as LeBron despite playing 126 fewer games.

LeBron’s per game averages will almost certainly drop before he retires.

LeBron benefits in some ways in this debate from still being an active player. His statistics will likely decline the longer he plays, which could lower his career averages the way Jordan’s years in Washington did. Jordan also hurt his averages by retiring for nearly two full seasons in his prime to play baseball.

LeBron’s case

He’s had more finals appearances

Nine finals appearances really is insane, and eight in a row is even crazier. LeBron is tied at fourth all time in appearances with Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Tom Heinsohn. Only Bill Russell, Sam Jones and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have been there more. Although he’s won twice as many rings, Jordan is tied for 18th in appearances with thirteen other players. I didn’t have time to look this up, but I’m quite sure no one else has played in eight straight Finals since the Celtics dynasty of the ’50s and ’60s.

He’s faced slightly better finals opponents.

On average, LeBron’s Finals opponents have been slightly better regular season teams with an average winning percentage of .756, compared to .746 for Jordan’s opponents. Not a big difference (basically a 62 win team vs. a 61 win team), and it’s largely due to the outliers that were the 2016 Warriors, but it’s worth noting. The 2017 Warriors were also one of the best teams ever though, and they and the ’18 Warriors were very much stacked with talent.

He’s never lost in the first round.

Although he’s missed the playoffs three times, LeBron’s teams have never lost in the first round in their 13 trips there, which is what happened to Jordan in his first three NBA seasons. As noted before though, Jordan faced considerably tougher competition in the first round than LeBron has. Still, making to at least the second round 13 out of 13 times is a big accomplishment.

He’s already played more than MJ and has been extremely durable.

LeBron has already played in 126 more games and 5,224 more minutes than Jordan did, not even counting playoffs, and has been more durable than him or just about any player ever. Jordan was one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he did have a fondness for whiskey, cigars, staying up all night playing cards and spending a huge amount of time golfing rather than resting. LeBron, by contrast, has spent millions of dollars staying in the best condition possible, and his endurance brings to mind past greats like Wilt, Malone, Kareem, and Robert Parish. That’s not to say that Jordan wasn’t durable as well, and he really only had one major injury, but he was also aided by not playing pro basketball from June of ’93 until March of ’95. It’s possible MJ could’ve had an even greater career though if he’d taken better care of himself.

He led two very underwhelming teams to the NBA finals in 2007 and 2018.

The 2007 Cavs, who won 50 games, had no All Stars besides a 22 year old LeBron. Their second leading scorer was Larry Hughes who averaged less than 15 points a game. Personally I think this accomplishment is a bit overblown. In the first two rounds the Cavs faced two 41 win teams, the Wizards and Nets, before facing the Pistons in the Conference Finals. With 53 wins, Detroit was the only other team in the East with over 50. Detroit did win a championship in ’04 and made the Finals in ’05, but that was when they had Ben Wallace, one of the best defensive players of the decade, who by ’07 was playing for Chicago. Still, LeBron was unstoppable in game five with 48 points, giving his team a two point win. Cleveland was swept by the Spurs in the Finals. Still, he’d made it that far in his fourth year at age 22, while Jordan first didn’t make the Finals until his seventh year at age 28.

In 2018 the Cavs had another 50 win season and their second best player was All Star power forward Kevin Love, but they weren’t a deep team, and Kyrie Irving had split for Boston the year before. They were pushed to seven games by the 48 win Pacers in the first round before sweeping the 59 win Raptors in the second. My Celtics almost had them in the Eastern Finals even without two All Stars in Kyrie and Gordon Hayward, but the Cavs gutted out a game seven win in Boston, as the Celtics bricked three after three, before getting swept by Golden State. Although some of his competition wasn’t top notch, leading a team to the Finals without much help is an impressive feat that even the best players rarely achieve.

He’s averaged more assists.

LeBron’s put up almost two more assists a game than Jordan, with 7.2 to MJ’s 5.3. He’s considered a better passer and playmaker and a less selfish player. Of course one of the things that makes the two hard to compare is that Jordan was a two guard who’s main job was to score, while LeBron is a forward who often plays more like a point guard.

He’s a better rebounder, particularly defensively.

LBJ’s averaged 7.4 rebounds, while Jordan grabbed 6.2 per game. Although Jordan had the advantage in offensive rebounds, LeBron has had 6.2 defensive rebounds to Jordan’s 4.7, giving him the edge overall.

