McHale would probably have to change his game if he played today. He basically played from 10 ft and closer for most of his touches but he did have a good midrange jump shot. In today's game he would probably play the 5 because even though he was 6'10", he had long arms and excellent timing on both offensive, defense, and on the boards. In today's game he'd probably shoot an even higher % in the low post because of the open lane and rules that favor the offense. I don't think the NBA has ever seen a power forward with better moves and scoring ability in the post than a prime Kevin Mchale.
@@MikeBrownLegendfouling isn’t defense, that wasn’t defense, it was a bunch of scrubs who couldn’t play it who had to resort to fouling and hoping the refs didn’t call it
Kevin McHale was basically unstoppable when he received the ball on the low block because he had more moves than U-Haul and was deadly accurate. Charles Barkley called him the best low post player he ever saw. On the Celtics he was known as the "Black Hole" because once you passed the ball down to McHale, the ball never came back out. Lol
I'm pretty sure it was Danny Ainge that called him a "black hole". You know you're a ball hog when your own teammates are calling you nicknames about it. lol
@@jonnyarnett I think you're right about it being Danny Ainge that came up that nickname. McHale probably never passed the ball back out because he knew he'd never see the rock again. lol I'd love to see you do a feature on the great Rick Barry although getting video on Barry might be a challenge. Barry is so underrated but was such a great player.
Jonny Arnett -NBA RU-vidr yes Ainge did say that and Parish followed up by saying but he hits such a high percentage of his shots nobody has a problem with it
I watched nearly every Celtics game in the 80s. I saw him pass it out many times. It was a lot less than most because when he got the ball on his spot it was nearly an automatic 2 and a lot of old school 3s. He was as unstoppable as Kareem on the block only with more moves.
Growing up in Minnesota, I followed McHale through high school, college and in the NBA. Yes, the greatest post player. We even named our son, now 24, McHale.
Saw him play during his prime in the 80's my Dad had season tickets... There is no more " low post " game but if there was NOONE better than McHale low post....& I'd bet my balls that no team better than 86 Celtics...
I don't think today's players try to learn from that. Players now a days today practice more on how to get away with traveling the "legal" way AKA james harden. Dwight Howard and lebron James are 2 players that received one on one coaching from olajuwon and nothing stuck to them!
You said some. All of the guys today with how bad there foot work is they could learn. A post guy with great foot work and low post moves could dominate today.
That man is a beast! McHale should have been MVP in '87 and in the '86 Finals. The played on a broken foot for most of a season. I found him frustrating when he played the Lakers. He was big reason the Lakers lost in those Finals in the '80s. He's my other most respected PF. My favorite is Tim Duncan.
@Hello8 goodbye9 Even Bird said that McHale was as good if not better than him in '87. He has said this in several interviews. McHale actually finished third in MVP voting.
He was amazing, and his extremely long arms made him very hard to guard, and added to his defense!!! He was one of the greatest, and most unusual players I've ever seen!!!
Being a Celtics season ticket holder in the 80’s, I can say that he was one of the most underrated players of all time. He was the best Low Post player ever.
My husband had season tickets too, but when we moved out to California in '80, he gave up the tickets. A year later we moved back and I would stand in line for tickets. One time I got there at 5am and the line seemed like a mile long. We would get in groups and start talking. Little by little the line would move. I noticed this guy in the group behind us who wasn't there before. Then he got in our group and started talking to us. After a while he got in the group in front of us. I tapped him on the shoulder and yelled at him to get behind me and he did. He started talking with us again then went in the group in front of us again. I tapped him on the shoulder and yelled at him, once more to get behind me. He was pissed, but too bad. I wasn't letting this jerk go ahead of me. 5 o'clock comes and I was the last person they let in the door. He had to come back the next day. That would have been me if I had let him get in front of me.
McHale wasn’t fast, but the game was different back then. The Bigs stayed in the paint and guys drove to the hoop. He dominated offensively and defensively down low.
I definitely place him on my all-time team. As a teammate he was superb. I loved his effort and combined with Parrish and Bird, they are the finest front court ever.
It just sucked that Parrish Bird and Mchale seemed to all get old the same year.. Parrish was REALLY old but Bird and Mchale just had a lot of road miles on them...
You forgot to mention he has the second largest wingspan, like 8'2 i think, just behind Manute Bol. He is definitely a top 10 of all time pf, but i believe this is the most underrated position too, guys like McHale, Pettit, Jerry Lucas, Worthy, Webber and Hayes get overshadow by TD, Dirk, the mailman, the big ticket and Barkley.
