Top (205)
1. Pau Gasol
It might surprise some to note that I don't consider Kobe Bryant to even be the best Laker on his own team so far this postseason, but all-around production matters, and in spite of Kobe Bryant's brilliant scoring exploits, Pau Gasol's in-his-prime versatility vaults him to the top of this list
Fifty-eight percent shooting, over 21 points per game, 12 rebounds a contest, 3.6 assists, two blocks a game, and just 2.2 turnovers per night. On top of that, Gasol's continually improving defense has been a huge asset to a Laker attack that looks primed to repeat.
2. Rajon Rondo
Rondo earns extra points for his defensive dominance, he's allowed some big quarters against Mo Williams and Jameer Nelson, but by and large he's been a pest. Shutting his man down, always looking for a passing lane to mess with.
Eighteen points and six rebounds per game for Rajon, who has tossed around 10.6 assists in what are mainly slow-down contests, with fewer possessions to work with. Fifty percent shooting and two steals per contest for the Celtics lead guard, who has outright dominated on both ends at times.
3. Kobe Bryant
After a slow (for him) start, Kobe has come on like Kobe over the last couple of weeks, seeing his seven-game streak of 30-point contests end with only a 13-assist night (what a slacker) in Game 2 against the Suns.
Most importantly, after months spent working endless pick and rolls with Pau Gasol during the regular season, Kobe has chiseled out a place inside the Laker offense, getting his looks and doing his damage in a way that kept the ball moving, and his opponents on their heels. His 27.5 points per game isn't that far off his regular-season average, but it's the way that he's getting these points that is leading to Los Angeles' white-hot 105 points per game. Bryant is averaging 5.6 assists, 3.4 turnovers, and 4.1 rebounds per game.
4. LeBron James
In turning in over 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and 3.5 combined steals and blocks per contest over 11 games, LBJ easily has the best stats of anyone who has played in the 2010 postseason.
And yet, it speaks to how great he is, and how disappointing his playoff run was, that he was able to put up those stats while effectively submarining his team's chances at getting out of the second round with a listless performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semis, and a way-too-late barrage in Game 6. James could have done better, which is the reason he can't do better than fourth on this list.
Funny, because for all of Kobe Bryant's last-second theatrics during the regular season, James still scored way more, shot better, rebounded twice as much, and dished three times as many assists than Bryant in the clutch in the regular season. Not sure what the Celtics did to make it all go away, but it worked.
5. Jason Richardson
A bit of a surprise, but when you manage to shoot 52 percent from the field and nearly 51 percent from behind the three-point line after 12 playoff games, this sort of fluke has to be recognized.
That's not a slam. J-Rich was and will continue to be a fine outside shooter, but he's not shooting 50.6 percent from long range for the rest of his career, and that is why this is a fluke. But it's also a fluke that has the Suns in the conference finals, as Richardson's 21.8 points per game average has led the team. Six rebounds per game for the Michigan State product, and he's only turned it over eight times since the playoffs began. Nicely done, my man.
6. Dirk Nowtizki
Had the Mavericks played a little longer, with Dirk no doubt approximating his averages of 26.7 points per game on 55 percent shooting, 8.2 rebounds and just 1.7 turnovers a contest, Nowitzki would probably be duking it out with Pau and Rondo at the top.
As it is, the Mavs were out in the first round, and though Dirk had some chances to aid his Mavericks down the stretch of a few of their losses to San Antonio, the biggest reason they were in those losses to begin with was because of Nowitzki's superb play.
7.Deron Williams
To be sure, Williams faded a bit against the Lakers in the second round. The pairing with Derek Fisher, the supposedly one-sided matchup that could have put Los Angeles on its heels, never seemed to work well for DW.
Over 24 points per game in the playoffs, though, for the Jazz guard, and 45 percent shooting, 10.3 assists, and three turnovers per contest. Something tells me, for all the "He's the best point guard in the NBA!" heavy breathing that surrounded his little run, Williams is far from happy about how things ended up in that second round.
