Three things not mentioned in the video, Bill Russell won the 1956 Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympics, the Finals MVP award is named after him, and upon his death his number six was retired across the league.
Bill Russell is one of my favorite players. He was a great rebounder, and great shot blocker. He was also on a great team that knew how to play a team oriented game, which, a great team is what wins games and especially, championships. To top that off, he played his whole career, except for his last year, with the best coach, arguably, of all time.
As long as I've watched Bill Russell play in highlights listen to stories and see his achievements he also was a player and a coach and was still beating teams at the time I believe he is the goat I've said this for a very long time and I won't ever change my answer
Russell took midrange jumpshots including catch and shoot coming off screens. and paint was packed back then so that helps explain some of the fg% which were not low anyways
you can argue all you want about great players. there are no definitive answers. William Felton Russell was a great man. I`m a 76 yr old white guy and he`s been one of my hero`s since I was in high school.
Bill Russells modern day comparison would be a combination of players. The speed of any top guard, the all around style of defence of a draymond green the rim protecting greater than a Hakeem or Mutombo and the rebounding of better then Dennis Rodman. Offensively he would be similar to draymond, not much scoring and more of a point center. He would probably average 15-18pts, 15-20 rebounds and 4-6 blocks a game on good efficiency.
If I had to pick a player IMO that reminded me of Russell ( and I was too young to see Russell play) it would be Dennis Rodman because of his intensity and willingness to do all the "dirty work" and never stopped hustling. Rodman had a warrior mentality and battled for rebounds like his life depended on it. Russell appears to be the same way and he adds shot blocking to his skill set. Russell once said "the way I play, I do not distort the offense and I do not distort the defense". I always loved that quote and it begins to make sense when you think about greatness as being able to blend your skillset with your other teammates to make your team as good as it can possibly be. Another player in the "Russell" mode could be Tim Duncan. If you are putting together an all time team ( 15 guys = 3 groups of 5 players) Russell has to be on it. Perhaps we put Russell as PF with Wilt = C and Baylor as SF and West at SG and Oscar at PG for their era? My all time starting 5 = Kareem at C and Bird at PF and Lebron at SF and Jordan at SG and Magic at PG. 2nd team is Olajuwon at C and Duncan at PF and Dr J at SF and Kobe at SG and Curry at PG. I would love to watch these teams play.
While I am a die-hard Celtics fan, The 1960's Celtics teams were much more than Bill Russell. I acknowledge that Bill was one of the best players of all time, but Sam Jones was right behind him in wins with 10 and no one ever mentions him as one of the best of all-time. Russell played between 1957 to 1969. Here are some of his team mates he played with and their number of championships during that same time. Sam Jones 10 Tom Heinson 8 KC Jones 8 Satch Sanders 8 Frank Ramsey 7 Bob Cousy 6 John Havlicek 6 (Havlicek won 2 more after Russell retired) Please note that ALL of these players had the same or more championships (6) than Michael Jordan, who is considered the GOAT, including me.
There’s a reason for that. Non of those guys win without Russell. They aren’t the goat because they didn’t impact the game in any way that puts them in that convo. All those guys were great offensively yet the Celtics were often one of the bottom offenses in the league. Those teams are reknown for their DOMINANCE on defense. And who was their defense centered around? The innovative shot blocking and fast break starting of bill Russell.
@@TheIcemanthomas I agree. Russell was the force behind all those wins. Russell is definitely in the top 10, and possibly the top 5, just not number one. My opinion.
@@rickjend6667 Journalists and teammates always claimed that the Celtics fell apart without him; Boston was a 35-win team (-1.9 SRS) in 28 games he missed from 1958-69, and for the other 915 games of his career they played at a 59-win pace (6.4 SRS).“
The term, "GOAT", gets thrown around so much that it has little meaning, especially when describing a team-sport athlete. But I put a REAL emphasis on the meaning of describing how I feel about you, H-Dawg, with how you conduct yourself in all of your videos. Not only do you present yourself as honest and real to the videos you're reacting to, but you show empathy and support to the people watching them. In all of your videos, you take a moment to stretch from your seat, and at the same time, you express to the people watching to do the same, so as to prevent back issues. That, IMO, shows you are doing this just as much (if not more) for the people as you are for yourself, which is why I label you as the GOAT of TH-camrs. Not only that, you also give credit to other Y'Tubers for their work on the videos, much respect to you, and them.😎
Sorry for being a bit late but nice reaction. Keep reacting to all the making the case reactions, also this may sound a little bit weird(because I'm a Duncan fan). I really think Duncan and Russell are very similar(especially with sacrificing roles and mentalities). Bill Walton also comes into mind when comparing to Bill Russell(Bill Russell is a VERY good playmaker for a big and Bill Walton is one of the great playmaking big men along with Sabonis and Jokic)
The greatest basketball champion of all time. Possibly of ANY sport. If Russell played today, he'd be Dennis Rodman 2.0. Great vid and reaction as always my bro!!