He leads Jordan in some advanced stats.

LeBron has the highest VORP (value over replacement player) ever, and slightly more win shares. Because VORP and win shares are cumulative stats, he’ll always have MJ beat in those categories.

He’s a better three point shooter.

LeBron’s 3P% is somewhat higher than Jordan’s at 34.3% compared to 32.7%. Thanks to this and his more frequent three point attempts, LeBron also has a higher effective field goal percentage (eFG%). LeBron benefits from this era in that the three point shot is a much bigger part of the game than it was in Jordan’s day. Jordan was a very bad three point shooter during his first four seasons but improved greatly after that.

He’s had considerably better stats in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

Although Jordan had better stats in many areas in the playoffs as well, that’s even more the case with LeBron. His numbers are better in the post-season when it comes to points, free throw percentage, rebounds (offensive, defensive and total), steals, blocks, defensive rating, net rating, PER, WS/48 and BPM.

Conclusions

Based on everything they’ve done so far, I think Michael Jordan is a better player, but it’s conceivable that could change depending on what happens in the remainder of LeBron James’ career. Whoever’s better, they’re both great players that basketball fans have been lucky to watch. Hardcore fans of both players try to tear the other down with misleading and often false arguments. I know I might be a bit biased in Jordan’s favor as someone who grew up the ’90s when MJ was the baddest man on the planet, but I don’t think I said anything about LeBron in this little article that was unfair or incorrect.

The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: #7, The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks

#7
The 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks
Regular Season: 66-16 (80.5)
Playoffs: 12-2 (85.7)
Total: 78-18 (81.3)

Award Winners;
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1^st Team All-NBA, 2^ndTeam All-Defense, All Star
Oscar Robertson: 2^nd Team All-NBA, All Star

The Milwaukee Bucks were an expansion team that came into the league in 1968 and got very lucky very fast. Not surprisingly for a team in its debut season, the Bucks fared poorly, winning 27 games and winding up with the number one draft pick in 1969. There was clearly only one choice to make that year, and it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor.

For you youngbloods who don’t know, Kareem was an absolute monster in both high school and college. His high school team, Power Memorial in New York City, won back to back national championships in 1963 and ‘64. He won three straight NCAA championships with UCLA in 1967, ‘68 and ‘69. He likely would’ve won four if he’d been allowed to play on the varsity team while he was a freshman, but it was against NCAA regulations at the time. He was so good as a freshman that in scrimmages, the freshmen team regularly beat the varsity squad. The NCAA even BANNED DUNKING because it made things too easy for him! This only helped him, as it led to him perfecting his unstoppable hook shot known as the skyhook. In his three years on the varsity team, UCLA lost two games. Two. Out of ninety. Anyway, he was good.

Here’s where Milwaukee’s luck really comes in: before David Stern introduced the draft lottery in 1985, the holder of the number one pick was literally decided by a coin toss between the worst team in the East and worst team in the West. The Bucks had been at the bottom of the Eastern Division in ‘68-69, with the Phoenix Suns being the worst in the West. The Bucks won the toss and grabbed Kareem without hesitation. The Suns got another center, the 6’10 Neal Walk. Walk actually had some pretty good seasons in Phoenix, but was out of the league by 1977. Milwaukee had more good luck in that draft, stealing future All Star Bob Dandridge at 45^th overall.

The ‘69-70 season was a dramatic turnaround for the Bucks, who improved from 27 wins to 56. Even as a rookie, Kareem was one of the best players in the NBA, and the young Milwaukee team made it as far as the division finals. They lost in five games to a great New York Knicks team led by Walt Frazier and Willis Reed, but the Bucks were clearly on their way.

What put them over the top in 1970-71 was the arrival of veteran superstar point guard Oscar Robertson, who’d played his whole career with the Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings). The Royals hadn’t made the playoffs since 1967 and hadn’t made the Finals since 1951, when they were still in Rochester. It’s well known that Robertson didn’t get along well with his coach in Cincinnati, Celtics legend Bob Cousy. Whatever the reason for the trade, Oscar was happy to have a change of scene.

In 1970-71, it was 23 year old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who unsurprisingly put up the biggest numbers, averaging 31.7 points and 16 rebounds on 57.7% shooting. Did I tell you he was good? 32 year old Oscar Robertson brought 19.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 49.6% from the field and 85% at the line. 23 year old small forward Bob Dandridge put up 18.4 points and 8 rebounds on 50.9% shooting. 27 year old two guard Jon McGlocklin chipped in 15.8 points while shooting 53.5%. With all the ingredients together, the Bucks went 66-16 in the regular season and posted a 20 game winning streak during February and March, despite at one point having to play five games in six days! Imagine playing that much and still kicking everyone’s ass.