8. Dwayne Wade
Wade's stats are sublime — 33.2 points on 56 percent shooting, with 12.4 combined rebounds/assists and 3.2 combined blocks/steals — but he had to work in only five games, was given carte blanche in the Miami "offense," and he turned it over 5.2 times a game.
That's 5.2, brothers and sisters. And while there's no good place for a turnover, some happened to come through at the worst times in the first around against Boston.
Get some help, see you next year, D-Wade.
9. Jameer Nelson
A little bundle of awesome, Nelson's 19 points and five assists might not seem like much until you realize that he's turned it over on just 7.7 percent of the possessions he's used up. That's an astonishing rate for anyone, much less a lead guard. Even if the lead guard was guarded by Mike Bibby for four games.
10. Dwight Howard
Howard's had his issues — the entire first round, Game 1 of the conference finals — but overall he's still found a way to pile up the impact. Pile it up!
He's averaging 16.6 points on 63 percent shooting, 3.6 blocks in only 33 minutes per game, and 11 rebounds. Now, if only he could do something about those four turnovers a game. Or Orlando's 0-2 deficit to Boston.
Athletes are famous for being superstitious or quirky. They do things like wear the same t-shirt for every game, washed or not. Or listen to a particular song before they take the field or even eat certain meals.
In the history of athletics though none have been more strange than this list of 10 athletes compiled by the Houston Chronicle.
Let's take a look.
10. Clinton Portis
Clinton Portis likes to dress up as various characters and perform interviews as them.
There’s the Mad Scientist, who wears glasses like Geordi from Star Trek and claims that his wild hair came from sticking his finger in an electric socket.
There’s Southeast Jerome from Southeast D.C., who was on his way to the bright lights of New York to go dancing.
There’s Dr. I Don’t Know, who wears pink-rimmed glasses that used to be white, but were stained with blood during surgery, and doesn’t know why the Redskins lost 36-0 to the Giants.
There’s Dolemite Jenkins, who like to dance with men and even asked a reporter if he wanted to cut the rug. Portis later revealed that Jenkins, who rocked a red curly-haired wig and dorky glasses, was inspired by the movie Napoleon Dynamite.
There’s also Choo-Choo, Bud Foxx, Prime Minister Yah Mon, Dolla Bill...
9 Chad Ochocinco
As if changing one’s surname from Johnson to Ochocinco isn’t weird enough. Johnson is famous for his ridiculous and often hysterical touchdown celebrations.
He’s performed CPR on the ball, made a bogus proposal to a cheerleader, and held up a sign that read, “Dear NFL, Please Don’t Fine Me Again.”
He’s raced a thoroughbred for charity (he won, for the record) and has sported some of the oddest hairstyles sports have ever seen.
Ochocinco’s newest obsession is his Twitter account, which he posts on as often as 50 times a day.
Here is my personal favorite Ochocinco-ism from Twitter: "You think Brett will put me in one of those Wrangler Jeans commercials, straight up, year supply of Wranglers for Esteban, awesome."
If you're wondering, Esteban is one of his many alter egos.
8 Bill "Spaceman" Lee
Pitcher Bill Lee is perhaps the most interesting man to ever step onto a baseball diamond. He represented the counterculture in America during a time, the 1970s, when a distinct counterculture existed.
Lee was a man of the Earth. He spoke to animals, supported environmental causes, practiced yoga, and consumed A LOT of pot.
In fact, he was once fined $250 by Major League Baseball for sprinkling marijuana on his pancakes.
Lee was also well-known for his outspoken personality. A constant source of quotes for the media, Lee let loose on issues ranging from population control to school busing in Boston.
Lee was also extremely intelligent. He studied Eastern philosophy, the works of Einstein, and later wrote four books. Fittingly, Lee was a lefty. You know what they say about lefties.
7 Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez once high-fived a Red Sox fan in Baltimore after making a catch in left field and still found time to fire the ball back to the infield for a double play.
He once strangely massaged the head of then teammate Julian Tavarez, another odd duck, in the dugout during a game.