He excelled at the areas the NBA didn't record any stats for while he was playing. As a rebounder he was on par with Wilt and the best rebounders of his era. And as great as any rebounder arguably since. Same for his defense and steals and shot blocking. Wilt was the Celtics tone setter. His ritual before every big game was to vomit to relieve nervous pressure. That's how much he cared about winning. Does anyone today care that much about winning? His matchups with Wilt were legendary and numerous but the amount of film we have on them is extremely limited. That is incomprehensible. Arguably two of the greatest players in NBA history going head to head and we barely have any footage of it. Comparing him to Wilt is ridiculous because they didn't have the same team around them or have the same role on their teams. Even when Wilt changed his game to be more similar to Russell he didn't have the Celtics team to play with nor Red Auerbach to coach him. I marvel at Russell's intensity, athleticism and his incredible game IQ. Probably unmatched by any other player.
GREATNESS: 'a MAN has no statistics & no words; just ACTIONS.' I saw Wilt once & Russell once; played the St Louis Hawks in late '60s. Both were incredible. After Jordan won his 6th ring a reporter asked Russell what the thought; he said "not much."
addendum: Bill Russell's greatest achievement: 1967--he stood with Muhammad Ali and DEFIED the murderous u s government & military in REFUSING !!!! to fight in an Immoral war against the peaceful people of Vietnam!!!!! I was deeply involved in the anti-war movement. This is what sealed Bill Russell for me more than anything else!
I also want to add my comment on Bill Russell: I recently watched his documentary on Netflix, and after seeing it, I place him at the top of my Mt. Rushmore, #1 over #2, MJ. IMO, he is, and always will be the "GOAT", not just in basketball, but in life as well. Wilt was great in his own right, but I think he was more focused on his ego than the teams he played with. Russell was all about teamwork, winning, and civil rights. When faced with all of the negative/racial things that were thrown at him during his playing yrs, he could've been retaliatory toward his teammates/fans and showed them animosity, instead, he became the bigger man by being a leader of the team and standing up for the rights of all who are human. As I've said before, the "GOAT" debate is meaningless in a team sport such as basketball, but if I had to label an NBA player as "GOAT", it would be Bill Russell. Sure, LeBron can be labeled as such for this era and MJ for his era, and they both would've been great if their eras were reversed, but IMHO, I don't think they would've been as great in Bill Russell's era, where civil rights was a concern. I'm a huge MJ fan, I grew up watching him, but hypothetically, I'd have to say that because of MJ's competitive nature on/off the court, LeBron would've been the better player than MJ if they played in Bill Russel's era, and Russell would still outshine both of them. It's one thing to be great on/off the court in eras where race is not much of a factor, but it's a different scenario just trying to survive as a black person, let alone playing basketball, in an era where race is the main focus. Bill Russell not only became a great winner, but he was also a survivor for civil/human rights, which makes him the greatest person of all time, alongside Muhammad Ali. R.I.P. to both of them.😎
I’ll answer the “greatness” question in the beginning. Greatness is when your accomplishments are so incredible/one of a kind that it will stand the test of time. Basically decades after you last played there are newcomers/kids that will look at your body of work/career accomplishments and say “yo this dude is different” even if they never watched that player play in real time.
Bill Russell is my favorite Celtic, the best Celtic, and the greatest winner of any team sport. Anyone who doesn’t believe Russell is a Top 10 player of all time, simply doesn’t understand the game of basketball. His game would translate to ANY era. There will never be another Bill Russell.
The most similar I can think of is Tim Duncan (who also has an entry in this series). Duncan was more of a scorer than Russell, while Russell was an even more dominant defender than Duncan, but their essential styles -- control the pace, make your teammates better, do whatever the team needs to win, set the tone of the team, etc. -- are very similar.
Russell was psychologically way ahead of Tim Duncan.. Every great player Wilt, Kobe, Michael, Shaq, Kareem all will tell you that initially they were scoring freaks but eventually had to resort to Russell's way.. As Kobe put it out correctly Russell's way the only way to win the championship.. Also, Russell's master startegy against Wilt was classic..He would let Wilt score for first 3 quaters he knew Wilt loved stats and to get them he ignored his teammates Russell's teammates would be involved all the time and they would be up for the game..Then come money time Russell would shut down Wilt..and obviously Wilt's teammates can't be of any help now and that would end up one way only..Russell winning and Wilt crying that Russell had better teammates 😂😂 not realising that Russell made them good.. Bill Sharman talked some sense into him in 1972 and that's when Wilt became the complete player only once he played the Bill Russell way.. 😎
Bill is always the greatest to me. Bill is Midas when it comes to teams, and he's a guy who you would BEG to have in your gen. While maybe his athleticism and shooting may not be top tier, the fact he could make you go from average or subpar to Hall of Famer is something of a miracle. And Bill's loyalty to his team is something i wish i could see more of. Giannis is the closest we have to that.
1962 Finals - Russell averaged 23-27-6 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs/FG% 1963 Finals - Russell averaged 20-26-5 on 47% 1965 Finals - Russell averaged 18-25-6 on 70%, NBA Finals record for FG% 1966 Finals - Russell averaged 24-24-4 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs
Russell was like Larry in being an unselfish player that made others better. #Bird gang. That is why I don't rank LeBron in my top five. There are so many greats that people forget. Russell is in my top ten.
