Legends are Made in the Playoffs wriiten by Jay Dee

A clutch performer. A hero. A legend. Whatever you call them, these players answer the call of duty when everything is on the line. And there is no place where more is on the line than in the NBA Playoffs.



Many different candidates for sure are out there in 11' including Derrick Rose,Lebron James,Dwayne Wade,Dwight Howard in the East and Kobe Bryant,Kevin Durant,Tim Duncan and Chris Paul in the West.This is just a hand full of players that will be in the spotlight in the playoff games ahead.

What about the players in the past that possessed that ability to shine?Here are just a few of the guys that came up big during playoff time.



Isiah Thomas-

By far,1 of the most talked about players in NBA history and not always in a good way.Isiah Thomas who stood barely over 6-feet, was in his day the grittiest performer to play the position, a feisty competitor who offered no quarter and expected none in return.Thomas possessed the skill and determination to take over a game at will.From incredible scoring performances to playing through injuries, Isiah Thomas helped lead the "bad boy" Detroit Pistons to back-to-back titles.



Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the far less flashy player on the L.A. Lakers aka Team Showtime, his consistent scoring and rebounding in the NBA playoffs were huge to the Lakers playoff winning ways. Before joining L.A., Abdul-Jabbar also won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.An all-around player,Kareem brought grace, agility, and versatility to the center position, which had previously been labeled as a power and size position.



Larry Bird-

Larry Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from substandard play and poor attendance in the late 1970s. With Bird as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. He became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards.



Earvin "Magic" Johnson-

The ability to come through in a pressure packed situation is said to be what distinguishes a good player form a great one.That was Earvin Johnson.

Hardly anyone called him by his first name: Earvin. The world knows him as Magic.How he lived up to that nickname as a Laker. He's a Hall of Famer, a five-time NBA champ, a three-time Finals MVP and a three-time NBA regular season MVP. But as sports fans know, greatness is achieved in the postseason and it was here that Magic made, well, magic.



Michael Jordan-

Most people won't disagree that Jordan was the greatest player of all time.As a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, speed,power,grace,and his unbelievable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.

Even other superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said, "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."Larry Bird following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season,Bird went on to say,"God disguised as Michael Jordan."



2 of Michael Jordans top playoff accomplishments would include being a six-time NBA champion & six-time NBA Finals MVP.



I could go on and on about top playoff performers of the past,but I wanted to share these 5 that I most remembered from my youth.