He spent “free time” between innings at Fenway hanging out in the Green Monster, occasionally on his cell phone.
He once made a diving catch on a relay throw from teammate Johnny Damon that wasn’t intended for him. He took his spot in left field with a water bottle in his back pocket on one occasion.
That’s just Manny Being Manny.
6 Jimmy Piersall
Piersall, an outfielder in the 1950s and 1960s, collected a laundry list of strange incidents during his playing days.
Perhaps the most well-known was the fistfight he had with Billy Martin prior to a game in 1952. I know what you’re thinking; a lot of guys probably threw hands with Billy Martin in their playing days, but Piersall’s strange behavior only begins there.
That same year he spanked the four-year old son of teammate Vern Stephens in the Red Sox clubhouse during a game.
He once stepped to the plate playing air guitar with his bat while wearing a Beatles wig and frequently talked to Babe Ruth’s bust in Monument Park when visiting Yankees Stadium.
Piersall later became the subject of the movie "Fear Strikes Out" about his battle with bipolar disorder.
Later in his life, he said, "Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going nuts. Who ever heard of Jimmy Piersall until that happened?"
5 Turk Wendell
Wendell, a pitcher for a number of teams from 1993 to 2004, was nearly as entertaining as he was downright weird. Wendall chewed black licorice while he pitched and brushed his teeth between every inning.
Speaking of teeth, he wore necklace strung with the teeth of animals he had killed during his many hunting outings.
Wendell was also extremely superstitious. He leaped over the baseline whenever he took or left the field and required that umpires roll him the ball at the beginning of each inning instead of throwing it.
Wendell was obsessed with the movie Major League and wore the number 99 as a tribute to Charlie Sheen’s character, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn.
Wendell became one of the game’s most liked players due to his quirky behaviors and eccentric personality.
4 Joe Namath
“Broadway Joe” was as unusual as he was great. The always flamboyant Namath often wore full length fur coats on the sideline.
His appearance in an ad for Beautymist pantyhose in 1974 still reigns as the strangest athlete endorsement of all time because he was shown wearing said pantyhose.
He once retired briefly to protest the NFL’s insistence that he sell his partial share in a New York City bar with mafia ties.
Despite having retired nearly 25 years ago, Namath still finds ways to put himself into the headlines.
In 2004, during an interview with ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, a drunken Namath informed Kolber that he wanted to kiss her. Soon after, Namath sought treatment for alcohol addiction
3 Mark "The Bird" Fidrych
Fidrych, whose nickname was derived from his resemblance to Big Bird, was the 1976 AL Rookie of the Year but only played until 1980.
However, he made a huge impact in his five seasons in the big leagues. Fidrych frequently spoke to the ball while on the mound and aimed it like a dart before starting his windup.
Fidrych would ask umpires to take back balls he believed “had hits in them” and insisted that they come back as pop-ups.
Fidrych became a sensation in Detroit, with attendance skyrocketing whenever he was scheduled to start.
Perhaps Fidrych’s most endearing quality was his insistence that if he wasn’t pitching in the major leagues, he would be pumping gas back in his hometown of Northborough, Mass.
2 Dennis Rodman
Oh, where to start. “The Worm” has made a career out of being different. From dyeing his hair every color over the rainbow to his rendezvous with Madonna, Rodman has always found a way to make himself the center of attention.
He married hottie Carmen Electra, and after showing up in a wedding dress to promote his autobiography, himself.
He once skipped a practice during the NBA Finals to participate in a professional wrestling bout with friend Hulk Hogan.
Rodman’s had his own reality television show, posed nude for PETA, and been in a couple of bad movies. Then there are all the piercings, the tattoos and the arrests.
Somehow along the way, he managed to win five world championships and be a seven time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. What hasn’t Rodman done?
1 Mike Tyson
The chronicles of Mike Tyson are well known. From the early days of being Iron Mike, one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, to the tattoo-faced oddball we know today.
Along the way, Tyson manufactured some of the strangest and disturbing quotes in sports history. In 2002, Tyson told Lennox Lewis, “I want your heart. I want to eat your children.”
