Turnaround and you’ll see another star go down to injury in the NBA Playoffs. For some strange reason, it feels like past teams didn’t deal with this.
As hardened NBA Playoff basketball fans, we remember the great calls throughout history.
The classics. Legendary voices from the past that’ll forever be etched in our hoops memories.
For example, when brilliant Boston Celtics voice Johnny Most decided to put his finishing touches on one of the more remarkable plays of all-time:
Another classic is, of course, Marv Albert’s spec-tacular call as Michael Jordan split the Los Angeles Lakers defense en route to the hoop:
Alas, nowadays the voices at ESPN and TNT are more likely to make a call that involves an ankle sprain, knee tweak, or even broken facial bones.
It’s like boxing, but instead of “down goes Frazier,” we have “to the locker room sprints Love,” or “let’s hold our breathe for D-Rose.”
The brittle nature of today’s NBA player has never been put more in question than right now. Seemingly, another guy succumbs to the dreaded injury bug each and every game.
It brings us a plethora of interesting questions pertaining to this sport.
Is it possible our NBA athlete doesn’t possess the heart he once had? Could the money and off-court friendships that water down competition be carrying over to health as well?
More from Boston Celtics
- Predicting NBA’s Christmas Day Schedule: Lakers, Warriors highlight slate of postseason rematches
- Jaylen Brown signs richest contract in NBA history without a left hand
- Boston Celtics projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
- David Griffin thanks rival Celtics for leverage in Anthony Davis trade talks
- NBA rumors: Damian Lillard trade becoming more trouble than it’s worth for Celtics
Listen, nobody is an advocate for on-court fighting. But at the same time, where is the fire, heart and especially the toughness that the NBA Playoffs used to stand for?
Even John Wall and Mike Conley gutting out pretty serious injuries hasn’t overcome this new feeling surrounding a lesser competition level come second season.
Make no mistake about it, this competition level goes hand in hand with nagging injuries and consistent setbacks, whether it’s fair or not.
The reality that we are now living in an NBA world of carnage continues to carry on, regardless of whether the level of talent remains high.
Remember a simpler time, when the teams were rough, physical and absolutely in your face?
These are the teams who knocked you down and smiled with great pleasure while you remained on your back squirming in pain.
Rarely would a nagging injury get in the way of success, and never would a lack of talent stop them from advancing as far as humanly possible.
Sure, the NBA will always be filled with a ridiculous amount of talent. These guys are, perhaps, the best collection of athletes on the face of the Earth.
And yes, much of this softness falls on the league’s shoulders. Unlike past generations of ball, today’s NBA has completely cracked down on physical play. It feels like a blank stare in the wrong direction warrants a flagarant foul. Hand-checking is now gone, and the perimeter players dominate more than ever before.
Whatever the reason for the change, the association is very different than what we witnessed decades ago.
What we’re after today are those NBA Playoff teams who were both physically and mentally tougher than their competition. The teams who would stand their ground no matter the consequence and love every minute about the way they played.
These are the guys who knocked you down and smiled with great pleasure while you squirmed in pain. These are the teams who loved having that mental edge after the physical dominance had already been dished out.
These are the 5 toughest teams in NBA Playoff history:
Next: Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
- Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers
- Wes Unseld’s Baltimore/Washington Bullets
- Alonzo Mourning’s Miami Heat
- Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics
- Moses Malone’s Philadelphia 76ers
I ask you this one simple question: was there ever a better time in the NBA when Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller so brazenly flashed the choke sign to Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden?
The answer is no.
Those Pacers teams fell short of the ultimate goal. The closest they came was 2000, when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant took care of Larry Bird-coached team in six-games.
Despite no rings, this squad was one of the toughest to ever play in the NBA Playoffs.
Led by pest-extraordinaire Miller, the squad had tough-minded players such as Dale and Antonio Davis, Mark Jackson and Rik Smits throughout the 1990s. Then, as personnel changed over, guys like Jalen Rose and the one and only Ron Artest came to play in Indiana.
Not only were the teams physically tough, Reggie played mind games to get under the skin of other strong-minded players:
If it hadn’t been for No. 23 and a few New York City teams, the Pacers would’ve been allowed a better fate.
Other squads to just miss the cut include Wes Unseld’s battle tested Balitmore/Washington Bullets and the Alonzo Mourning-Tim Hardaway Miami Heat teams from the 1990s:
Next: Number 5
5. The Wallace Brothers’ Detroit Pistons
In 2004 the stage was set and the outcome, well, that too was a forgone conclusion.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three of the previous four NBA Championships, were going to steamroll the pleasantly surprising Detroit Pistons.
