MVPs: 0. Finals MVPs: 1(+1). All-NBA 1st Team: 4. 2nd Team: 7. All Star: 13. MVP: 0.
Defensive POY: 0. All-Defense 1st Team: 5. 2nd Team: 3.
#17 Career Points.
Career Averages: 21 PPG/ 6 RPG/ 5 APG/ 1.2 SPG/ .4 BPG/ .439 eFG%/ .815 FT%.
Best Season: 29/ 9/ 7/ .450/ .818 (1970-71).
Postseason Averages: 22 PPG/ 7 RPG/ 5 APG/ 1.1 SPG/ .3 BPG/ .436 eFG%/ .836 FT%.
Best Postseason: 27/ 6/ 6/ 1.3/ .3/ .484/ .881 (1974).
Championships: 8 (#1 player on 2, #2 player on 1, #3 player on 3, #4 player on 1, #5 player on 1). Runner-ups: 0.
Why he's below Bob Pettit: Havlicek is one of only two players in my top-20 without an MVP and is tied for the fewest 1st Team All-NBA appearances. The lack of recognition as one of the best players while he was playing prevents him from being ranked any higher than #18.
Why he's above the rest: What top-100 player has the most Finals appearances without ever losing? It’s John Havlicek, who advanced to the Finals 8 times and walked away with a ring each time. He won Finals MVP in 1974 and was the Celtics' best player in the 1968 and 1969 Finals as well. He came up with clutch plays in the postseason throughout his career. His famous steal came in 1965, several years before he was hitting some of the most important shots in the 1974 and 1976 Finals. Why isn’t he known as “Mr. Clutch”? Add in the All-Defense teams and the fact that he retired as the third leading career scorer, and he starts to feel underrated even at #18.
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