I remember in one game in particular he put about five different moves on his defender who was still reacting to move number three when McHale put in a layup against him. I loved watching the futlity that defenders had to endure when playing Kevin McHale.
He was the toughest guy for the Lakers defense to handle. Cooper did a good job defensively on Bird and Kareem could handle Parish but they had no consistent answer for McHale.
Thanks u can't help but to respect the Celtics at the time and ohhhh weeee Bird gave me fits but watching him taught me the fade away I had as a kid. Much respect to those guys I hated to see his career cut so short.
like a snake on 2 feet, tying you up in knots, twisting this way and that, utterly unpredictable-could fall away, go over, around, under...Barkley says what you said, adding 'I didn't know what to do with him and HATED playing him'
I love me some kevin. This man was impossible to defend in the low post. Watch “the best off” this man. His foot work is incredible. He goes up strong. Or goes up to fake, repeatedly until he’s open. Under rated as a player.
Joe Dumars was stupid good, that means even someone thats stupid has to say, "damn, that guy is really good", and i'm not a Pistons fan but he was as good a shooter as anybody, Bird Allen West, he's in that category and thats rarified air.....
My boy, you granted my wish and created an excellent video as expected! But most impressively you did it all within what... a week after I requested it? You are the MAN.
Best moves ever. On his first step, he could shoot the fall away, which would have a release point about 15’ from the basket. If he decided to pivot back up and under, the release point was right under the basket. So much range! Unstoppable.
How's this for a team? Scottie Pippen, Kevin McHale, James Worthy, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker? All played second banana, but this is a great lineup. I know Pippen and Worthy were both small forwards, but Scottie could probably handle the "2". (Sorry, but I have a hard time putting D-Wade in this category, having led a title winner before LeBron came along.) Edit: Klay Thompson might be a great shooting guard for this discussion, but I can't take either Worthy or Pippen out of the lineup. Manu Ginobilli might be worth mentioning, too, but I already have a Tim Duncan teammate.
@@big8dog887 that's actually an insane lineup as far as chemistry due to every player having the ability to score, but are used to being 2nd or 3rd options, so are also willing passers, and great defense. And Klay could come off the bench and also be a closer, hes lights out, and having him fresh off the bench is a nightmare for any team. But yeah, Parker honestly glues that squad together, Ginobili and Duncan would be good for that team as well.
@@harrycraft5100 Pippen one of the greatest small forwards, swing men in NBA history. Plus he played in your jock, shut down D. The greatest "help" defender I have ever seen in 50 years of watching basketball. Not comparing the two men as they played 2 completely different roles and positions. Pippen will never get his due as he was the Lou Gehrig to MJ'S Babe Ruth. Neither will McHale.
@Jon Dhoe Bird made McHale great. What's your point? Was McHale on the dream team? Not 1/2 the defender, scorer or athlete Scottie was. You have no argument.
It always amazes me to see a man of his size move so effortlessly around other big men in a crowd and score so easily. He always had such a smooth flow.
I always thought that McHale had the best inside post moves of any player I had ever seen in the NBA. Especially when you consider he wasn't a bully like Shaq, for example. McHale didn't knock you down and then just dunk on you. That over-under move was just amazing, and everyone knew it was coming. Couldn't stop it though.
As a Showtime Laker diehard, there was NO way I was going to give any of the Celtics any recognition. Now...yeah we're good lol. Of course, I'm 35 years older than when them and the Lakers had their prime battles; time mellows the vitriol. This was a great video. Thank you very much.
Loved this special but I think Kevin gets a lot of love these days and he deserves it. His peers greatly respect him as the best of his time. I think there has never been a better low post player ever. I got him on my all time team. The guy that is grossly and inexplicably underrated is Bernard King.
nah...2 maybe. Kevin's minutes were actually reduced in the Finals to 13 per game. He was helpful off the bench as a rookie, but green as grass. The fact they cut his playing time around 4 minutes and Cornbread won MVP[tho Bird deserved it more] indicates at that point, just a good rebounding bench player with massive potential..he just didn't know the pro game yet
Literally the most underrated player of all time. One of top 5 Celtics ever (Bird, Russel, Pierce, Hondo). The premier power forward of the 1980's. Period. One of the 20 best players in NBA history. Period. And that's being conservative. He is literally ignored for being white, gangly and playing on the same team as arguably the best player of all time. Had he played for any other team he would have won at least one MVP. He was and is the supreme genius of the lower pivot, post up offensive game. Only Hakeem and Tim Duncan can realistically compare to Kevin in that hugely important category.
