28 Dec 10 NBA Playoff Success: The 23 Most Successful Shooting Guards

Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesIt's playoff time and Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili, Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant are some of the few shooting guards left in contention for a title. To pay homage to old number 23, Michael Jordan, and his 6-0 finals record and MVP's, this list names the top 23 shooting guards to ever Reebok Minnesota Vikings #4 Brett Favre Realtree camo Jersey
scorch the hoops in the playoff scene.#23 - John Starks - Never won it all but almost did, if it wasn't for #23, and bad shooting in game 7 vs. Houston in 1994.#22 - Latrell Sprewell - Remember how the Knicks almost did it in 1999? Sprewell was the fire inside the team, but Duncan and Robinson doused it, so did shooter Sean Elliot.#21 - Penny Hardaway - In 1995, the Magic lost 0-4 to the Rockets but penny did his thing. They lost because...well...Olajuwn was unstoppable and Drexler was taking Penny. #20 - Allen Iverson - Made it that once (2001), but lost. He's here because he was the main part of the offense for his team, at only 6'0".#19 - Reggie Miller - Hit all the big ones all the time, except in the Finals (2000). How sad is it that Miller only made it to the big dance once?#18 - Richard Jefferson - Made it twice to the Finals and lost both, but he is at #18 because who else scored in those series for N.J. in 2002 and 2003? He's in the hunt again, seven years later, on a stacked Spurs team.#17 - Richard Hamilton - Has played in the finals twice, with a win and a loss. He was a perfect shooting compliment for other players on the 2004 championship Detroit team, and the next year in 2005 they lost a close seven game series to the Spurs.#16 - Danny Ainge - He could never stop Jordan but he wasn't afraid of him. This mindset by Ainge brings him into the upper echelon of shooting guards in the playoffs. Won it all in 1984 and 1986, playing gritty defense. Lost in the Finals in 1983, but came back and tried to stop Jordan for Portland in 1992 and for Phoenix in 1993, but didn't. He has been in five NBA finals series.#15 -Earl Monroe won it all in 1973, with the Knicks big man, Willis Reed playing injured and Walt Frazier at his side.#14 - World B. Free - He was a starter for the 1979 champs from Seattle and was the high scorer when they lost the year before. He got redemption, even though Dennis Johnson (more of a PG) was Finals MVP.#13 - Hal Greer - Averaged 27.7 points per game in the 1967 playoffs,alongsideWilt, when Philly beat San Fran in the NBA Finals. At only 6'2" it was quite anaccomplishmentto score more than The Big Dipper in the finals.#12 - Clyde Drexler - In 1990 and 1992 Portland made the finals and lost both, but Drexler was the main guy at all times. In 1995, on Houston, he was able to defer to Olajuwon, and won it all while still scoring at a high clip.#11 - Paul Pierce - Played with a crappy Boston team for years, and just when he was about to pack it up for the Celtics, they get shooter Ray Allen, and big man Garnett. Pierce just got a Finals MVP.#10 - Dwyane Wade - Played with an older Shaq, unlike Kobe, but took Miami to it's first and only title in 2006, Reebok Minnesota Vikings #69 Jared Allen Realtree camo Jersey
and was Finals MVP, unlike Kobe, when he was with Shaq.#09 - Jerry West - He is the only player to be Finals MVP from the LOSING TEAM!!! That was in 1969 when the Celtics beat L.A. 4 to 3. In 1972 they won it all with West at the scorers helm.#08 - Rick Barry - He was a shooting guard/small forward, but his strongsuit was scoring. Score he did in 1967 at age 22. He averaged 35.6 pts per game that year (1967)! His team at the time, S.F. went to the Finals and lost to Philadelphia. Eight years later he was a Finals MVP as he led G.S. to a title over Washington 4-0 in 1975.#07 - Byron Scott - Happened to be in the right place at the right time, winning titles in L.A., but the kid scored and scored and scored, except in 1991 vs Jordan and the Bulls, he flopped against Jordan and then got mysteriously injured, so did Worthy.#06 - Joe Dumars - Was the one good guy on a Bad Boy team that went to the Finals in 1988 and lost, but came back and won it all in 1989 and 1990. Dumars was Finals MVP in 1989.#05 - Manu Ginobili - In 2003, 2005 and 2007, Manu wasthe offensive catalyst for title winning teams. Even in 2010 he saved the Spurs at the end of the season and round one. For sure, 2010 Spurs MVP.#04 - Kobe Bryant - Won it all in 2000, 2001 and 2002, with Shaq as Finals MVP all three times. In 2009 Bryant and Gasol led the Lakers past Orlando and Kobe got his first Finals MVP, catapulting him to top 5 shooting guards ever status and top 20 all-time player status (#17 greatest player ever in my estimation).#03 - Sam Jones - Won 10 NBA TITLES!!! as shooting guard for the Boston Celtics. After losing in the Finals in 1958 vs. St. Louis, he helped Boston win eight straight, then two more in 1968 and 1969. That is amazing. He averaged 18.9 pts per game in his playoff career.#02 - John Havlicek - The 6'5" f/g won sixchampionshipsalongsideSam Jones and Bill Russell and then somehow took the Celtics to titles in 1974 (Finals MVP) and 1976, without them. Reebok New England Patriots #12 Tom Brady Realtree camo Jersey
He was an amazing player who never lost in the Finals and played his ass off every single possession. Had a 13 year career, went to the playoffs every single year and in 172 career playoff games he put up 22.0 ppg, 6.9 rebs per and 4.8 asts per. Greatest ever, if it wasn't for....#01 - Back to number 23. Six NBA Finals, Six Finals MVP's. All-time NBA playoff scoring leader. Led NBA in scoring every single time they won the NBA title. Not enough space to explain it all, but unlike Havlicek, was the number one option defensively and offensively every Finals game he played, by the way he never scored under 20 points in ANY of his Finals games (35 games). Who is this I write of? MICHAEL JORDAN, duh.