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Winningest Playoff People

Posted by Neil Paine on April 16, 2010

Playoffs Home ▪ 2010 Playoff Previews

On the eve of the 2010 Playoffs, I thought it'd be cool to run down the current list of winningest NBA "people" -- players and coaches. We know which coaches coached which games, so we can give them accurate credit for W-L records, but if you recall for players, we have to estimate the team's W-L record for games in which they appeared. Fortunately, this is pretty easy and a pretty decent kludge: take the team's winning percentage in all games (in this case, all playoff games in a season) and multiply by the player's games played for wins, then subtract that from his games for losses. This isn't perfect, but in the absence of pre-1991 playoff gamelogs, it's the best we can do (and it's pretty darned accurate for such a simple solution). With the explanation out of the way, here are the winningest playoff "people" of all time:

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Pat Riley Coach 282 171 111 0.606 5
Robert Horry PF 244 155 89 0.637 7
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 237 154 83 0.651 6
Scottie Pippen SF 208 136 72 0.654 6
Magic Johnson PG 190 127 63 0.670 5
Shaquille O'Neal C 203 123 80 0.604 4
Michael Jordan SG 179 119 60 0.665 6
Dennis Rodman PF 169 116 53 0.689 5
Byron Scott SG 183 116 67 0.636 3
Danny Ainge SG 193 116 77 0.599 2
Michael Cooper SG 168 115 53 0.685 5
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
Kobe Bryant SG 175 110 65 0.630 4
Horace Grant PF 170 109 61 0.643 4
Bill Russell C 165 107 58 0.648 11
John Havlicek SF 172 106 66 0.618 8
Robert Parish C 184 106 78 0.576 4
Dennis Johnson SG 180 104 76 0.580 3
Gregg Popovich Coach 165 102 63 0.618 4
Tim Duncan PF 160 101 59 0.629 4
Larry Brown Coach 189 100 89 0.529 1
Sam Jones SG 154 99 55 0.645 10
Larry Bird SF 164 99 65 0.604 3
Kevin McHale PF 169 99 70 0.585 3
Karl Malone PF 193 97 96 0.505 0
James Worthy SF 143 95 48 0.667 3
Jerry Sloan Coach 192 94 98 0.490 0
A.C. Green PF 153 93 60 0.609 3
Kurt Rambis PF 139 93 46 0.669 4
Red Auerbach Coach 151 91 60 0.603 9
Paul Silas PF 163 91 72 0.556 3
John Salley PF 134 90 44 0.672 4
John Stockton PG 182 89 93 0.489 0
Wilt Chamberlain C 160 88 72 0.550 2
Don Nelson SF 150 88 62 0.587 5
Sam Perkins PF 167 88 79 0.525 0
Lindsey Hunter PG 147 86 61 0.588 2
Jerry West PG 153 86 67 0.563 1
Steve Kerr PG 128 86 42 0.669 5

How about people active in this year's playoffs?

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Shaquille O'Neal C 203 123 80 0.604 4
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
Kobe Bryant SG 175 110 65 0.630 4
Gregg Popovich Coach 165 102 63 0.618 4
Tim Duncan PF 160 101 59 0.629 4
Larry Brown Coach 189 100 89 0.529 1
Jerry Sloan Coach 192 94 98 0.490 0
Lindsey Hunter PG 147 86 61 0.588 2
Rasheed Wallace PF 153 83 70 0.542 1
Chauncey Billups PG 133 77 56 0.580 1
Tony Parker PG 122 75 47 0.615 3
George Karl Coach 161 72 89 0.447 0
Manu Ginobili SG 107 70 37 0.654 3
Michael Finley SG 111 58 53 0.523 1
Jason Kidd PG 115 56 59 0.484 0
Anthony Johnson PG 99 54 45 0.542 0
Steve Nash PG 102 48 54 0.467 0
Antonio McDyess PF 84 46 38 0.548 0
Dirk Nowitzki PF 97 46 52 0.469 0
Kenyon Martin PF 78 43 35 0.556 0
Richard Jefferson SF 78 43 35 0.551 0
Luke Walton SF 71 43 28 0.601 1
Jason Collins C 75 41 34 0.551 0
Ray Allen SG 77 41 36 0.532 1
Lamar Odom PF 69 40 29 0.580 1
Kurt Thomas PF 82 40 43 0.482 0
Paul Pierce SF 77 39 38 0.506 1
Mehmet Okur C 70 39 31 0.553 1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 64 37 27 0.578 0

What if we broke it down by the player's primary position over their career?