The best advice I could give any young big man would be to find every Hakeem Olajuwan and Kevin McHale highlight you can, then lock yourself in a room and memorize every post move you see. The were both geniuses on the low block and could score on anyone down low. Thanks for posting this!
Truism Tom... Hakeem is underrated. Played hard every night without a true point or consistent guard play period. Tremendous on defence also. Both great players.
He was awesome...his prime was cut short by his foot injury in '87...a season where he was absolutely heroic playing for 2 months on a broken foot...he was awesome in both ends and unstoppable in the post...legend
Those who tout Karl Malone above him are ridiculous. He was great but Kevin was a master whose low post array should be studied minutely by every prospective power forward and center.
@@MaximusWolfe Karl has the points, true, and it's amazing that he was that good for that long, but was also lucky enough to have had Stockton feeding him the ball, and as top scorer on the Jazz, having plays (pick n roll anyone?) specifically designed to get him open, while McHale was not the centerpiece of the Celtics offense. I can still see Karl, ball cocked above his head, flying in to the basket, knee stuck out in front of him to clear a path...
@@jefffawcett Lets be honest, he was a powerforward for his prime. Unless you consider David Robinson, Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed and Fabrico Oberto as powerforwards?
H3dgie nope. He won his first MVP in 2002 when he was 25 and obviously in his prime. He played 40.5 minutes a game while the 36 year old Robinson played 29.5. No one else on the roster who got any significant minutes was remotely a center so he was spending at least a quarter of his time at the center position. He repeated his MVP in 2003 playing 39 mine minutes a game while Robinson only played in 64 games and just 26 minutes per game. Again no one on the roster was remotely a center besides them so at least half his time was being a center. Then they had Nesterovic playing 28 minutes in 2004 and 25 minutes in 2005, so about 1/3 of Duncan’s minutes at center. 2006 it was Muhammad and Nesterovic splitting time at center, so a PF season for Duncan, the next year just him and they switched his listing to center on the roster. 2008 listed as C, only Elon also got time at the position, 20 minutes a game. Anyway, let’s just say half his career he was playing the center position. In the end it is irrelevant, Duncan is clearly a top 10 player of all time and McHale could’ve been if he hadn’t had the injuries and been forced to play through them.
@AWelsh Celt lol ...you missed the point of the post. McCartney is STILL considered the greatest song-writer EVER, so that's the natural go-to if the OP is being sarcastic. Also, things have an evolutionary historical context....since you're the expert, are PM's abilities on bass considered 'masterful' TODAY, the way McHale's low post moves are STILL considered the BEST today? and btw. take it easy buddy. hero worship and emotionalism is unseemly. name-calling is always just funny to me. I am a flawed, fragile human, and make mistakes, but you don't know me or why I wrote what I did. Hopefully you understand me better now and let go of inference. Best wishes, keep playing that axe
I watched Kev’s first varsity HS games when he came up from the JV in 10th grade. Noticed some talent right away especially his great hands around the hoop. I watched him jumprope with his college coach Jim Dutcher. I was a student and watched practices. They put on an amazing show with quick feet and coordination. Also took my parents from Hibbing to his last Gopher home game. Big time standing ovation from the home crowd. My dad was a hockey guy but became a Celtics fan for one reason...
Footwork, footwork, footwork. The transition away from low post basketball has rendered geniuses of footwork such as McHale, Moses Malone, and Hakeem a memory all but forgotten except to those of us old enough to have lived--and HATED--these guys, god bless 'em. McHale was all elbows and footwork and couldn't be stopped. Thanks for posting.
@Mark Cianfarani No one could pass like Bird. Behind the back, pass, fake it, fake it, pass, between the opponents legs pass, full court pass, fall on the floor - no problem, pass. He did it all.
Thanks for highlighting Kevin McHale. As a pre-Kobe (RIP)/Shaq era Lakers fan I must grudgingly acknowledge McHale’s talent and greatness. Phew. That was hard to say about one of your team’s nemesis in Green.
What??? Are you two guys serious??? You gotta be kidding me?! In my opinion, McHale is anywhere from top 6, to top 3 of all time. But BOTH you guys think he’s top 5 to top 3 all time? Are you guys on crack???
@@christopherr3676 In his late years, Wilt had gotten smarter about not LETTING folks foul him. Kevin was a much better foul shot shooter though at any point of his career vs Wilt's BEST year.
McHale was a long-armed, boneless wonder with quick feet, unbelieveable post moves, deep armpits and no ability to jump. He was a human octopus doing an impersonation of Frankenstein's monster. Always sweaty and pasty. Awesome defender, one of the greatest players ever down on the block.
