The NBA’s greatest players were showcased in Las Vegas on Sunday in the league’s annual All-Star game, but none of them earn a place on Tommy Heinsohn’s all-time team. There’s no room for Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, either.
Heinsohn played on eight NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics from 1956-1965. The Celtics forward was chosen for six All-Star games, later coached Boston to two world championships, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 and now is a color commentator on Celtics telecasts.
Heinsohn, who was here last week for a Celtics-Timberwolves telecast, thinks the best players came from his generation. During an interview with Sports Headliners he chose five players from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as the best of all-time. Not only are these players the best, Heinsohn believes, but they proved it against better competition because the NBA then had only eight teams versus 30 today. The theory is more teams, more jobs, more diluted talent.
Here’s Heinsohn’s Fab Five: forwards Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit, center Bill Russell, guards Jerry West and Bob Cousy. Baylor played for the Minneapolis Lakers and West joined the Lakers the first season after the team moved to Los Angeles (1960-61). Cousy and Russell were Heinsohn’s teammates in Boston. Pettit and his St. Louis Hawks defeated the Celtics for the NBA championship in 1958, the only time Boston didn’t win the title from 1957-1966.
Cousy, known as the “Houdini of the Hardwood” for his extraordinary playmaking, is the point guard on Heinsohn’s dream team, although West played both that position and shooting guard. Heinsohn recalled that the Celtics had just six plays. “Everything else happened because Cousy was a great player,” he said.
Russell played on all the Celtics NBA championship teams during an incredible run of 11 titles in 13 years from 1957-1969. Although Russell was only 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, the shot-blocking, rebounding marvel is Heinsohn’s choice as the all-time center. “Absolutely. There was a guy that was a winner,” Heinsohn said. “That’s what this is all about. This isn’t all about who does what to whom, (or) how many points you get. He was as competitive as anybody you would ever hope to play with, and he was propelled to deliver and he did.”
Heinsohn talked about the two former Lakers. He said the acrobatic Baylor is the best forward of all time, although there have been more than a few great forwards during the last 25 years including Bird and Julius Erving. He admired the versatility of West including his defense. “You can talk about Bird, you can talk about Dr. J, you can talk about them all but Elgin Baylor was the best,” Heinsohn said. “Go look at his records (career averages of 27.4 points per game, 13.5 rebounds) against top flight competition. Jerry West was a two position player (known as Mr. Clutch, averaged 27 points per game and almost seven assists). A lot of people didn’t know he was a point guard. He was a terrific defensive player.”
Pettit, 6-foot-9, was the NBA’s first superstar power forward. He was named all-NBA first team 10 times and won two league MVP awards.
Heinsohn acknowledges Jordan as one of the NBA’s all-time best but left him off his team because Jordan didn’t compete head-to-head against great enough players. It’s an argument that’s been made before about Jordan who some experts also insist benefited more from NBA and Madison Avenue hype than any player ever.
What’s Heinsohn’s view of the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett? “They haven’t quite, to my way of thinking, quite found a way to exploit him without everything having to rely on his shoulders,” Heinsohn answered. “He’s not the focus entirely of the offense. He’s not the focus of their defense. He has to fit himself into what they’re doing. He’s a very competitive guy. He’s got a lot of skills. I think he’s pretty good.”