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Michael Jordan SG 179 119 60 0.665 6
Byron Scott SG 183 116 67 0.636 3
Danny Ainge SG 193 116 77 0.599 2
Michael Cooper SG 168 115 53 0.685 5
Kobe Bryant SG 175 110 65 0.630 4
Dennis Johnson SG 180 104 76 0.580 3
Sam Jones SG 154 99 55 0.645 10
Ron Harper SG 112 76 36 0.681 5
Jeff Hornacek SG 140 76 64 0.543 0
Reggie Miller SG 144 76 68 0.527 0
Clyde Drexler SG 145 74 71 0.509 1
Vinnie Johnson SG 116 71 45 0.615 2
Manu Ginobili SG 107 70 37 0.654 3
Richard Hamilton SG 120 69 51 0.575 1
Joe Dumars SG 112 68 44 0.607 2
Mario Elie SG 116 67 49 0.578 3
Frank Ramsey SG 98 63 35 0.647 7
Dan Majerle SG 123 62 61 0.507 0
Craig Hodges SG 101 62 39 0.610 2
Michael Finley SG 111 58 53 0.523 1
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Scottie Pippen SF 208 136 72 0.654 6
John Havlicek SF 172 106 66 0.618 8
Larry Bird SF 164 99 65 0.604 3
James Worthy SF 143 95 48 0.667 3
Don Nelson SF 150 88 62 0.587 5
Julius Erving SF 141 84 57 0.596 1
Tom Sanders SF 130 82 48 0.627 8
Bruce Bowen SF 135 81 54 0.600 3
Derrick McKey SF 142 77 65 0.539 0
Rick Fox SF 111 72 39 0.651 3
Elgin Baylor SF 134 71 63 0.533 0
Jamaal Wilkes SF 113 70 43 0.622 3
Tayshaun Prince SF 118 68 50 0.577 1
Jerome Kersey SF 126 63 63 0.501 1
Toni Kukoc SF 99 62 37 0.627 3
Mark Aguirre SF 102 60 42 0.588 2
Cedric Maxwell SF 102 59 43 0.582 2
Bob Dandridge SF 98 59 39 0.599 2
Bryon Russell SF 105 56 49 0.533 0
Bill Bradley SF 95 54 41 0.568 2
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Magic Johnson PG 190 127 63 0.670 5
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
John Stockton PG 182 89 93 0.489 0
Lindsey Hunter PG 147 86 61 0.588 2
Jerry West PG 153 86 67 0.563 1
Steve Kerr PG 128 86 42 0.669 5
Gary Payton PG 154 80 74 0.517 1
Chauncey Billups PG 133 77 56 0.580 1
Brian Shaw PG 127 76 51 0.600 3
Sam Cassell PG 136 75 61 0.553 3
Tony Parker PG 122 75 47 0.615 3
John Paxson PG 119 74 45 0.624 3
Maurice Cheeks PG 133 74 59 0.556 1
B.J. Armstrong PG 105 71 35 0.671 3
Isiah Thomas PG 111 70 41 0.631 2
K.C. Jones PG 105 68 37 0.648 8
Mark Jackson PG 131 66 65 0.501 0
Bob Cousy PG 109 63 46 0.578 6
Slater Martin PG 92 60 32 0.650 5
Jason Kidd PG 115 56 59 0.484 0
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Robert Horry PF 244 155 89 0.637 7
Dennis Rodman PF 169 116 53 0.689 5
Horace Grant PF 170 109 61 0.643 4
Tim Duncan PF 160 101 59 0.629 4
Kevin McHale PF 169 99 70 0.585 3
Karl Malone PF 193 97 96 0.505 0
A.C. Green PF 153 93 60 0.609 3
Kurt Rambis PF 139 93 46 0.669 4
Paul Silas PF 163 91 72 0.556 3
John Salley PF 134 90 44 0.672 4
Sam Perkins PF 167 88 79 0.525 0
Rasheed Wallace PF 153 83 70 0.542 1
Bobby Jones PF 125 73 52 0.585 1
Tom Heinsohn PF 104 69 35 0.663 8
Charles Oakley PF 144 68 76 0.472 0
Clifford Robinson PF 141 63 78 0.444 0
Charles Barkley PF 123 62 61 0.501 0
Rick Mahorn PF 106 58 48 0.547 1
Bill Bridges PF 113 56 57 0.495 1
Antoine Carr PF 107 56 51 0.521 0
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 237 154 83 0.651 6
Shaquille O'Neal C 203 123 80 0.604 4
Bill Russell C 165 107 58 0.648 11
Robert Parish C 184 106 78 0.576 4
Wilt Chamberlain C 160 88 72 0.550 2
Bill Cartwright C 124 78 46 0.632 3
Hakeem Olajuwon C 145 76 69 0.524 2
Ben Wallace C 130 76 54 0.585 1
Dale Davis C 137 73 64 0.533 0
Will Perdue C 108 72 36 0.665 4
Patrick Ewing C 139 71 68 0.514 0
Bill Laimbeer C 113 71 42 0.628 2
David Robinson C 123 71 52 0.577 2
James Edwards C 111 69 42 0.618 3
Caldwell Jones C 119 63 56 0.529 0
Mychal Thompson C 104 62 42 0.593 2
Scott Williams C 94 61 33 0.645 3
Vlade Divac C 121 60 61 0.496 0
Darryl Dawkins C 109 58 51 0.536 0
Bob McAdoo C 94 58 36 0.618 2
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Pat Riley Coach 282 171 111 0.606 5
Gregg Popovich Coach 165 102 63 0.618 4
Larry Brown Coach 189 100 89 0.529 1
Jerry Sloan Coach 192 94 98 0.490 0
Red Auerbach Coach 151 91 60 0.603 9
K.C. Jones Coach 138 81 57 0.587 2
Lenny Wilkens Coach 178 80 98 0.449 1
Rick Adelman Coach 157 79 78 0.503 0
Chuck Daly Coach 126 75 51 0.595 2
Don Nelson Coach 166 75 91 0.452 0
George Karl Coach 161 72 89 0.447 0
Billy Cunningham Coach 105 66 39 0.629 1
Red Holzman Coach 106 58 48 0.547 2
Dick Motta Coach 126 56 70 0.444 1
Bill Fitch Coach 109 55 54 0.505 1
John Kundla Coach 85 52 33 0.612 4
Rudy Tomjanovich Coach 90 51 39 0.567 2
Alex Hannum Coach 81 47 34 0.580 2
Tom Heinsohn Coach 80 47 33 0.588 2