In 1970-71, the Bucks were shifted into the Western Conference and faced the 41-41 San Francisco Warriors in the first round, who were led by Nate Thurmond and Jerry Lucas. The Warriors were clearly not up to the challenge, and the Bucks won the first three games by between 11 and 14 points. San Francisco did pull out a 106-104 win in game four before having the door slammed in their faces in game five by a score of 136-86. Yes, that’s 50 points. Seven Bucks scored in double figures in that one, with Jon McGlocklin leading the way with 28. Kareem had 23 points and 17 rebounds.

Their next challenge was the 48-34 Los Angeles Lakers, featuring Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. The result was the same, with the Bucks winning in five games. Milwaukee crushed LA in four out of five by a margin of 18 to 23 points. LA did pull out an impressive 118-107 win at home in game three, with Wilt scoring 24 points and grabbing 24 rebounds. In Milwaukee’s 23 point win in game four, Kareem put up 31 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 14 for 20.

In the NBA Finals, Milwaukee met the 42 win Baltimore Bullets, led by a young Wes Unseld, who’d managed to knock off the defending champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Finals. This series was the least challenging of all for the Bucks, and they swept the Bullets with the closest game being a 107-99 win at home in game three. Game two was the biggest blowout, with the Bucks winning 102-83 in Baltimore. Kareem led the way as usual, with 27 points and 24 rebounds and Oscar Robertson had 22 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Kareem was named Finals MVP, averaging 25 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

The Bucks won over sixty games again in 1972 and ‘73 but lost in the second and first rounds respectively. In 1974 they had the league’s best record with 59 wins, but lost to John Havlicek, Dave Cowens and the Celtics in seven games in the Finals. Oscar Robertson retired after that season and the Bucks missed the playoffs in ‘75 for the first time since their debut season. That Summer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers, where he went on to win five more championships in the ‘80s. Kareem had grown up in Manhattan and went to school in LA, and requested the trade as Milwaukee just wasn’t his kind of town. Even though he played most of his career and won most of his championships with the Lakers, I associate Kareem with the Bucks just as much. I think he looked really cool with the Afro and mutton chops in those old red white and green uniforms.

The Bucks had good teams throughout the ‘80s with guys like Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson, but still haven’t made the Finals since ‘74. Personally, as a Celtics fan, I’m terrified thinking about how good those guys could be in a few years when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits his prime. This could be the year, now that Kawhi Leonard’s off to LA.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 9: K.C. Jones

#25 K.C. Jones, Point Guard and Coach, 1958-1967, 1983-1988

Born in Taylor, Texas in 1932, K.C. Jones attended the University of San Francisco from 1952 to ‘56, winning two NCAA Championships on a squad that included his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell. Along with two titles, Jones made Second Team All-American in 1956. The same year, Jones and Russell played for team USA at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, winning the Gold Medal. Jones was picked 13^th overall in the 1956 draft, acquired by the Boston Celtics the same day as Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn. Before joining the team in 1958, Jones tried out for the National Football League, but didn’t make the cut.

He was known for his tough defense and was part of an era of Celtics domination, with the team winning the NBA Championship eight times in his nine year career. They beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the St. Louis Hawks in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. Only in 1967 were Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers able to stop the Celtics in the Division Finals. Along with Bill Russell and Sam Jones, K.C. was one of three Celtics to play in all of their consecutive championship runs of 1959 to ‘66. Along with Tom Sanders and John Havlicek, he’s one of only three players to play in eight Finals without losing any.

Jones currently sits at ninth all time among Celtics players in assists and 29^th in points. His career highs include 6.3 assists per game in 1965-66. He scored a career high of 22 points in two different games, first in a December 1962 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, then in a November 1965 win against the San Francisco Warriors. Jones retired as a player in 1967, and his number “25” was retired that year. He and Russell are among the only seven basketball players ever to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA Championship.

In the fall of 1967, Jones began coaching at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he stayed until 1970. He then became assistant coach at Harvard for the 1970-71 season, before moving on to the pros and becoming assistant coach of the Lakers, working under his old Celtics teammate, head coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers had an incredible season in ‘71-72; led by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, they won 69 games, including a record 33 in a row, and won their first NBA Championship (against the New York Knicks) since leaving Minneapolis. Jones moved on to head coach the American Basketball Association (ABA)’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1972-73.

