#25-21

#25. Charles Barkley

The “Round Mound of Rebound” starts off the top of the Calculator’s Top-25 list, and is ranked within the Top-5 Power Forwards. Barkley is 1 of 7 players ever to record 20k points, 10k rebounds, and 4k assists (KAJ, Wilt, KMalone, Duncan, KG, and Bron). He’s been recognized at least as a Superstar for 10 seasons, 6 of them being Legendary tier. As an undersized PF at only 6’4, Barkley remained one of the fiercest competitors on the court of all-time. He may well be the greatest pound-for-pound rebounder the league has seen.

Barkley’s playoff exploits are without any championship success, but taking MJ to a 6-game series in the finals was as close as anyone got to pushing MJ to the brink. He also had some incredibly impressive playoff series, like in ‘94 and ‘95 against the Warriors and the Blazers, but also about his entire ‘93 run through the West to the finals was very impressive. Aside from his MVP, Barkley may not have a ton of peak accomplishments, but he was legitimately among the league’s very best for a little over a decade both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

Notable Playoff Series

Notable series:

• '93 Conference Finals vs Seattle SuperSonics (72.23 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +2.2% performance, opponent was +0.39 SRS better, won 4-3.

• '93 CSF's vs San Antonio Spurs (45.07 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -6.2% performance, opponent was -4.06 SRS worse, won 4-2.

Other notable series:

• '95 First Round vs Portland Trail Blazers (44.57 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +53.5% performance, opponent was -0.05 SRS worse, won 3-0.

• '94 First Round vs Golden State Warriors (40.17 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +91.3% performance, opponent was -2.92 SRS worse, won 3-0.

#24. Dwyane Wade

Wade slides in very comfortably into the top-25 as the greatest player in Miami’s franchise history. He was drafted by them in ‘03 and played there for a little over 14 of his 16 seasons in the NBA. Wade will soon be enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame. His crowning career achievement came in just his 3rd year in ‘06 when he led Miami to their first ever championship over the Dallas Mavericks, in which Wade led the 0-2 comeback averaging 39, 8, and 4 with 3.5 “stocks” on +8.2 rTS% in the final 4 games. He obviously took home the FMVP trophy as well.

Afterwards Wade would continue to dominate as one of the league’s premier players, probably a top-5 guy for a little under a decade. He even won a scoring title in ‘09. And when LeBron and Bosh came into town in the early 2010s, immediately the new ‘Big 3’ in Miami went to 4 finals in a row, winning 2 more times, in which Wade played an incredibly important role as the superstar ‘Robin’ to LeBron’s ‘Batman’. If there was any area of his career in which his legacy was relatively lacking, it was in his MVP🏅Score, as he only ever finished in the top-5 for MVP voting twice in his career, and a couple other instances where he finished a little lower than that.

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

• '06 Finals vs Dallas Mavericks (244.13 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +18.1% performance, opponent was +2.37 SRS better, won 4-2. FMVP.

• '12 Finals vs Oklahoma City Thunder (132.32 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, -5.7% performance, opponent was +0.72 SRS better, won 4-1.

• '13 Finals vs San Antonio Spurs (82.42 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, -12.9% performance, opponent was -0.36 SRS worse, won 4-3.

Other notable series:

• '06 Conference Finals vs Detroit Pistons (112.91 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +0.9% performance, opponent was +2.65 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '05 CSF’s vs Washington Wizards (82.67 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +27.3% performance, opponent was -6.47 SRS worse, won 4-0.

• '05 CSF’s vs Boston Celtics (75.39 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +23.3% performance, opponent was -1.93 SRS worse, won 4-1.

#23. David Robinson

In his first 6 seasons, Robinson won ROY, MVP and a DPOY, in addition to a REB title, a PTS title, 6 Allstar bids, 3 selections to the All-NBA 1st Team and 3 selections to the All-Def 1st Team. His prime was right smack in the middle of the most dominant era for big men, going up against the likes of other Legendary centers like Olajuwon, Shaq, and the already mentioned Ewing. In just his 3rd year, David became just the 3rd player in history to rank among the league’s top 10 in five different categories, the other 2 being Larry Bird and Cliff Hagan. Before his back and foot injuries in ‘97, David was averaging nearly 4 blocks a game for 7 years!