Now, let's do the same thing, except sorting by winning percentage (minimum 50 career playoff games)... Highest WPct "people":

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Stacey King PF 61 44 17 0.725 3
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Dennis Rodman PF 169 116 53 0.689 5
Michael Cooper SG 168 115 53 0.685 5
George Mikan C 60 41 19 0.683 4
Ron Harper SG 112 76 36 0.681 5
John Salley PF 134 90 44 0.672 4
B.J. Armstrong PG 105 71 35 0.671 3
Jim Pollard SF 62 42 20 0.671 4
Magic Johnson PG 190 127 63 0.670 5
Kurt Rambis PF 139 93 46 0.669 4
Steve Kerr PG 128 86 42 0.669 5
James Worthy SF 143 95 48 0.667 3
Jud Buechler SF 71 47 24 0.666 3
Will Perdue C 108 72 36 0.665 4
Luc Longley C 87 58 29 0.665 3
Michael Jordan SG 179 119 60 0.665 6
Tom Heinsohn PF 104 69 35 0.663 8
Jim Loscutoff SF 58 38 20 0.661 6
Scottie Pippen SF 208 136 72 0.654 6
Manu Ginobili SG 107 70 37 0.654 3
Rick Fox SF 111 72 39 0.651 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 237 154 83 0.651 6
Slater Martin PG 92 60 32 0.650 5
Greg Kite C 61 40 21 0.649 2
Bill Russell C 165 107 58 0.648 11
K.C. Jones PG 105 68 37 0.648 8
Frank Ramsey SG 98 63 35 0.647 7
Mike McGee SF 68 44 24 0.647 2
Sam Jones SG 154 99 55 0.645 10
Scott Williams C 94 61 33 0.645 3
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
Horace Grant PF 170 109 61 0.643 4
Robert Horry PF 244 155 89 0.637 7
Mitch Kupchak PF 68 43 25 0.636 2
Byron Scott SG 183 116 67 0.636 3
Larry Siegfried PG 79 50 29 0.635 5
Bob Harrison SG 59 37 22 0.632 3
Bill Cartwright C 124 78 46 0.632 3
Isiah Thomas PG 111 70 41 0.631 2