He came back to the NBA the next year to become head coach of the Washington Bullets from 1973 to ‘76. In 1975, Jones led the Bullets to the finals, beating the Celtics in the Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Bullets faced the Golden State Warriors. With Al Attles coaching Golden State, it was the first Finals to feature two black head coaches. Unfortunately for Jones, the Bullets were swept in four games. Also in ‘75, Jones coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. After leaving the Bullets, Jones became the assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976-77, before things came full circle as he re-joined the Celtics as their assistant coach from 1978-79 to ‘82-83.

The team was in a bad way in his first season back despite the excellent play of young forward Cedric Maxwell, but the Celtics soon saw the arrival of three stars, with Larry Bird joining the team in 1979-80 and Robert Parish and Kevin McHale coming in ’80-81. The Celtics were champions again in 1981, beating the Houston Rockets in six games. After an embarrassing four game sweep by the Bucks in the second round of the ‘83 playoffs, Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was fired and K.C. Jones took his spot.

The ‘83-84 season was the beginning of an amazing run for K.C. and the Celtics, who beat the rival Lakers in seven games for their second championship of the decade. In the ‘85 finals, the Celtics lost a re-match with the Lakers in six. In 85-86, the Celtics fielded one of the best teams in their history. During the ‘85 off-season, Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Bill Walton, who had an excellent year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure also allowed Kevin McHale to become the team’s starting power forward and shine as one of the league’s best low post scorers. They also acquired point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who was one of the league’s best shooters that year, hitting 57% from the field. The Celtics steamrolled the league, winning 67 games including 40 of 41 at home. They went on to win the NBA Finals in six games, again defeating the Houston Rockets.

Following that high point, the team experienced several serious setbacks. The first and most heart-breaking was the death of college superstar Len Bias two days after he was drafted second overall by Boston. Second, after a rare healthy year in ‘85-86, Bill Walton was injured and only played in ten regular season games in ’86-87. He was able to appear in twelve playoff games, but only for an average of 8.5 minutes. Third, Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 but kept playing on it for the rest of the year. He played well but wasn’t 100 percent, and his decision to play affected the rest of his career. Had Len Bias made it to the NBA, McHale could’ve gotten much more rest. All things considered, the Celtics had a good run in ‘87, winning 59 games and finishing first in their division. In the end, they didn’t have the depth of the year before and again fell to the Lakers in the finals. In ‘87-88, the Celtics had another strong season with 57 wins, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games, missing the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. Jones left the team following the season.

Other than Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones had the greatest tenure of any Celtics head coach. He won 308 games and lost just 102, a winning percentage of .751, higher than any other Boston coach, including Red himself. He took the team on four straight trips to the finals, winning two, and never falling short of the Conference Finals. He also coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team an impressive four straight years, from 1984 to ‘87. In 1989, Jones became the assistant coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and in 1990 was promoted to head coach, where he remained until 1992. In the ‘94-95 season he was assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons, and in ‘96-97 made one more trip back to Boston, reprising his role as assistant coach, working under his former player and then head coach, M. L. Carr. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, and it remains to be seen if he’ll make it there as a coach.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 12: Don Nelson

#19 Don Nelson, “Nellie,” Small Forward, 1965-1976

Born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1940, Don Nelson attended the University of Iowa from 1959 to ‘62, where he made Third Team All-American in his final year. He was drafted 17^th overall by the Chicago Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) in 1962. He moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1963, and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 1965, but lost to the Boston Celtics.

Nelson became a Celtic himself later that year, winning a title against the Lakers in 1966, and two more against them in 1968 and ‘69. Nelson scored a key basket towards the end of the deciding game of the ‘69 series, helping to secure another title for Boston. He spent much of his career in Boston as the team’s sixth man, following in the footsteps on Frank Ramsey and John Havlicek. After a rough couple of years following Bill Russell’s retirement in 1969, Nelson and the Celtics got back on track, winning two more championships; in 1974 Against the Milwaukee Bucks, and in ‘76 against the Phoenix Suns, capping off his career with a fifth title.

His career highs include 15.4 points per game in 1969-70 and shooting a league-leading 54% from the field in 1974-75. He scored a career high 40 points in a win against the San Diego Rockets in February 1970. Despite mostly coming off the bench, Nelson currently sits at 14^th all time among Celtics players in points. He retired as a player in 1976, and his number “19” was retired by the Celtics in 1978.

