Armen Da Pats Fan
2nd Team Getting Their First Start
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Inspired by mikey's report of the FOX Sports Poll and the obvious omissions of some BIG-TIME Boston guys (Orr, Bird, Russell, et al), I decided to go with my own list of Top 10 All-Time Boston Clutch Sports Performers.
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The quick list:
10. Dave Cowens
9. Bobby Orr
8. Kevin McHale
7. Curt Schilling
6. Bill Russell
5. Adam Vinatieri
4. John Havlicek:
3. David Ortiz
2. Larry Bird
1.Tom Brady
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The Expanded List:
Criteria:
1) Has to have won a championship WITH Boston (sorry, Ray Bourque!).
2) Must be a guy you want in there at crunch time.
3) Must embody the spirit of Boston in some way.
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10. Dave Cowens:
1) Ship: Won NBA titles with the Celtics in '74 & '76
2) Clutch: Was always on the floor with the game on the line - in the crunch, his nasty rebounding and willingness to mix it up in big games separated him from the pack.
3) Boston: With that red hair and tough guy attitude, he could have just as easily been from Southie as from Kentucky!
9. Bobby Orr:
1) Ship: Won Cups in '70 & '72
2) Clutch: Look no further than his famous horizontal Stanley Cup clincher vs. the Blues in '70. Forget about the fact that he was a stout defender and constant scoring and assist threat.
3) Boston: He was the face of Boston during the Bruins last true glory years. Even my grandmother knew who he was. She used to say this little ditty, "Bobby Orr, Number Four, Watch Him Score!"
8. Kevin McHale:
1) Ship: Along with Larry Bird and The Chief, led the Celtics to five NBA finals and took home three of them (1981, 1984 and 1986)
2) Clutch: McHale used to call crunch time the "torture chamber" and he was torture on the opposition, shooting over 60% in the postseason in his career.
3) Boston: He did a guest spot on "Cheers", fahchrissakes! How much more "Bahstahn" can you get than that!
7. Curt Schilling:
1) Ship: Sox in ‘04
2) Clutch: He’s a pompous ***** to be sure, but he is most definitely clutch. Forget the bloody sock – it’s just his whole pitching attitude of “If you **** with me, you’re gonna pay!” His postseason performance in ’04 was the stuff of Boston legend. To steal a line from the movie “Swingers”, he’s money, babe. Pure money!
3) Boston: He inspired us in the spring of ’04 with that Ford ad (“I’m going to Boston to reverse a curse”) and then he goes and friggin DOES IT!
6. Bill Russell
1) Ship: Won an amazing 11 NBA championships with the Celts ('57, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69)
2) Clutch: His matchups with (and dominance over) fellow NBA superstar Wilt Chmaberlin ring out in memory. Russell was never the big scoring threat (15 points per game regular season career average; 16 points in the playoffs), but this was not due to lack of talent as much as committment to his role and his grasping the concept of t-e-a-m. He was a tenacious defender and led the NBA in rebounding five times and recorded 40 or more rebounds in one game an astonishing SEVEN times!
3) Boston: Russell had his problems with Boston's racist idiots, but eventually overcame that with his intelligence and boyish charm. Being a favorite of Red Auerbach didn't hurt him, either!
5. Adam Vinatieri
1) Ship: ’01, ’03, ’04 with the Pats
2) Clutch: The Snow Game; three Super Bowls all won by the margin of his foot; countless regular season wins, and just the general feeling that when AV stepped on the field, you were in.
3) Boston: He was the golden child of Boston and he never should have left. He should have played here for minimum, if need be. Indianapolis will never give him the juice and love he got in Boston.
4. John Havlicek:
1) Ship: Won EIGHT NBA titles with the Celtics in '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69, '74, '76!
2) Clutch: How about this? '65 Eastern Conference Finals, Hondo steals Hal Greer's inbound pass and hits Sam Jones on the fly. Ball game! Or, '76, second OT vs. the Suns, Havlicek drains a 15-footer, seemingly for the championship. Fans go nuts. Refs say there is 1 second left! Celts win in triple OT! MVP of the '74 Finals.
3. Boston: Oh yeah. Auerbach's favorite son! The guy has Celtic green and parquet running through his veins! How quickly we forget!
3. David Ortiz
1) Ship: ’04 – Sox
2) Clutch: Um, where do I start. Angels, ALDS ’04; Yankees – three times – ’04 ALCS; 20-something homeruns last year where he either tied or won a game, and that’s not even counting all the clutch hits to keep rallies going or move RISP!
3) Boston: I love the way he says “Bow-stone” with that Dominican accent. “I lubb to play in Bow-stone!” We love you, too, Big Papi!
2. Larry Bird
1) Ship: Celtics – ’81, ’84, ‘87
2) Clutch: Every game he ever played in he did something clutch, but in the Finals he was truly at his best. Who can forget him b!tch-slapping Kareem & Rambis to show them that the Celtics were not gonna be pushed around. All the pull-up clutch 12-footers! God, they just run together in your memory!
3) Boston: A Hoosier to the bone, Bird nonetheless became our redneck golden boy. His country charm and undying work ethic made him a centerpiece of the Celtics organization and the city.
1.Tom Brady
1) Ship: ’01, ’03, ’04 with the Pats
2) Clutch: The numbers alone speak the truth: 10-1 lifetime in the postseason; undefeated lifetime in OT. Even in losing to Denver last year for his first playoff loss, he still threw for 360-something yards and TD (plus one very ugly INT to Champ Bailey!). Here’s what makes Brady clutch: you’ve got two minutes left in the game and 70 yards to go to tie or win. Who do you want behind center? Peyton Manning? Ben Rothlisberger? Michael Vick?
