Dave Cowens vs. Clifford Ray Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Clifford Ray and Dave Cowens, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dave Cowens played 11 years in the NBA, 1 more than Clifford Ray, who played 10. Dave Cowens had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Clifford Ray had his rookie season in 1971-72. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dave Cowens 11 7 1970-71 to 1982-83
Clifford Ray 10 6 1971-72 to 1980-81

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11

Rookie Season

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1970-711971-72
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 81 38.0 17.0 - - 15.0 2.8 - - - 4.3 6.8 16.1 .422 - - - 3.4 4.6 .732
Clifford Ray 82 22.8 7.0 - - 10.6 3.1 - - - 3.6 2.7 5.4 .499 - - - 1.6 2.7 .615
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Clifford Ray 4 40.3 15.3 - - 16.5 4.0 - - - 3.8 6.8 12.8 .529 - - - 1.8 2.3 .778

Season 2

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1971-721972-73
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsBulls Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 79 40.3 18.8 - - 15.2 3.1 - - - 4.0 8.3 17.2 .484 - - - 2.2 3.1 .720
Clifford Ray 73 27.5 8.6 - - 10.9 3.7 - - - 3.2 3.5 7.1 .492 - - - 1.6 2.6 .619
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 11 40.1 15.5 - - 13.8 3.0 - - - 4.5 6.5 14.2 .455 - - - 2.5 4.3 .596
Clifford Ray 5 7.2 1.2 - - 1.8 0.2 - - - 0.4 0.6 1.6 .375 - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 3

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1972-731973-74
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsBulls Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 82 41.8 20.5 - - 16.2 4.1 - - - 3.8 9.0 20.0 .452 - - - 2.5 3.2 .779
Clifford Ray 80 32.9 9.3 3.6 8.7 12.2 3.1 0.7 2.2 - 3.5 3.9 7.7 .511 - - - 1.5 2.5 .608
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 13 46.0 21.9 - - 16.6 3.7 - - - 4.2 9.9 21.0 .473 - - - 2.1 3.2 .659
Clifford Ray 11 32.9 9.7 4.0 7.1 11.1 3.2 1.3 1.9 - 4.1 4.6 9.3 .500 - - - 0.5 1.4 .333

Season 4

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1973-741974-75
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 80 41.9 19.0 3.3 12.4 15.7 4.4 1.2 1.3 - 3.7 8.1 18.4 .437 - - - 2.9 3.4 .832
Clifford Ray 82 30.7 9.4 3.2 7.5 10.6 2.2 1.2 1.4 - 3.7 3.6 7.0 .522 - - - 2.1 3.5 .602
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 42.9 20.5 3.3 10.0 13.3 3.7 1.2 0.9 - 4.7 8.9 20.6 .435 - - - 2.6 3.3 .797
Clifford Ray 17 29.1 6.1 3.2 6.5 9.8 2.2 0.8 1.2 - 3.5 2.1 4.1 .522 - - - 1.9 3.1 .604

Season 5

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1974-751975-76
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsWarriors Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 65 40.5 20.4 3.5 11.2 14.7 4.6 1.3 1.1 - 3.7 8.8 18.4 .475 - - - 2.9 3.8 .783
Clifford Ray 82 26.6 6.9 3.3 6.2 9.5 1.8 1.0 1.0 - 3.0 2.6 4.9 .525 - - - 1.7 2.8 .609
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 11 43.5 20.5 4.5 12.0 16.5 4.2 1.6 0.5 - 4.5 9.2 21.5 .428 - - - 2.1 2.4 .885
Clifford Ray 13 29.0 9.1 3.3 6.7 10.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 - 3.6 3.7 6.1 .608 - - - 1.7 2.6 .647

Season 6

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1975-761976-77
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionWarriors Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 78 39.8 19.0 4.3 11.7 16.0 4.2 1.2 0.9 - 4.0 7.8 16.7 .468 - - - 3.3 4.4 .756
Clifford Ray 77 26.2 8.2 2.6 5.4 8.0 1.5 1.0 1.1 - 3.1 3.4 5.8 .584 - - - 1.4 2.6 .528
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 44.3 21.0 4.8 11.6 16.4 4.6 1.2 0.7 - 4.7 8.7 18.9 .457 - - - 3.7 4.8 .759
Clifford Ray 10 30.4 10.0 5.4 6.1 11.5 1.5 0.4 0.9 - 3.7 4.2 7.6 .553 - - - 1.6 2.8 .571

Season 7

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1976-771977-78
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 50 37.8 16.4 2.9 11.0 13.9 5.0 0.9 1.0 - 3.6 6.6 15.1 .434 - - - 3.2 4.0 .818
Clifford Ray 79 28.7 8.8 3.0 6.6 9.6 1.9 0.9 1.1 1.9 3.7 3.4 6.0 .571 - - - 1.9 3.1 .609
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 42.1 16.6 3.2 11.7 14.9 4.0 0.9 1.4 - 4.1 7.3 16.4 .446 - - - 1.9 2.4 .773
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1977-781978-79
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 77 41.8 18.6 3.2 10.8 14.0 4.6 1.3 0.9 2.8 3.9 7.8 15.8 .490 - - - 3.1 3.7 .842
Clifford Ray 82 23.4 6.9 2.6 4.8 7.4 1.7 0.6 0.6 1.9 3.2 2.8 5.4 .526 - - - 1.3 2.3 .558
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1978-791979-80
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 68 37.0 16.6 2.2 7.4 9.6 3.6 1.1 0.8 2.6 3.9 7.2 14.9 .483 - - - 2.2 2.8 .807
Clifford Ray 81 20.8 6.0 1.5 4.2 5.8 2.3 0.6 0.4 1.9 3.3 2.5 4.7 .530 0.0 0.0 .000 1.0 1.8 .564
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1979-801980-81
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 66 32.7 14.2 1.9 6.2 8.1 3.1 1.0 0.9 1.6 3.3 6.4 14.1 .453 0.0 0.2 .083 1.4 1.8 .779
Clifford Ray 66 12.7 2.4 1.1 2.2 3.3 0.8 0.4 0.2 1.1 2.9 1.0 2.3 .421 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 0.9 .468
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 33.4 12.0 2.0 5.3 7.3 2.3 1.0 0.8 0.9 4.1 5.4 11.4 .476 0.0 0.2 .000 1.1 1.2 .909
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------

Note: Dave Cowens didn't play in 1980-81 and 1981-82.

Season 11

Dave Cowens Clifford Ray
Season 1982-83-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 40 25.4 8.1 1.8 5.0 6.9 2.1 0.8 0.4 1.1 3.4 3.4 7.7 .444 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 1.6 .825
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Clifford Ray ------- --- ----------