He was far from done with basketball though, becoming head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. He won Coach of the Year in 1983, the same year the Bucks swept the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for Nelson, the Bucks were eliminated the next round by the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics got their revenge the following year, defeating the Bucks in the Conference Finals in five games on their way to another title. Nelson won Coach of the year for the second time in 1985, despite being swept by the 76ers in the semifinals. In 1986, the Bucks were swept by the Celtics in the Conference after Nelson made the mistake of saying he was a better, smarter coach than the Celtics’ K.C. Jones.

Nelson left the Bucks after losing to the Celtics in the playoffs again in 1987, joining the Golden State Warriors in 1988. Although he never made it past the second round of the playoffs at Golden State, he won his third coach of the year award in 1992. He also coached Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Canada. In 1995-96, Nelson moved on to the New York Knicks, but was fired that March due to disagreements with management. From 1997 to 2005, Nelson coached the Dallas Mavericks, who made it as far as the Conference Finals in 2003, losing to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Nelson returned to coaching the Warriors from 2006 to 2010, although they only made the playoffs in his first year back. Don Nelson is one of only three coaches to win Coach of the Year three times, the others being Pat Riley and Greg Popovich. He also coached the Western Conference All-Star Team twice, in 1992 and 2002. Don Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2012, and it’s likely only a matter of time before he’s inducted as a coach

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 21: Paul Pierce

#34 Paul Pierce, “The Truth,” Small Forward, 1998-2013

Born in Oakland, California in 1977, Paul Pierce grew up in Inglewood, California, in Los Angeles County. Naturally, Pierce grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers and hating the Boston Celtics. As a junior in high school, Pierce first showed signs of becoming a great player. As a senior in 1995, Pierce won the California Mr. Basketball award and played in the McDonald’s All-American game with the likes of Vince Carter and future teammate Kevin Garnett. Pierce went on to attend the University of Kansas from 1995 to 1998, and in 1997 he helped Kansas win the Big 12 Conference Tournament. He was First Team All-American in 1998, and his number “34” has been retired by the school.

Pierce was picked tenth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1998 draft, joining the team in one of the worst stretches in its history. They hadn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and hadn’t won a playoff series since 1992. Their last championship came in 1986 and the glory days years were now long gone; Larry Bird had retired in ‘92 and Kevin McHale in ‘93. The Celtics star shooting guard, Reggie Lewis, passed away at 27 during the ‘93 off-season from a heart condition, and Robert Parish moved on to the Charlotte Hornets in 1994.

There were seeds of promise though, as power forward Antoine Walker had joined the team in ‘96, and was an All-Star the year before Pierce’s arrival. Shooting guard Ron Mercer joined the league the year before Pierce and was was averaging 17 points a game during Pierce’s rookie season. For his part, Paul averaged 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his first year, and made All-Rookie First Team in ‘99. Mercer left following that season, and although Pierce steadily improved, the team didn’t make the playoffs until 2002.

In what could’ve easily been a fatal off the court incident, Pierce was stabbed eleven times in a Boston night club on September 25^th, 2000. His life was saved at Tufts-New England Medical Center and he went on to play all 82 games of the 2000-01 season. He later donated 2.5 million dollars to the hospital.

In 2001, he was nicknamed “The Truth” by Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal after Pierce dropped 42 points on one of the best ever Lakers teams in a losing effort, hitting 13 of 19 from the field. The Celtics were finally back in the playoffs in 2002, and faced the New Jersey Nets in the Conference Finals. With the series tied 1-1, the Celtics were getting blown out at home in game three with the score at 74 to 53 after three quarters. It was all Boston in the fourth though, with the Celtics outscoring the Nets 41 to 16 and winning the game 94 to 90 in one of the greatest playoff comebacks of all time. Pierce alone scored 19 in the fourth. Unfortunately, Jason Kidd and the Nets went on win the next three games and the series.