There was one little problem for Kobe, Shaq and Phil Jackson: these Pistons – a group of misfits and outcasts – didn’t get the memo.
This was supposed to be the time that the champion Lakers helped Karl Malone and Gary Payton finally earn those elusive rings they were chasing. It was the time that Shaq and Kobe cemented their legacy together as one of the best one-two punches of all-time.
Instead, overlooked individuals like Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince were led by an old-school basketball mind in Larry Brown to play tough, physical and completely overwhelming ball.
The defensive show these guys put on in the 2004 playoffs brought back memories of a more physically dominating time in the association.
It was sheer hustle and will that propelled these guys. No example better defines this Pistons team than this play:
In the finals, Detroit limited the high-powered Lakers to 75, 68, 80 and 87 points respectively during the four-wins that saw them crowned as the NBA Champions in five-games.
The 2004 playoffs brought us back – if only for a short time – to the simpler days where physical ball ruled the NBA.
Next: Number 4
4. Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks
Where do you begin with the New York Knicks of the 1990s?
Will there be some vitriol for them being labeled one of the five toughest teams in NBA history, due to the fact they never took home a championship? Of course.
However, these guys cannot be overlooked in this area.
Ewing, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, John Starks and Ron Harper were, perhaps, the most physical NBA Playoff team of all-time.
Their mantra could be described as “shoot a jumper, get an elbow in the chest. Drive baseline, get your head knocked off.”
This team fed of the rough and tough description the city of New York loved. Even other players prior to the East champions of ’94 like Xavier McDaniel and Mark Jackson, or reserves like Greg Anthony and Anthony Bonner would not give an inch while on that Madison Square Garden hardwood.
Hard fouls weren’t just a once in a while thing with these guys, they were a way of life.
What’s fascinating about this team is the fact that Pat Riley – who was the leader for the Lakers run-and-gun Showtime team – recognized the only way this group could possibly compete for an NBA title was to play this rugged style.
They weren’t the most talented team by any means. Most NBA championship teams need at least two superstars. The Knicks only had one.
But this is precisely why they find themselves on this list. Their heart, desire and will elevated their play in such a way that created phenomenal rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat that we haven’t seen in this league since.
Their best team came in the 1992-93 season when the city saw 60 wins and the Atlantic Division crown. Like their DNA proved, the Knicks finished first in the NBA by only allowing 95.4 points per game.
During Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, New York had a chance to go up 2-0 on the defending champion Bulls.
With under a minute to go, and a three-point lead, the ultimate underdog in John Starks took matters into his own hands:
Unfortunately for these Knicks, they played in an era that featured Michael Jordan, as the Bulls won the next four games to advance to the 1993 NBA Finals.
Despite only knocking off the Bulls in one series (in 1994 while Jordan went to play baseball), this rivalry will go down as one of the best of all-time:
Next: Number 3
3. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls
Talent? Check. Coaching? Check. The sheer will to rip your heart out right there on that court and stomp on it? No question about it.
With Michael Jordan leading the way, the 1990s Chicago Bulls will forever be remembered as one of the tougher teams in NBA Playoffs history.
Although, when tough teams are remembered, sometimes the Bulls get left in the dark. It makes sense. After all, they were led by No. 23, arguably the greatest player of all time.
Chicago also possessed Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson. Their talent was always on full display.
However, let’s think for a moment about the Bulls’ two squads (each three-peat).
Never did this team go seven games during the NBA Finals. That alone is worthy of the “tough discussion.”
Furthermore, Jordan’s level of competition has always been mentioned as the reason most believe he is head and shoulders above the other greats we’ve seen. The gambling rumors, flipping out on teammates in practice, and even taking rookies money on flights during what was supposed to be a friendly game of poker have all been well-chronicled.
MJ never met a pressure shot that he didn’t like. It was this attitude that sprinkled down to guys like John Paxson, B.J. Armstrong, and even Pippen.
Let’s also not forget how physical the NBA Playoffs would become during their era. This was something other teams like the Pacers and Knicks thrived upon. The Bulls had to overcome this, which led to great Eastern Conference rivalries.
Jordan and company had to be tough enough to overcome the physical dominance other teams challenged them with. And oh yeah, let’s not forget the brutal nature of the late ’80s Detroit Pistons. Having to battle through those champions was something only a physically and mentally tough squad could deal with.
Even when Jordan was gone, their tough mentality stuck with them:
When looking at the center position, guys like Bill Cartwright, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington and Will Perdue will never be confused with Charles Oakley or Dale Davis.
At the same time, Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman down on the blocks brought that physical nature to the starting lineup:
Next: Number 2
2. The Bad Boys
Surprised? Yeah, you have a right to be.
When discussing the most rugged teams in NBA Playoffs history, the Bad Boys usually go down as the top squad.
