The Top 10 NBA Players Ever - #7

This is yet another installment in my list of the top 10 NBA players of all time. It is admittedly a subjective list. Are individual statistics more important than the number of championships a player led his team to? Admittedly, these types of lists will always be contentious.

#7 Bob CousyBob Cousy revolutionized the NBA. His twisting, twirling, behind-the-back passes were a new phenomenon in a rather stuffy league. The Houdini of the Hardwood was not only an innovator, he was a record-setter, and a winner. Cousy won 8 consecutive assist titles from 1952-3 until 1959-60. He never finished worse than 4th in the league. When he retired, he was the all time career leader in assists.

Cousy described his flamboyant work with the ball as "necessity being the mother of invention." Cousy said that the first time he threw the ball behind his back to a teammate, it was because that was the only option available to complete the correct play. The Cooz often made the right play, which resulted in his team's success. The Celtics won 6 titles with Cousy playing the point. Each of Cousy's Boston teams made the playoffs.

Incredibly, Cousy's assist numbers didn't improve dramatically with the advent of the shot clock. Regardless of the speed of play, Cousy was going to set his teammates up to score. His career assist average was 7.5 per game. He's still 14th all time in total assists and 17th in assists per game. Cousy led the postseason in assists per game for 8 consecutive years. Cousy was clutch. He knew when to pass and when to put the ball in the basket himself. He led all playoff scorers three different seasons, despite not being much of a scorer. His career average was 18.4 ppg. The 6'1" point guard also added 5.2 rebounds a game for his career.

There was no MVP award for much of Cousy's career, but he managed to go home with one, following the 1956-7 season. There was no Finals MVP awarded while Cousy played. However, Cousy was voted to the All-NBA 1st team 10 times and to the 2nd team 2 more times. Cousy was the league's first true point guard, a champion, a trendsetter, and a sensation all rolled into one.