3) Boston: This kid is going to be mayor of Boston, governor of Massachusetts, and a US Senator from the state, if he wants. Tom Brady can do no wrong in the Bay State. Tom Brady is a New England icon.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
The quick list:
10. Dave Cowens
9. Bobby Orr
8. Kevin McHale
7. Curt Schilling
6. Bill Russell
5. Adam Vinatieri
4. John Havlicek:
3. David Ortiz
2. Larry Bird
1.Tom Brady
----------------------------------------
The Expanded List:
Criteria:
1) Has to have won a championship WITH Boston (sorry, Ray Bourque!).
2) Must be a guy you want in there at crunch time.
3) Must embody the spirit of Boston in some way.
----------------------------------------
10. Dave Cowens:
1) Ship: Won NBA titles with the Celtics in '74 & '76
2) Clutch: Was always on the floor with the game on the line - in the crunch, his nasty rebounding and willingness to mix it up in big games separated him from the pack.
3) Boston: With that red hair and tough guy attitude, he could have just as easily been from Southie as from Kentucky!
9. Bobby Orr:
1) Ship: Won Cups in '70 & '72
2) Clutch: Look no further than his famous horizontal Stanley Cup clincher vs. the Blues in '70. Forget about the fact that he was a stout defender and constant scoring and assist threat.
3) Boston: He was the face of Boston during the Bruins last true glory years. Even my grandmother knew who he was. She used to say this little ditty, "Bobby Orr, Number Four, Watch Him Score!"
8. Kevin McHale:
1) Ship: Along with Larry Bird and The Chief, led the Celtics to five NBA finals and took home three of them (1981, 1984 and 1986)
2) Clutch: McHale used to call crunch time the "torture chamber" and he was torture on the opposition, shooting over 60% in the postseason in his career.
3) Boston: He did a guest spot on "Cheers", fahchrissakes! How much more "Bahstahn" can you get than that!
7. Curt Schilling:
1) Ship: Sox in ‘04
2) Clutch: He’s a pompous ***** to be sure, but he is most definitely clutch. Forget the bloody sock – it’s just his whole pitching attitude of “If you **** with me, you’re gonna pay!” His postseason performance in ’04 was the stuff of Boston legend. To steal a line from the movie “Swingers”, he’s money, babe. Pure money!
3) Boston: He inspired us in the spring of ’04 with that Ford ad (“I’m going to Boston to reverse a curse”) and then he goes and friggin DOES IT!
6. Bill Russell
1) Ship: Won an amazing 11 NBA championships with the Celts ('57, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69)
2) Clutch: His matchups with (and dominance over) fellow NBA superstar Wilt Chmaberlin ring out in memory. Russell was never the big scoring threat (15 points per game regular season career average; 16 points in the playoffs), but this was not due to lack of talent as much as committment to his role and his grasping the concept of t-e-a-m. He was a tenacious defender and led the NBA in rebounding five times and recorded 40 or more rebounds in one game an astonishing SEVEN times!
3) Boston: Russell had his problems with Boston's racist idiots, but eventually overcame that with his intelligence and boyish charm. Being a favorite of Red Auerbach didn't hurt him, either!
5. Adam Vinatieri
1) Ship: ’01, ’03, ’04 with the Pats
2) Clutch: The Snow Game; three Super Bowls all won by the margin of his foot; countless regular season wins, and just the general feeling that when AV stepped on the field, you were in.
3) Boston: He was the golden child of Boston and he never should have left. He should have played here for minimum, if need be. Indianapolis will never give him the juice and love he got in Boston.
4. John Havlicek:
1) Ship: Won EIGHT NBA titles with the Celtics in '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69, '74, '76!
2) Clutch: How about this? '65 Eastern Conference Finals, Hondo steals Hal Greer's inbound pass and hits Sam Jones on the fly. Ball game! Or, '76, second OT vs. the Suns, Havlicek drains a 15-footer, seemingly for the championship. Fans go nuts. Refs say there is 1 second left! Celts win in triple OT! MVP of the '74 Finals.
3. Boston: Oh yeah. Auerbach's favorite son! The guy has Celtic green and parquet running through his veins! How quickly we forget!
3. David Ortiz
1) Ship: ’04 – Sox
2) Clutch: Um, where do I start. Angels, ALDS ’04; Yankees – three times – ’04 ALCS; 20-something homeruns last year where he either tied or won a game, and that’s not even counting all the clutch hits to keep rallies going or move RISP!
3) Boston: I love the way he says “Bow-stone” with that Dominican accent. “I lubb to play in Bow-stone!” We love you, too, Big Papi!
2. Larry Bird
1) Ship: Celtics – ’81, ’84, ‘87
2) Clutch: Every game he ever played in he did something clutch, but in the Finals he was truly at his best. Who can forget him b!tch-slapping Kareem & Rambis to show them that the Celtics were not gonna be pushed around. All the pull-up clutch 12-footers! God, they just run together in your memory!
3) Boston: A Hoosier to the bone, Bird nonetheless became our redneck golden boy. His country charm and undying work ethic made him a centerpiece of the Celtics organization and the city.
1.Tom Brady
1) Ship: ’01, ’03, ’04 with the Pats
2) Clutch: The numbers alone speak the truth: 10-1 lifetime in the postseason; undefeated lifetime in OT. Even in losing to Denver last year for his first playoff loss, he still threw for 360-something yards and TD (plus one very ugly INT to Champ Bailey!). Here’s what makes Brady clutch: you’ve got two minutes left in the game and 70 yards to go to tie or win. Who do you want behind center? Peyton Manning? Ben Rothlisberger? Michael Vick?
3) Boston: This kid is going to be mayor of Boston, governor of Massachusetts, and a US Senator from the state, if he wants. Tom Brady can do no wrong in the Bay State. Tom Brady is a New England icon.
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