Top 10 All-Time Boston Clutch Sports Performers

[mgteich]

It is understandable that our patriot board would put Brady as #1. Personally, I think Larry Bird and Bobby Orr are the clutch players of all time.

I'm glad that Flutie is gone. There are proably 50 players more deserving, starting with Ted Williams, and even Babe Ruth

I'd put Cousy in instead of Cowens.

 

[scout]

Yaz was great. Among the greatest ever to set foot between the foul lines at Fenway. He is one of the best to ever play the game, anywhere. So, please don't crap all over me, but Yaz made the last out in both the '75 World Series and the '78 Bucky Bleeping Dent playoff game...He belongs in Cooperstown, he belongs in the hearts of Boston fans, but he doesn't belong on this list...

Evidently you were not around in 67. So, because he made the last out 75 and 78 he's not clutch? Down the stretch in 1967 they could not get him out. Check his stats. He carried that team which was a last place team the year before, and brought the pennant to Boston. You want to pout about '78, then pout about Torrez, the idiot who didn't think he needed to warm up after a delay before he pitched to F'ing dent.

 

[PonyExpress]

Bill Russell is not only the #1 clutch Boston athlete, but the #1 clutch athlete in pro sports history. Without him, this list is just the top ten all-time Boston non-african american clutch sports performers.

 

[onegameatatime]

Russell is perhaps the greatest winner of all time. 2 NCAA Championships, Olympic Gold medal, and 11 Championships in 13 years. However, he was surrounded by HOFs in the pros.

Basketball is the best game for a player to say "carry me" and dominate a game or series.

I'd have to go with Bird first, Brady second.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Bill Russell is not only the #1 clutch Boston athlete, but the #1 clutch athlete in pro sports history. Without him, this list is just the top ten all-time Boston non-african american clutch sports performers.

Absolutely. The ignorance of Boston fans on this matter is abyssmal. Like Bird, but moreso, Russell made everyone around him play better. Never, ever lost a 7th game playoff.

 

[PromisedLand]

Absolutely. The ignorance of Boston fans on this matter is abyssmal. Like Bird, but moreso, Russell made everyone around him play better. Never, ever lost a 7th game playoff.

Exactly.

And, to address the poster who ignorantly asked if Russell wins without Cousy, yes, Russell actually won 5 of his 11 championships after Bob Cousy retired in 1963.

The main point being that while all great players in team sports must have a strong supporting cast, how many of the Russell-era Celtics would be in the Hall of Fame if the team hadn't won 11 championships in 13 years? In other words, does the clutch leader of the team makes the HOF'rs or is it the other way around?

Where would Jordan be without Pippen? Bird without McHale and Parish? Montana (or Steve Young) without Jerry Rice? Magic without Worthy and Kareem? To diminish Bill Russell's unparalleled accomplishments just because he had a good supporting cast is just plain ignorant.

 

[AStack75]

Brady is very clutch! But I'd actually put Larry Bird there at #1

I agree. A buddy of mine has a DVD of Larry's career and you forget how freaking incredible Larry Bird was. I guess he was also one of the biggest trash talkers in the NBA too.

 

[PromisedLand]

I agree. A buddy of mine has a DVD of Larry's career and you forget how freaking incredible Larry Bird was. I guess he was also one of the biggest trash talkers in the NBA too.

No doubt Larry Bird was a great clutch performer. But anyone who doubts that Bill Russell was the greatest clutch performer and greatest winner in Boston sports history and probably in the entire history of American team sports should read this by the estimable Bob Ryan. Go read it, and then come back here and see if you still think it was Larry Bird. History didn't start the day you were born.

In fact, Bird was arguably not even the greatest player of his era. I'm a lifelong Celtics fan and love Larry, but to be objective I would have to give that honor to Magic Johnson, whose team defeated Bird's for the 1979 NCAA Championship and whose Lakers won 4 NBA titles in the 1980's to 3 for Bird's Celtics. The Lakers also won two of the three head to head Finals matchups against the Celtics. Compare this to Russell's performance against his greatest "competitor" (to use his own word). There was no more dominant player in NBA history than Wilt Chamberlain, yet Russell's Celtics defeated Chamberlain's team 9 out of ten times in their playoff matchups.

Orr, by the way, was very great indeed, but he played on a dominant team which was expected to win (and flopped a la 2005 Colts in the playoffs during their dominant 1971 season) during an era in which the finals were always played against an expansion team, due the NHL's strange decision to double its size all at once by adding six expansion teams and putting them all in the same (Western) division.

Given that, my list looks like this:

1. Russell
2. Brady
3. Bird
4. take your picks from here on down

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Where would Jordan be without Pippen? Bird without McHale and Parish? quote]

Actually Larry's rookie year 79-80 was th eyear before McHale and Parrish and the Celtics improved from 29 wins to 61.....That should tell you all you need to know about Larry Legend....

As for Bill Russell, he even made his teammates better in other sports...
what was the name of his basketball teammate that played baseball,,,Robinson, yeah some guy named Frank Robinson.....

 

[PromisedLand]

Where would Jordan be without Pippen? Bird without McHale and Parish? quote]

Actually Larry's rookie year 79-80 was th eyear before McHale and Parrish and the Celtics improved from 29 wins to 61.....That should tell you all you need to know about Larry Legend....

That's a good point, but they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. (In other words, that team did as well as Donovan McNabb's Philadelphia Eagles in 2001-2003). It took McHale, Parish and the rest to help Larry win a championship.