Highest WPct by "people" active in this year's postseason:

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Manu Ginobili SG 107 70 37 0.654 3
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
Kobe Bryant SG 175 110 65 0.630 4
Tim Duncan PF 160 101 59 0.629 4
Gregg Popovich Coach 165 102 63 0.618 4
Tony Parker PG 122 75 47 0.615 3
Sasha Vujacic SG 55 34 21 0.615 1
Shaquille O'Neal C 203 123 80 0.604 4
Luke Walton SF 71 43 28 0.601 1
LeBron James SF 60 36 24 0.600 0
Anderson Varejao PF 60 36 24 0.600 0
Mike Brown Coach 60 36 24 0.600 0
Lindsey Hunter PG 147 86 61 0.588 2
Chauncey Billups PG 133 77 56 0.580 1
Lamar Odom PF 69 40 29 0.580 1
Udonis Haslem PF 61 35 26 0.579 1
Dwyane Wade SG 61 35 26 0.578 1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 64 37 27 0.578 0
Stan Van Gundy Coach 62 35 27 0.565 0
Kenyon Martin PF 78 43 35 0.556 0
Mehmet Okur C 70 39 31 0.553 1
Jason Collins C 75 41 34 0.551 0
Richard Jefferson SF 78 43 35 0.551 0
Antonio McDyess PF 84 46 38 0.548 0
Rasheed Wallace PF 153 83 70 0.542 1
Anthony Johnson PG 99 54 45 0.542 0
Stephen Jackson SF 54 29 25 0.537 1
Pau Gasol PF 56 30 26 0.536 1
Ray Allen SG 77 41 36 0.532 1

By position:

Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Michael Cooper SG 168 115 53 0.685 5
Ron Harper SG 112 76 36 0.681 5
Michael Jordan SG 179 119 60 0.665 6
Manu Ginobili SG 107 70 37 0.654 3
Frank Ramsey SG 98 63 35 0.647 7
Sam Jones SG 154 99 55 0.645 10
Byron Scott SG 183 116 67 0.636 3
Bob Harrison SG 59 37 22 0.632 3
Kobe Bryant SG 175 110 65 0.630 4
Clint Richardson SG 72 44 28 0.615 1
Vinnie Johnson SG 116 71 45 0.615 2
Sasha Vujacic SG 55 34 21 0.615 1
Andrew Toney SG 72 44 28 0.612 1
Jon McGlocklin SG 55 34 21 0.611 1
Craig Hodges SG 101 62 39 0.610 2
Joe Dumars SG 112 68 44 0.607 2
Shandon Anderson SG 74 45 29 0.603 1
Brent Barry SG 88 53 35 0.600 2
Danny Ainge SG 193 116 77 0.599 2
Bill Sharman SG 78 46 32 0.594 4
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Jim Pollard SF 62 42 20 0.671 4
James Worthy SF 143 95 48 0.667 3
Jud Buechler SF 71 47 24 0.666 3
Jim Loscutoff SF 58 38 20 0.661 6
Scottie Pippen SF 208 136 72 0.654 6
Rick Fox SF 111 72 39 0.651 3
Mike McGee SF 68 44 24 0.647 2
Toni Kukoc SF 99 62 37 0.627 3
Tom Sanders SF 130 82 48 0.627 8
Jamaal Wilkes SF 113 70 43 0.622 3
John Havlicek SF 172 106 66 0.618 8
Darvin Ham SF 54 33 21 0.607 1
M.L. Carr SF 67 41 26 0.606 2
Larry Bird SF 164 99 65 0.604 3
Devean George SF 86 52 34 0.604 3
Luke Walton SF 71 43 28 0.601 1
LeBron James SF 60 36 24 0.600 0
Bruce Bowen SF 135 81 54 0.600 3
Bob Dandridge SF 98 59 39 0.599 2
Julius Erving SF 141 84 57 0.596 1
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
B.J. Armstrong PG 105 71 35 0.671 3
Magic Johnson PG 190 127 63 0.670 5
Steve Kerr PG 128 86 42 0.669 5
Slater Martin PG 92 60 32 0.650 5
K.C. Jones PG 105 68 37 0.648 8
Derek Fisher PG 176 113 63 0.643 4
Larry Siegfried PG 79 50 29 0.635 5
Isiah Thomas PG 111 70 41 0.631 2
Norm Nixon PG 58 36 22 0.629 2
John Paxson PG 119 74 45 0.624 3
Tony Parker PG 122 75 47 0.615 3
Brian Shaw PG 127 76 51 0.600 3
Lionel Hollins PG 77 45 32 0.589 1
Lindsey Hunter PG 147 86 61 0.588 2
Jo Jo White PG 80 47 33 0.588 2
Chauncey Billups PG 133 77 56 0.580 1
Gerald Henderson PG 88 51 37 0.579 3
Bob Cousy PG 109 63 46 0.578 6
Henry Bibby PG 72 41 31 0.575 1
Kenny Smith PG 68 39 29 0.574 2
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Stacey King PF 61 44 17 0.725 3
Dennis Rodman PF 169 116 53 0.689 5
John Salley PF 134 90 44 0.672 4
Kurt Rambis PF 139 93 46 0.669 4
Tom Heinsohn PF 104 69 35 0.663 8
Horace Grant PF 170 109 61 0.643 4
Robert Horry PF 244 155 89 0.637 7
Mitch Kupchak PF 68 43 25 0.636 2
Tim Duncan PF 160 101 59 0.629 4
AaRon Williams PF 53 33 21 0.613 0
Vern Mikkelsen PF 85 52 33 0.612 4
A.C. Green PF 153 93 60 0.609 3
Malik Rose PF 82 49 33 0.603 2
Anderson Varejao PF 60 36 24 0.600 0
Greg Foster PF 67 39 28 0.586 1
Cliff Levingston PF 82 48 34 0.585 2
Kevin McHale PF 169 99 70 0.585 3
Bobby Jones PF 125 73 52 0.585 1
Lamar Odom PF 69 40 29 0.580 1
Udonis Haslem PF 61 35 26 0.579 1
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
George Mikan C 60 41 19 0.683 4
Will Perdue C 108 72 36 0.665 4
Luc Longley C 87 58 29 0.665 3
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 237 154 83 0.651 6
Greg Kite C 61 40 21 0.649 2
Bill Russell C 165 107 58 0.648 11
Scott Williams C 94 61 33 0.645 3
Bill Cartwright C 124 78 46 0.632 3
Bill Laimbeer C 113 71 42 0.628 2
Bob McAdoo C 94 58 36 0.618 2
James Edwards C 111 69 42 0.618 3
Bill Wennington C 70 43 27 0.617 2
Shaquille O'Neal C 203 123 80 0.604 4
Mychal Thompson C 104 62 42 0.593 2
Ben Wallace C 130 76 54 0.585 1
Dave Cowens C 89 52 37 0.584 2
Rick Robey C 53 31 22 0.580 1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 64 37 27 0.578 0
David Robinson C 123 71 52 0.577 2
Robert Parish C 184 106 78 0.576 4
Player Pos G_po W_po L_po WPct Champs
Phil Jackson Coach 300 209 91 0.697 10
Billy Cunningham Coach 105 66 39 0.629 1
Gregg Popovich Coach 165 102 63 0.618 4
Larry Costello Coach 60 37 23 0.617 1
Larry Bird Coach 52 32 20 0.615 0
John Kundla Coach 85 52 33 0.612 4
Pat Riley Coach 282 171 111 0.606 5
Red Auerbach Coach 151 91 60 0.603 9
Mike Brown Coach 60 36 24 0.600 0
Chuck Daly Coach 126 75 51 0.595 2
Tom Heinsohn Coach 80 47 33 0.588 2
K.C. Jones Coach 138 81 57 0.587 2
Alex Hannum Coach 81 47 34 0.580 2
Byron Scott Coach 57 33 24 0.579 0
Rudy Tomjanovich Coach 90 51 39 0.567 2
Al Cervi Coach 60 34 26 0.567 1
Stan Van Gundy Coach 62 35 27 0.565 0
Bill Sharman Coach 62 35 27 0.565 1
Bill Russell Coach 61 34 27 0.557 2
Red Holzman Coach 106 58 48 0.547 2