He also once advised a female reporter to stop talking unless she wanted to fornicate, because he only does interviews with women if he fornicates with them first.
While his whole life would qualify as strange, Tyson owns the holy grail of peculiar events in sports history. In 1997, Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight showdown.
Tyson returned to the spotlight in 2009 with his cameo in the hilarious Vegas caper The Hangover. It’s widely believed to be his best performance since knocking out Michael Spinks in only 91 seconds in 1988.
Source: Houston Chronicle
@ChasinMoPaper
Athletes are famous for being superstitious or quirky. They do things like wear the same t-shirt for every game, washed or not. Or listen to a particular song before they take the field or even eat certain meals.
In the history of athletics though none have been more strange than this list of 10 athletes compiled by the Houston Chronicle.
Let's take a look.
10. Clinton Portis
Clinton Portis likes to dress up as various characters and perform interviews as them.
There’s the Mad Scientist, who wears glasses like Geordi from Star Trek and claims that his wild hair came from sticking his finger in an electric socket.
There’s Southeast Jerome from Southeast D.C., who was on his way to the bright lights of New York to go dancing.
There’s Dr. I Don’t Know, who wears pink-rimmed glasses that used to be white, but were stained with blood during surgery, and doesn’t know why the Redskins lost 36-0 to the Giants.
There’s Dolemite Jenkins, who like to dance with men and even asked a reporter if he wanted to cut the rug. Portis later revealed that Jenkins, who rocked a red curly-haired wig and dorky glasses, was inspired by the movie Napoleon Dynamite.
There’s also Choo-Choo, Bud Foxx, Prime Minister Yah Mon, Dolla Bill...
9 Chad Ochocinco
As if changing one’s surname from Johnson to Ochocinco isn’t weird enough. Johnson is famous for his ridiculous and often hysterical touchdown celebrations.
He’s performed CPR on the ball, made a bogus proposal to a cheerleader, and held up a sign that read, “Dear NFL, Please Don’t Fine Me Again.”
He’s raced a thoroughbred for charity (he won, for the record) and has sported some of the oddest hairstyles sports have ever seen.
Ochocinco’s newest obsession is his Twitter account, which he posts on as often as 50 times a day.
Here is my personal favorite Ochocinco-ism from Twitter: "You think Brett will put me in one of those Wrangler Jeans commercials, straight up, year supply of Wranglers for Esteban, awesome."
If you're wondering, Esteban is one of his many alter egos.
8 Bill "Spaceman" Lee
Pitcher Bill Lee is perhaps the most interesting man to ever step onto a baseball diamond. He represented the counterculture in America during a time, the 1970s, when a distinct counterculture existed.
Lee was a man of the Earth. He spoke to animals, supported environmental causes, practiced yoga, and consumed A LOT of pot.
In fact, he was once fined $250 by Major League Baseball for sprinkling marijuana on his pancakes.
Lee was also well-known for his outspoken personality. A constant source of quotes for the media, Lee let loose on issues ranging from population control to school busing in Boston.
Lee was also extremely intelligent. He studied Eastern philosophy, the works of Einstein, and later wrote four books. Fittingly, Lee was a lefty. You know what they say about lefties.
7 Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez once high-fived a Red Sox fan in Baltimore after making a catch in left field and still found time to fire the ball back to the infield for a double play.
He once strangely massaged the head of then teammate Julian Tavarez, another odd duck, in the dugout during a game.
He spent “free time” between innings at Fenway hanging out in the Green Monster, occasionally on his cell phone.
He once made a diving catch on a relay throw from teammate Johnny Damon that wasn’t intended for him. He took his spot in left field with a water bottle in his back pocket on one occasion.
That’s just Manny Being Manny.
6 Jimmy Piersall
Piersall, an outfielder in the 1950s and 1960s, collected a laundry list of strange incidents during his playing days.
Perhaps the most well-known was the fistfight he had with Billy Martin prior to a game in 1952. I know what you’re thinking; a lot of guys probably threw hands with Billy Martin in their playing days, but Piersall’s strange behavior only begins there.