However, they come in at No. 2 on this list, and for a very good reason.
It’s true. These guys were probably the most physically dominating NBA team of all-time. It’s also true that they reveled in intimidation.
The ploy was a tactic. It was what defined them. It’s what also turned some NBA heads off to the Detroit Pistons during the late 1980s.
Many felt the dirtiness and cheap ways of Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and others, granted them a better fate than what they truly deserved.
That notion is completely ridiculous. They were the best team during the ’89 and ’90 playoffs, and deserved to be crowned champions.
What has them in the No. 2 hole rather than atop the list, however, is the fact that they allowed a voice of someone else to get the better of them.
After the Pistons were finally beat-down by Jordan’s Bulls during the ’91 playoffs (in four-straight), Isiah Thomas and most of the crew walked off the floor while there was still time remaining on the clock:
Most believe it was a direct response to Jordan’s words. They didn’t especially like that MJ said his team would have to overcome the Pistons “dirtying it up.”
The “walk-off” was a classless move that will forever haunt this group. Isiah ducking past Jordan even costed him a spot on the ’92 Dream Team, most theorize.
If you’re going to revel in your style of a mentally and physically strong team, you must also be mentally strong enough to accept defeat in the most gracious of ways. This didn’t show anything that could be described as toughness. Rather, it showed a sign of weakness.
You don’t have to like that you lost, but you need to respect the game.
Regardless of that last final act, there’s no taking away the accomplishments this squad produced on the court.
The 1988-89 team, who won the first of two titles, went 63-19 and finished second in the league by only allowing 100.8 points per game.
A year later, they followed it up by only surrendering 98.3 points per game while winning 59 games, and their second-straight title.
Chuck Daly’s defensive philosophies led to a smothering effect, usually equipped with hard fouls and fights like these:
Be careful though. Do not overrate the smarts of this group. Brilliant defensive schemes and rotations led to the hush-hush “Jordan Rules”:
Next: Number 1
1. Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics
Coming in as the toughest NBA Playoffs squad of all-time is the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics of the 1980s.
Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish made up what turned out to be a front-line completely full of Hall of Fame basketball players.
The talent, basketball IQ, and the unity of this group was astounding. What has them ahead of the Bad Boys is their wherewithal to step up when the moment most warranted it.
Of course when the Celtics of the ’80s is mentioned, so are the Los Angeles Lakers. Just as when Bird is brought into the conversation, so is Magic Johnson.
A few decades later we now see a different side of these two guys. One that led to a heart-warming friendship. Make no mistake about it, though, these guys hated each other back then.
There was no patty-cake playing and laughing like we often see now. It was pure, unadulterated hatred.
What spearheaded the Celtics’ physical and mental toughness was Bird.
It’s arguable that no other professional athlete in the world did more with less than Bird did. Sure, he could shoot the lights out, but his athleticism was far below that of his competitors.
It was his basketball mind, wit and passion that allowed his team to blossom.
No season better exemplified this attitude than the NBA Championship in 1984.
After losing to Magic in the 1979 NCAA Championship game, and then watching him go up 2-1 in NBA Championships, Bird willed his team to a seven-game series win to capture the first series victory in head-to-head championship matchups.
When the entire world said Bird couldn’t beat Magic, he and his team showed us otherwise:
What really puts the Celtics ahead of the Bad Boys is two-fold.
One: they enjoyed a longer period of success than the Pistons did. And two: when they were finally surpassed by the Pistons in the NBA Playoffs, they didn’t disregard them.
Bird and the Celtics accepted defeat graciously and humbly. They understood that the Pistons had earned the right to be called the best in the East.
Even when Isiah Thomas said that Bird would be “just another good guy” if he was black, it didn’t alter the way Bird respected the game and his opponents.
He was all business on the court, at all times. This can be said for the entirety of that Boston run during the ’80s.
All of this defines toughness in the NBA Playoffs.
Bird’s dominance not only amazed us with the way he made so much out of so little, but he did it in a way that reminded us even the “scrapper” has a shot to succeed on the biggest of stages:
While nobody can argue that the Celtics were better than the Lakers, there’s no question who the tougher team was.
These guys were very little flash, all grit and determination.
Next: NBA Playoffs: We're Not Mad, We're Just Disappointed And Sad
More from FanSided
- Joe Burrow owes Justin Herbert a thank you note after new contract
- Chiefs gamble at wide receiver could already be biting them back
- Braves-Red Sox start time: Braves rain delay in Boston on July 25
- Yankees: Aaron Boone gives optimistic return date for Aaron Judge
- MLB Rumors: Yankees-Phillies trade showdown, Mariners swoop, India goes to Seattle