After his injuries, he was never quite the same player again unfortunately. But with the team adding Tim Duncan through the draft, “The Admiral” played a very pivotal supporting role to dominate the paint as the “Twin Towers.” This ginormous duo won 2 championships in 6 years together. If there was any part of Robinson’s legacy that was relatively lacking, it’s probably his playoff resumé as most of his playoff success came when he was no longer “the guy” in San Antonio, but rather when he had Tim Duncan lead the way instead.

Notable Playoff Series

• '99 Finals vs New York Knicks (63.95 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +6.1% performance, opponent was -5.67 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '03 Finals vs OPPONENT (23.89 Legacy Points)

  • Role Player, +36.8% performance, opponent was -1.23 SRS worse, won 4-2.

Other notable series:

• '99 Conference Finals vs Portland Trail Blazers (102.94 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +10.8% performance, opponent was -1.45 SRS worse, won 4-0.

• '90 First Round vs Denver Nuggets (40.27 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +16.4% performance, opponent was -2.02 SRS worse, won 3-0.

#22. Isiah Thomas

The original “baby-faced assassin,” Isaiah Thomas was one of the greatest small guards ever to play. Zeke possessed the skill, determination, and grit to take over any game at will. He was an extremely tough and unselfish player, and he was not a guy who needed to dominate the ball to be effective. He would only take over when the team needed him to the most, and boy was Isiah a tough shot-taker and maker. His 13.9 assists a game in ‘85 set a then NBA record, and through his feisty play he was a pest on the defensive end, averaging about 2 steals a game for his career.

Isiah may not have the individual career accolades to suggest that maybe he was a Legendary tier player, but the fact that Isiah seemed to always get better in the playoffs (and due to the “Bad Boys” unpopularity in the media and fans across the nation), the Calculator still recognizes Zeke for 6 Legendary seasons. He is the only player in history who can say they defeated Jordan, Bird and Magic in the playoffs all in their primes. He would go on to make 3 finals in a row, winning the last 2 in impressive fashion, and arguably deserved to win all 3. Those who are aware of what happened and what Zeke did in that fateful game 6 against LA in ‘88 know what I'm talking about…

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

• '90 Finals vs Portland Trail Blazers (341.35 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +40.6% performance, opponent was +1.07 SRS better, won 4-1. FMVP.

• '89 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (252.27 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +13.3% performance, opponent was +0.14 SRS better, won 4-0.

Other notable series:

• '88 Conference Finals vs Boston Celtics (167.09 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +16.6% performance, opponent was +0.69 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '90 Conference Finals vs Chicago Bulls (90.95 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +13.3% performance, opponent was -2.67 SRS worse, won 4-3.

#21. Elgin Baylor

“He was one of the most spectacular shooters the game has ever known,” Baylor’s longtime teammate Jerry West told HOOP magazine in 1992. “I hear people talking about forwards today and I haven’t seen many that can compare with him.” Elgin has to be one of the most underappreciated greats in history, especially from this early era. Despite making 7 finals, Elgin never won a championship because his career ran parallel with the dynastic Boston Celtics with Bill Russell. Despite averaging over 35 during his 3-year peak (and 27 for his 12-year career), Baylor never won a scoring title because his prime was congruent next to Chamberlain.

He played his whole career with the Lakers from ‘58 in Minneapolis all the way to the 70s in Los Angeles. Elgin was one of the most acrobatic players ever, flying through the lane scoring with tough finishes. Baylor also has to be the greatest rebounding SF of all-time due to his career average of 13.5 RPG, with his highest season average being 19.8, and he did this at 6’5. He also made 10 All-NBA teams, all 10 being 1st Team honors only. He retired in ‘70 probably as a top-5 greatest player ever.

Notable Playoff Series

Notable series:

• '59 Conference Finals vs St Louis Hawks (162.81 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +18.1% performance, opponent was +4.31 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '70 Conference Finals vs Atlanta Hawks (117.44 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -2.9% performance, opponent was -1.45 SRS worse, won 4-0.

Other notable series:

• '60 CSF’s vs Detroit Pistons (115.07 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +8.4% performance, opponent was +0.69 SRS better, won 2-0.

• '68 Conference Finals vs San Francisco Warriors (91.58 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +2.4% performance, opponent was -5.65 SRS worse, won 4-0.