Antoine Walker left the team after the ‘03 season, and in ‘06 and ‘07, the team would miss the playoffs again. The low point was the 2007 season, in which Pierce was only able to play 47 games due to injuries and the team went 24 and 58, their worst mark since the train wreck that was ‘96-97. Things turned around in a hurry though as the team traded for two star players. The first was Ray Allen, one of the league’s best shooters, who came from the Seattle SuperSonics. The second was power forward Kevin Garnett, traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Kevin McHale was serving as GM. Garnett was generally considered the best active player without a championship at the time. He went on to win Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the team, and so far is the only Celtic to do so. The ‘07-08 team also featured young point guard Rajon Rondo, who joined the team the year before, and point guard Eddie House coming off the bench. The team proved to be one of the greatest in Celtics history, winning 66 games, just one shy of the legendary ‘86 team.

The playoffs were no cakewalk though, with the first two rounds going to seven games, first against the underdog Atlanta Hawks, then vs. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They went on to beat the Detroit Pistons in six before arriving in the NBA Finals against their classic rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics won the first two games at home, before dropping game three in LA. In game four, the Celtics staged an amazing comeback akin to the one they’d gutted out against New Jersey in 2002. The Lakers led by 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Celtics wound up out-scoring them 31 to 15 in the third and 26 to 18 in the fourth, winning the game 97 to 91, stunning the LA crowd and giving them a 3-1 series lead. However, the Lakers won game five and the series shifted back to Boston. The Celtics ended the series decisively in game six, destroying the Lakers by nearly forty points, 131 to 92. It was their first Championship in 22 years; previously, the longest gap between titles had been just five. Pierce was named MVP of the Finals, having racked up 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the series.

The Celtics seemed likely to repeat in 2009, but lost one of their best players when Kevin Garnett was injured in February and he did not return for the playoffs. The Celtics won 62 games despite the loss of Garnett, but would lose to the Orlando Magic in seven in the second round. In 2010 the Celtics won 50 games and then surprised many by making it back to the NBA Finals. They beat the Miami Heat in five in the first round, and again bounced LeBron James and the number one seeded Cavaliers in the semifinals in six games. It’s speculated that the Cavs’ second loss to Boston led to James’ decision to sign with Miami. The Celtics beat the Magic in six in the Conference Finals before facing the Lakers in the Finals for the second time in three years. The Lakers were the favorites going in, but the Celtics took it all the way to a seventh game in Los Angeles. The Celtics led 23 to 14 after the first quarter but wound up losing 83 to 79. The Lakers were aided by getting 37 free throw attempts to the Celtics’ 17. The Celtics’ starting center Kendrick Perkins getting injured in game six may have been the deciding factor, as the Celtics were out-rebounded 53 to 40 in the final game.

In 2011, the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs in five games, as Miami had recently added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a lineup that already included Dwayne Wade. In 2012, the Celtics made it back to the Conference Finals but again lost to the Heat, this time in seven, and Miami would go on to win the NBA Championship. 2013 would be Pierce’s last year with the Celtics. Ray Allen had left the team after the 2012 season, and Pierce and Garnett were now in their mid 30s. Still, they made it to the playoffs one more time in green, but lost to the New York Knicks in the first round.

That off-season, Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Jason Terry and D.J. White in a trade that turned out to be very lopsided in Boston’s favor. The Celtics received five players along with four first round picks, two of which were used to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with a third being traded to Cleveland as part of the deal that brought star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for two seasons.

In Pierce’s one season with the Nets, they reached the second round of the playoffs but couldn’t make it past the star-studded Heat. The next year Pierce played for the Washington Wizards, but lost in the second round again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2015, Pierce began playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, and for the first time in his career was coming off the bench. The Clippers made it to the playoffs in ‘16 and ‘17, but never past the first round.

Pierce retired in 2017 and his number “34” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 2018. He currently sits at number one all time among Celtics in three pointers made with 1,823, almost twice as many as Antoine Walker, who’s in second place with over 900. He’s also number one in steals, just ahead of Larry Bird, number two in points, behind only John Havlicek, and third in minutes played and games played. He’s also fourth in blocked shots, fifth in assists and seventh in rebounds. He served as team captain from 2000 until his departure in 2013. His career highs include 26.8 points per game in ‘05-06 and shooting over 41% from three point range in both his rookie year and again in ‘09-10. He scored a career high of fifty points in a February 2006 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pierce also made All-NBA Second Team in 2009 and Third Team in ‘02, ‘03 and ‘08. He was an All-Star an impressive ten times; every year from 2002 to 2012 with the exception of 2007, when he missed out due to injuries.

Since his retirement, he’s worked on television as a basketball analyst. Paul Pierce has undoubtedly been the greatest Celtic to emerge since the end of the original big three era and should be a lock for the Hall of Fame.