TOP 10 SMALL FORWARDS
7. John Havlicek
Teams
Boston Celtics (1962-1978)
Honors
Finals MVP (1974), 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, eight-time All-D selection
Championships
8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)
Career stats
20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, .439 FG%
The player
Hondo was a star sixth man before anyone thought of giving out an award for such things, and was part of most of those Celtics titles in the '60s. Then he was the best player on a whole different group of championship-winning Boston teams in the '70s. That's pretty good. --
Doolittle
A model of consistent excellence and an eight-time NBA champion, Hondo did a little bit of everything for the Celtics, whether it was coming off the bench earlier in his career or wining the '74 Finals MVP. --
Peterson
He often gets overlooked when discussing the game's greatest scorers. Only a handful of players in his era scored more points than he did, and they're all single-name guys: Wilt, Kareem, Moses, Elvin and Oscar. --
Adande
It's Havlicek -- not Bird, Cousy, or Russell -- who holds career records for games played and points scored in a Celtics uniform. --
Adams
8. Rick Barry
Vernon Biever/NBAE/Getty Images
Teams
San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-1967, 1972-1978), Houston Rockets (1978-1980)
Honors
Finals MVP (1975), eight-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1965-66), NBA scoring champion (1966-67)
Championships
1 (1975)
Career stats
23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 2.0 SPG
The player
One of the greatest, most skilled perimeter talents the game has seen, Barry could do it all offensively. He's the most underrated superstar in basketball history. --
Broussard
Barry led the NBA in scoring in 1967 with the highest per-game average (35.8) ever by someone not named Chamberlain or Jordan. As symbolized by his underhanded free throw style, he used whatever method he could to win. --
Peterson
Barry was not just an ace shooter who shot granny-style free throws. He was a unique and dominant all-around player who made his mark in two leagues. When the NBA adopted the 3-point line for his last season, Barry was among the first to exploit the new rule. --
Doolittle
He helped expand the concept of shooting range for small forwards. --
Adande