I remember him very well, as a Big thorn on the side of my Lakers Showtime & Magic era, Boston had their Big 3 stars with Bird, McHale, & Parrish!!! My 80's Lakers had 4 us it's Magic 4 them it's Tragic!!! Big game James Worthy, and Perhaps the GOAT Scorer, the Captain Kareem Abdul Jabbar!!! It simply made for 1 of the greatest era's in all of Basketball History!!! Magic vs Bird rivalry is Historically the greatest the NBA has ever had, who did Jordan have as a rival?? Stockton 2 Malone? Sorry!!! Doesn't really even compare 2 Lakers vs Celtics WW3 games & Championships in the 80's, guess who was there in the trenches with Bird?? That's right, Kevin McHale!!! Great player that I ever so much despised during Showtime Lakers era of the 80's.
Glad to see he is getting his due. Great player to watch and learn from. I wonder if he invented those moves on his own or was he taught? My second favorite player of all time after MJ.
Kevin was not only a great player, but also extremely funny and a great person. He was constantly talking during the games and had an awesome sense of humor. Met him at a restaurant with his wonderful family in the late 1980s and he couldn’t be more generous with his time. True Legend, along Mr. Bill Russell and Kevin Garnett the best big man in Celtics history.
It's really a question of peak vs sustained greatness. At the top of his game, he's top 2 or 3. Same thing with say, Barkley vs Malone. Peak is Chuck, but Mailman did it much longer and at a high enough level that you're honestly splitting hairs. McHale from 85-87 was nigh unstoppable. There's a reason there's a phrase "Kevin McHale-like post moves"
Good point. Granted Tim Duncan stands the test of time as a player overall and for his position. But in terms of other prime talents who played in the 80's to now, its pretty long term consistency and absurd peaks. We recognize the long term of course especially if we saw them play for two decades. But yeah rarely do we speak of 'prime McHale' who had the best combination of measurables and low post offensive scoring to put up nigh absurd efficiency numbers. Barkley flirted with .600 FG before but McHale did it TWICE and was sweet shooting the FTs as well while getting FTAs at a good rate.
@@t4d0W and barkley, like lebron, was a heavy steroid user so there is no respect there. kevin mchale was pure talent with a high moral character, he didn't cheat other than the phantom foul calls but that was out of his control. his career just happened to overlap with the godfather of cheating taking over. when david "lowlife" stern took over, he implemented cheating like sports had never seen before, for the love of money which is the root of all evil. implementing subjective officiating, allowing selective steroid use for chosen players=dwight howard, charles barkley, shaq, lebron james, dwayne wade, rigging the draft starting with patrick ewing in 85, etc etc... david stern was a true gangster for capitalism.
On May 20, 1984 in a downtown Milwaukee bar, Kevin McHale bought my friend and I a pitcher of beer while watching the Lakers play. Nice guy! It was an off day for the Celtics and Bucks. Also at his table were Red Auerbach and Dennis Johnson.
My uncle brought me to the game he scored 56 on Easter weekend in the eighties. Dude didnt miss. It was against the Pistons right before the Bad boy era. Very cool memory for a country boy from maine
One thing that really jumps out from the footage is not only how skilled he is, but that he doesn't hold the ball too much for a low-post guy, it is so fluid the "catch-move-shot" sequence, and you can see that on the multiple double-teams he avoided by simply getting rid of the ball early.
Would love to have a video on bill sharman, another seemingly forgotten celtics legend. He was a 4 time champion, 8 time all star and 7 time all nba, won another championship as a coach and 5 more as an executive and yet he's been completely forgotten
@@Johnkoth While I don't agree that he's top 5 all time, whether a player starts or comes off of the bench doesn't mean anything when it comes to evaluating their ability or accomplishments. He was the second best player on a team that won three championships and he was the best power forward of his era.
@@williamkoscielniak820 It means the coach believed he had a better player for the starting lineup. Better as in better for the team to start. Or that he was needed as 6th man and the top bench scorer. But it does mean reduced minutes per game. Havelick was originally a 6th man and then was to good to be benched. His very good/great offense and defense was better used as a starter. He became top scorer on team.
I went to USL in Lafayette, La and watched Andrew Toney's college career. During his senior year we hosted the final 16 of the NIT against Minnesota. They had thee big guys and we had Toney & his journeymen. Toney kept us within a point in the first half but Minnesota pulled away in the second half. It wasn't until a year later, when I watched the 76ers vs the Celtics, that I realized that one of those big men playing for Minnesota was Kevin McHale. While I hardly ever pulled for the Celtics, I always enjoyed watching them play during the Bird years. Kevin McHale was one of the reasons.
