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Message: [QUOTE="Mik, post: 5288365, member: 14087"] I'm a Celtics fan, and no disrespect to Havlicek, who was a great player. Still, I stand by the assertion that Drexler was better. Havlicek's teammates included Dave Cowens, JoJo White, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, KC Jones, even Cousy for his last year. (Don't overlook Cowens, who won the MVP in 1973 and finished in the top 4 in MVP voting every year from 1973-76, and 7th in 1972. Was Havlicek the alpha on those Celts' teams, or was it Cowens?) Clyde's teammates included Terry Porter, Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, UConn's own Cliff Robinson, and briefly Hakeem (and late-career Barkley) during the Rockets stint. Clyde played 184 fewer games yet had more win shares (135.6) than Havlicek (131.7). Clyde also had a higher PER (21.1, vs. 17.5). As mentioned, he once finished 2nd in the MVP voting. Havlicek's best finish was 4th. Their points, rebounds, assists, and shooting percentage numbers were similar: JH: [URL="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/havlijo01.html"]John Havlicek Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com[/URL] CD: [URL="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/drexlcl01.html"]Clyde Drexler Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com[/URL] Drexler played in a lower scoring/more physical era, so his points represented a larger share of his team's offense. Drexler still ranks 10th all-time in career steals (9th if ABA stats are excluded): [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/stl_career.html[/URL] It's true that Havlicek made more All-NBA teams than Drexler, but there were generally many fewer teams/other players to compete with in the (still semi-segregated, pre-ABA merger) 1960s and 1970s than in the following two decades, when Drexler was a 10-time All-Star even during the Bird, Magic, Isiah, Jordan, Pippen, Barkley, Malone, Stockton, Robinson, Ewing, Mullin, Payton et al. era. (Kareem, Moses, and Dr J bridged the eras of Havlicek and Drexler.) Shooting percentages were also generally lower in the '60s-'70s, even before 3-pointers limited shooting percentages in later years, so it would be hard to argue that Havlicek's era involved a better brand of basketball than Drexler's. (For example, would Cowens have finished in the top 4 in MVP voting in any year of the 1980s or 1990s, let alone four straight years? No way.) So, I respect the opinions of those who favor Havlicek. But if he were not a Celtic, he would not have received the acclaim he did. Drexler earned recognition even in Portland. Imagine if he were in Boston, NY, or LA. [/QUOTE]

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