The NBA's Greatest Postseason Performers of All-time

With the first-round of the 2005-06 NBA playoffs just getting under way with several interesting match-ups, I thought this would be a perfect time to look back through the annals of NBA history and rank the ten greatest postseason performers of all-time.

Before I go any further, let me say, that, with all of the great players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers – from Chuck Taylor’s to Nike’s – this was an extremely hard column to write. However, as is usually the case, I have once again managed to go above and beyond the call of duty to provide my expert opinion on the best playoff players of all-time.
So, awaaaay we go. 

Bill Russell
All I’m going to say about Russell is that the man has 11 championship rings. I realize that he played in an era when there weren’t as many teams – and the Celtics were the dominant franchise – but Russell always played his best when the games were most important. Statistics would never do this gentle giant, justice. Russell was – and still is - by far, the greatest team player in NBA history. As former Celtics player and NBA coaching great, Don Nelson once told the Boston Herald, “There are two types of superstars. One makes himself look good at the expense of the other guys on the floor. But there's another type who makes the players around him look better than they are, and that's the type Russell was.” Russell made his presence felt come championship time more than any other player ever – including Michael Jordan – and is the game’s ultimate winner.