Some notes:

  • Phil Jackson can only add to his nearly insurmountable lead as the winningest playoff "person" ever -- the closest active person is Shaquille O'Neal, more than 80 wins behind. And this doesn't even count Jackson's wins as a player with the Knicks (he was 34-33 in the playoffs as a player).
  • Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant have nearly identical postseason records; Fisher has 3 more wins and 2 fewer losses.
  • Larry Brown is 2 Bobcat wins vs. Orlando away from passing the Gregg Popovich/Tim Duncan powerhouse on the all-time wins list (he'll have needed 30 more games to do it, though).
  • Kobe is 9 wins away from being the winningest SG in NBA playoff history, so if they make the conference finals, there's a good chance he'll pass MJ on that list.
  • No SF active in this year's playoffs is in the top 30 in all-time playoff wins at the position. The closest is Richard Jefferson, #32 all-time.
  • Derek Fisher needs 14 wins to tie Magic Johnson as the winningest point guard in postseason history. So he pretty much needs another Laker title in order to pull off the feat.
  • We think of Tony Parker as having had a magical run of winning playoff games in his career, but I was surprised to see he actually has a lower career WPct (.615) than Daniel Gibson (.621).
  • Robert Horry is a beast at PF; the nearest active 4-man to catching him is all-timer/4-time champ Tim Duncan, who needs 54 more wins!
  • Bill Russell's playoff winning % is great, but not as impressive as you might think. Kareem's was 3 points higher in 72 more games -- although in Russell's defense, the playoffs weren't as many rounds in his day, so there were no easy early-round wins to pad your record with.
  • Shaq is 32 wins shy of tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time lead among centers. Unless the Cavs win this year and retain their team to repeat in 2011, I don't think he's going to make it.
  • Also, the next-closest active center to Shaq is Jason Collins... at 34th all-time, 113 wins behind Jabbar.
  • If Jerry Sloan wins 1 conference finals game, he'll pass Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich for 3rd all-time among coaches. Of course, that would still put him almost 70 behind Pat Riley and more than 100 behind Phil Jackson.

Related posts:

    Playoff Wins Above Expected
    Best Elimination-Game Performances: Win Shares Edition
    The Best Suns Team Ever
    Seizing the Moment in Crucial Games
    The Best NBA Finals Performances Since 1991 (*according to statistical +/-)

This entry was posted on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 11:23 pm and is filed under Data Dump, History, Playoffs, Statgeekery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

5 Responses to “Winningest Playoff People”

  1. Mike G Says:
    April 17th, 2010 at 11:07 am

    Stacey King didn't really have much to do with any Bulls' winning% while he was on their bench.

    Why not just weight these Wins by the minutes they played?

  2. dbm Says:
    April 17th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    I was going to mention that: Stacey King is number one in winning percentage. There is something ironically odd about that.

  3. Neil Paine Says:
    April 17th, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Good idea. I was originally going for something like QB W-L records (which aren't weighted by anything), in part because readers like this kind of thing, and in part to use the Stacey King factoid as further evidence of how ridiculous QB W-L records are in football... But in fairness to QB W-L, they are essentially weighted by playing time -- QBs only get credit for W-L when they start, which is a crude way of weighting by something like minutes, so the true equivalent in basketball would be what you guys suggested, a minute-weighted W-L. Of course, that means we have to throw out 1950 and 1951, so poor Mikan.

  4. Abigail Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    Lindsey Hunter is not active. He is retired.

  5. Jayson Says:
    April 19th, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Any possibility of adding SoS to this list?

    I'd be interested in seeing how many players are on this list just based on the lack of talent of teams that they faced in the playoffs.

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