Should playoff stats count towards total career stats?

[bdm860]

With Pierce about to pass Bird on the Celtics all time scoring list, and Kobe passing Shaq on the NBA all time scoring list, it got me thinking, why don’t playoff stats count towards career totals (which is common across all major sports I believe)?  Some examples using more well known records:

All time points scored:
Kareem – 38,387, but he also has 5,762 playoff points that aren’t counted in that total, so he really has 44,149 career points.

Most points scored in a game:
Wilt – 100, but if that had happened in a playoff game then Kobe would have the “record” with 81 points.

Most points scored by a Celtic:
1. John Havlicek 26,395
2. Larry Bird 21,791
3. Paul Pierce 21,410

But if you include playoffs it would go:
1. John Havlicek 30,171
2. Larry Bird 25,688
3. Paul Pierce 24,133

Now I love Pierce, but there is no way I think Bird and Havlicek’s playoff performances should be marginalized, and by not including their playoff stats in the "all time career total" I think that's exactly what is being done.

I know there are regular season stats and playoff stats, but all that is ever focused on is the regular season stuff.  It’s basically common knowledge who has the most regular season career points (and most people also know the approximate total) and who has the most points in a single regular season game and how many points were scored, but how many people know the all time playoff points leader and the most points scored in a playoff game and the numbers for each record?  Probably not many, and while you might be able to guess you wouldn’t be certain (fyi – Michael Jordan is the answer to both with 5,987 and 63).  Or how many people don’t even realize that the regular season and playoffs stats are separate?

The only reason I’ve ever heard for the separation of stats is that it keeps everything fair as some players don’t make it to the playoffs or don’t go as far.  To me that’s not a good enough reason.  It’s also not fair that some regular season games go to overtime and some don’t, that guys like Pierce and Kobe had two lockout shortened seasons while Bird and Havlicek didn’t.  It’s also not fair to the old timers that their seasons only consisted of 70, 75, or 80 games.  It’s not fair some players get traded and can play in more (or less) than 82 games.  Being on any "all time career" list should include everything you've done in your career.  If you couldn't make it or advance in the playoffs I'm ok with you being further down the list.

“All time career leader” (or any variation of that phrase) should include regular season and playoff stats in my opinion.