That same year he spanked the four-year old son of teammate Vern Stephens in the Red Sox clubhouse during a game.
He once stepped to the plate playing air guitar with his bat while wearing a Beatles wig and frequently talked to Babe Ruth’s bust in Monument Park when visiting Yankees Stadium.
Piersall later became the subject of the movie "Fear Strikes Out" about his battle with bipolar disorder.
Later in his life, he said, "Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going nuts. Who ever heard of Jimmy Piersall until that happened?"
5 Turk Wendell
Wendell, a pitcher for a number of teams from 1993 to 2004, was nearly as entertaining as he was downright weird. Wendall chewed black licorice while he pitched and brushed his teeth between every inning.
Speaking of teeth, he wore necklace strung with the teeth of animals he had killed during his many hunting outings.
Wendell was also extremely superstitious. He leaped over the baseline whenever he took or left the field and required that umpires roll him the ball at the beginning of each inning instead of throwing it.
Wendell was obsessed with the movie Major League and wore the number 99 as a tribute to Charlie Sheen’s character, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn.
Wendell became one of the game’s most liked players due to his quirky behaviors and eccentric personality.
4 Joe Namath
“Broadway Joe” was as unusual as he was great. The always flamboyant Namath often wore full length fur coats on the sideline.
His appearance in an ad for Beautymist pantyhose in 1974 still reigns as the strangest athlete endorsement of all time because he was shown wearing said pantyhose.
He once retired briefly to protest the NFL’s insistence that he sell his partial share in a New York City bar with mafia ties.
Despite having retired nearly 25 years ago, Namath still finds ways to put himself into the headlines.
In 2004, during an interview with ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, a drunken Namath informed Kolber that he wanted to kiss her. Soon after, Namath sought treatment for alcohol addiction
3 Mark "The Bird" Fidrych
Fidrych, whose nickname was derived from his resemblance to Big Bird, was the 1976 AL Rookie of the Year but only played until 1980.
However, he made a huge impact in his five seasons in the big leagues. Fidrych frequently spoke to the ball while on the mound and aimed it like a dart before starting his windup.
Fidrych would ask umpires to take back balls he believed “had hits in them” and insisted that they come back as pop-ups.
Fidrych became a sensation in Detroit, with attendance skyrocketing whenever he was scheduled to start.
Perhaps Fidrych’s most endearing quality was his insistence that if he wasn’t pitching in the major leagues, he would be pumping gas back in his hometown of Northborough, Mass.
2 Dennis Rodman
Oh, where to start. “The Worm” has made a career out of being different. From dyeing his hair every color over the rainbow to his rendezvous with Madonna, Rodman has always found a way to make himself the center of attention.
He married hottie Carmen Electra, and after showing up in a wedding dress to promote his autobiography, himself.
He once skipped a practice during the NBA Finals to participate in a professional wrestling bout with friend Hulk Hogan.
Rodman’s had his own reality television show, posed nude for PETA, and been in a couple of bad movies. Then there are all the piercings, the tattoos and the arrests.
Somehow along the way, he managed to win five world championships and be a seven time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. What hasn’t Rodman done?
1 Mike Tyson
The chronicles of Mike Tyson are well known. From the early days of being Iron Mike, one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, to the tattoo-faced oddball we know today.
Along the way, Tyson manufactured some of the strangest and disturbing quotes in sports history. In 2002, Tyson told Lennox Lewis, “I want your heart. I want to eat your children.”
He also once advised a female reporter to stop talking unless she wanted to fornicate, because he only does interviews with women if he fornicates with them first.
While his whole life would qualify as strange, Tyson owns the holy grail of peculiar events in sports history. In 1997, Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight showdown.
Tyson returned to the spotlight in 2009 with his cameo in the hilarious Vegas caper The Hangover. It’s widely believed to be his best performance since knocking out Michael Spinks in only 91 seconds in 1988.
Source: Houston Chronicle
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