Apr 23, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; NBA Playoffs logo around the court prior to game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Toney -17
Andrew Toney showcased an all-around skill set. It is important to recall his legacy. Toney shot with accuracy and made clutch shots. Toney also possessed a lethal first step and explosive floor game off of the dribble. Known as a “big lights” guy, his game excelled and elevated when the stakes raised.
Of course Philadelphia 76ers fans, Boston Celtics fans, and the entire NBA fan base dubbed Toney the “Boston Strangler,” for his well, “strangling” of the Celtics. In the early 1980s he single-handedly (or with both hands) strangled Boston; including Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals when he scored 34 points in the game. He also scored 30 points in Game 2, 39 points in Game 4 and averaged 26.4 points per game in that series.
Longtime play by play announcer Dick Stockton recalled many of Toney’s games on NBA CBS. He compared Toney to Detroit Pistons’ Joe Dumars and how “they were guys that were tough defensive guards who were counted on to score.”
Andrew Toney was also a great passer. During the 76ers’ 1982-83 championship season Julius Erving remarked that, “he sees things out on the court that other players just don’t see. Andrew has such strong wrists that he can throw the pass off the dribble, sideways, behind his head . . .”
Next: Moses Malone