Sleepy Floyd: A Fourth Quarter for the Ages, 1987

During one of the Lakers’ three increasingly desperate timeouts in the fourth quarter, Karl simply told his players, “Get the ball to Sleepy.”

Warren Armstrong (Jabali): Like a Rock, 1969-1975

“Warren plays like he was 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7. It’s not all jumping ability, either. He can jump with anybody, but [when] he gets around the ball, he’s got timing and he’s strong.”

Nate Thurmond: Welcome to the Machine, 1975

Dick Motta pretends not to count the years he will have Thurmond. He thinks instead of the years he didn’t have Thurmond. “I’ll tell you personally how I feel about it,” said Motta. “I’ve been in this league seven years, and I deserved the right to coach Nate Thurmond.”