 

[AStack75]

History didn't start the day you were born.

Haha....I was just about to say that I'm too young to have seen Russell, Orr, etc.

 

[RayClay]

We're spoiled in relation to championships. One clutch player doesn't mean a championship.

Carl Yastrzemski, Dennis Johnson, Rico Petrocelli (hit far better with men on base). K.C.Jones. Havlicek

Of course Russell, Brady Bird.

Hope I'm not the first to say Troy Brown. Ty Law, Rodney Willie Mcginest, Bruschi, Vinatieri.

Pats are going to be overrepresented since they closed the deal.

Bill Belichick, Red Auerbach

 

[scout]

That's a good point, but they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. (In other words, that team did as well as Donovan McNabb's Philadelphia Eagles in 2001-2003). It took McHale, Parish and the rest to help Larry win a championship.

I don't disagree that Russell was the greatest. Too often we forget great champions because their time has passed. I always thought Havlicek was forgotten way too soon. I do disagree that Bird wasn't the best during his time. Magic was a great guard, maybe the greatest along with Oscar. But he didn't change the guard position. Before Bird no forward ever controlled the game from that position. I never heard of point forward before Bird came along. To say someone is the best based on championships is misleading. Look at the players Magic had playing with him. The year before Magic arrived in LA, they were beaten in the playoffs by Seattle who would win the championship. The year before Bird arrived in Boston they were 29-53 for 5th place in the Atlantic, no playoffs, not even close. The next year with rookie Bird, 61-21 and first in Atlantic Division. That was with no Parrish or McHale. They would be beaten by Philly who would go to the championship game.

 

[shakadave]

Brady is very clutch! But I'd actually put Larry Bird there at #1

I was just ready to say this exact thing when I noticed KDO beat me to it.

 

[shakadave]

Possibly Babe Ruth at #9? Wasn't it something like 27 consecutive scoreless innings he pitched for the Red Sox in the World Series?

 

[scout]

Possibly Babe Ruth at #9? Wasn't it something like 27 consecutive scoreless innings he pitched for the Red Sox in the World Series?

I always wondered why he didn't pitch every fifth day or so and then go back to his other position. His bat still would be in the line-up (as a pitcher), thus makeing that day's line-up even stronger.

 

[PromisedLand]

I don't disagree that Russell was the greatest. Too often we forget great champions because their time has passed. I always thought Havlicek was forgotten way too soon.

I respect you for that.

I do disagree that Bird wasn't the best during his time. Magic was a great guard, maybe the greatest along with Oscar. But he didn't change the guard position. Before Bird no forward ever controlled the game from that position. I never heard of point forward before Bird came along. To say someone is the best based on championships is misleading. Look at the players Magic had playing with him. The year before Magic arrived in LA, they were beaten in the playoffs by Seattle who would win the championship. The year before Bird arrived in Boston they were 29-53 for 5th place in the Atlantic, no playoffs, not even close. The next year with rookie Bird, 61-21 and first in Atlantic Division. That was with no Parrish or McHale. They would be beaten by Philly who would go to the championship game.

What I actually said was:

Bird was arguably not even the greatest player of his era.

Note the word "arguably". That means you could make the case that he was not. I still believe that to be true. I believe there is a very good case to be made for Magic too.

I said this simply to support my main point, that Bird was not dominant in his era the way Russell was in his. That Russell was able to overcome Goliath not once, but 9 times out of 10 is not only amazing, it's almost unbelievable!

 

[dhamz]

#1 is easily Russell.

You can't get a more clutch spot than a game where the winning team goes on and the losing team goes home.

You take his Game 7s as a pro and then his final 2 years in college and he played in a ton of them. And the one constant was the team that had Bill Russell ALWAYS won.

 

[scout]

Promiseland, I stand corrected.
Its too bad that we did not have the media technology and coverage when Russell played as we do now. They didn't even keep track of blocked shots back then, Russell was phenomenal. It was said that, 9 out of 10 of his blocked shots went to a teammate. My favorite Russell story of all time was told by Auerbach (Let Me Tell You A Story). It was when they went overseas giving clinics and were treated rudely by a host country. Auerback tells the Celtics play hard and tells Russell not to let his guy score. After Russell blocks the guy the third straight time down the court, the guy is so frustrated he kicks the ball into the crowd and gets kicked out of the game. On the way back up the court, Russell winks at Auerbach. Of course, Auerbach tells it slightly better. This book is a must read.

 

[PromisedLand]

Promiseland, I stand corrected.

You're a good man to admit it.

Its too bad that we did not have the media technology and coverage when Russell played as we do now. They didn't even keep track of blocked shots back then, Russell was phenomenal. It was said that, 9 out of 10 of his blocked shots went to a teammate. My favorite Russell story of all time was told by Auerbach (Let Me Tell You A Story). It was when they went overseas giving clinics and were treated rudely by a host country. Auerback tells the Celtics play hard and tells Russell not to let his guy score. After Russell blocks the guy the third straight time down the court, the guy is so frustrated he kicks the ball into the crowd and gets kicked out of the game. On the way back up the court, Russell winks at Auerbach. Of course, Auerbach tells it slightly better. This book is a must read.

Yeah, it really is too bad good video technology is a relatively recent thing. I wish I could see video of a lot of historical things that happened before the 20th century, not just sports related. Can you imagine if there was video in biblical times?

I am glad to have helped you understand how great Russell was. I hope more of the younger people take the time to find out what went on before their time.