HH Tournament: (3) Kevin McHale vs (6) Sam Jones

Kevin McHale and Sam Jones is the next matchup in the Hardwood Houdini Tournament

In a mini-upset, the fifth seed Robert Parish took down the four seed Jo Jo White. Parish moves on to the Elite Eight and will take on the top seed Bill Russell. Today’s matchup between Kevin McHale and Sam Jones will move on to the Elite Eight on Side B, as well.

Don’t forget that this is based solely off their playing careers with the Boston Celtics. Any coaching or front office experience shouldn’t be taken into account, neither should their collegiate careers or any other NBA teams they may have played for.

Kevin McHale – 1999 Hall of Fame Inductee

17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG

13 Seasons with Boston, 3x Champion, 7x All-Star, 2x Sixth Man of the Year, #32 Retired by Celtics

Through all the championships and players he put in the torture chamber, Kevin McHale will always be known for one definitive thing – his willingness and domination as a bench player. Nowadays, players complain when they don’t get enough touches and want to see 30-plus minutes per game. Kevin McHale saw 31 minutes per game during his career, however he started in fewer than 50 percent of his games.

In fact, McHale only started 41.2 percent of his games. During all three championship seasons, McHale came off the bench for at least five games. During his rookie season, McHale started just one of 82 games. During the Celtics 1983-84 championship season, he only started in 10 games – playing in all 82. He did start in 62 of 68 games during the 1985-86 season. Although, the 1986-87 season was the only year he started every game he played in – 77 starts

McHale was still a seven time All-Star and averaged 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game but there’s no doubt that the Hall of Famer could have put up even better numbers if he was the star player on a losing team. When thinking of players who just wanted to win their whole career, McHale has to be one of the first players you think of.

He still made his mark on the NBA and played heavy minutes despite coming off the bench, but not every star player would accept a bench role. It’s telling of how the mindset of star players have changed throughout the years.

McHale was still recognized by being named the Sixth Man of the Year twice and is widely regarded as the best Sixth Man of all-time. To be considered one of the best power forwards in NBA history while starting less than 50 percent of games, it’s a true testament to his ability to impact the game immediately.

Sam Jones – 1984 Hall of Fame Inductee

17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG

12 Seasons with Boston, 10x Champion, 5x All-Star, #24 Retired by Celtics

In an era where outside shooting wasn’t as common, Sam Jones was a rare shooting guard who sported a good field-goal percentage – helping him become one of the best scorers in Celtics history. Jones shot 45.6 percent from the field during his career. It may not be eye-opening when comparing it today’s NBA, but Jones was one of the most efficient wing scorers of his era.

Jones shot at least 45 percent from the field in nine of his 12 NBA seasons, and it led him to averaging 17.7 points per game over his career. Arguably his best season came in the 1965-66 season when he shot a career-high 46.9 percent from the field and averaged 23.5 points per game.

In the playoffs, Jones didn’t have the same efficiency on offense, but he was still an integral part to 10 championships. His scoring production went up to 18.9 points per game and he averaged at least 20 points per game during seven consecutive postseason runs.

In fact, in the 1963-64 playoffs, Jones shot 50.6 percent from the field over 10 games and averaged 23.2 points per game. Although his best scoring postseason came the following season when he posted 28.6 points per night on 45.9 percent shooting. Either way, during an era that was dominated by big men such as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Sam Jones was one of the few elite wing scorers in the league.

It led him to being ranked in the top-10 in points and two-point field goals made in Celtics history.

Sam Jones is overshadowed by Bob Cousy, Bill Russell and John Havlicek, but his scoring was a huge part to 10 titles for the Celtics. It may get overlooked today but there were few better wing scorers in the NBA during his era.

Don’t forget to vote on Twitter @HoudiniCeltics! The poll is up for 20 hours. Comments on here don’t count as votes, only the poll on Twitter will be looked at to determine who goes on to round two.

Next: Planning an MVP Run for Isaiah Thomas

Also, look at tomorrow’s match-up to see the results from today’s showdown.