💚Thanks for this one! I know it's unpopular, but Bill is the GOAT. One thing left out of this vid. Bill also won an Olympic gold medal where he was the team's leading scorer, and they won by an average of 55 points. th-cam.com/video/NFXtOtRFhns/w-d-xo.html
Closest comparison of player you’d have is Ben Wallace but it’s still apples and oranges comparing them. Only thing similar is both being defensive players and did a lot for their team not only on the stat sheet but leading plus winning a championship with mostly defense, hustle and rebounds.
Damon Youngblood 1962 Finals - Russell averaged 23-27-6 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs/FG% 1963 Finals - Russell averaged 20-26-5 on 47% 1965 Finals - Russell averaged 18-25-6 on 70%, NBA Finals record for FG% 1966 Finals - Russell averaged 24-24-4 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs
@@Papichulo-xc5nd reading comprehension would do you wonders before attacking people sir… I said, “it was a apple and oranges comparison and only thing similar were their defense, hustle, leadership, rebounds, and how they both helped their team not only on the stat sheet and won championship with that style of play”.
Journalists and teammates always claimed that the Celtics fell apart without him; Boston was a 35-win team (-1.9 SRS) in 28 games he missed from 1958-69, and for the other 915 games of his career they played at a 59-win pace (6.4 SRS).“
After seeing this, to answer your question: What makes Greatness? HEART. (I'm sorry a child from West Oakland, where my mom is from, went thru that racism, more example of HEART to endure) Draymond Green is a good example of a player playing like Bill Russell (not comparing but think about how (and why ;) the Warriors succeed bc of Draymond's ability to get the ball to his teammates especially to start a break).. I'm 49 yrs old, Warriors fan since I can remember (all losing years..until!! :D ) so Bird was my favorite watching him every week on Game of The Week (no internet, no cable). My dad talked about how great Russ (original Russ) was. I'm happy I get to see Draymond and Chips! Shout out Big Nate's BBQ in Oakland!
At a joint tryout for the JV/Varsity teams at Laney High, Michael Jordan tried out for the Varsity team when he was in the 10th grade. At this time he was 5'11" and the coach wanted a taller player so put Jordan on the JV team instead. He missed one game in the middle of his JV season. The next 2 years he played every game for the varsity team. Let me know at what point it sounds like he was cut from the team, I'll wait.
Bill Russell innovated defense to offense, aerial shot blocking, hustle play, and the term defense wins championships. People will be biased because he wasn’t a scorer and wasn’t putting up numbers like the other goat candidates. “The way I play….my team wins.” - quote by Bill Russell. Wilt was still putting up good numbers but his averages often dropped significantly anytime he matched up with Russell. He averted 50 a game and then only 27 on worse efficiency against Russell. Wilt had good teammates and all of their matchups all were pretty close. But Russell just extremely clutch and his teams were just a bit better than most of wilts. He had wilts number when it came to getting the W regardless of how dominant wilt would be individually.. Oh and the reason Russell was awarded the mvp more was because he WAS the most valuable. The Celtics were often the worst offense in the game even tho they had some of the best scorers. The reason they were so successful was because they were a historically great defense. And Russell was the catalyst for that. Therefore u can say he was absolutely the most valuable.
The most successful sports dynasty in North America is the Montreal Canadiens and Henri Richard tied Russell for individual rings. Montreal has 24 Stanley Cups.
Bill is amazing Most underrated 2 way player ever. Better defensively than almost anyone else is better than him offensively while being top 3 playmaker at his position, 2nd best rebounder ever, and the only player coach ever, and dominated as the best player overall on his team slightly above hondo even at the very end of his career when black population was the vast majority and the nba was only accepting best of the best of college pro streetball overseas and aba players in a league with the toughest rules ever, bigger basketball that’s harder to fit inside the rim, high pace thats harder to keep up with fatigue and skill wise, etc… But the undisputed goat still has to goto wilt Chamberlain. There’s a long list of clutch moments I will list in a separate comment that wilt has that Russell cannot match in number of moments which also shows wilt does not shrink in the moment. And no one was great enough to force 4 different rule changes to try and slow down his greatness except Wilt. That alone puts him in a different universe. Also the reason why people elevate jordan above other guys that have more rings than him or a better finals record than him is cuz of picking and choosing when to use context such as Mike not having as great of a team as those guys but what they often fail to miss is you have to go by having a greater or worse team relative to who your competition And no one has overcome the competitive odds as much as wilt has as the only player to beat a team that outnumbered his own by 2 or more hall of famers multiple times in the postseaon, only player to beat 5-7 hall of fame teams 2 different times in postseaon and has lost the least when the hof odds were even or in his favor than another player while winning when the odds against him more than any other player. This goes to show you your best bet with winning with any given team is going with the goat who contributes the most to the game who destroyed the game and forced the game to change 4 different times, wilt Chamberlain whom even dominated 70s prime legends including Kareem overall as someone outside of his prime like he did in 71 and then out defending and out rebounding kareem in 72 So yes wilt is the goat but Russell is right in the top 3 gods pantheon of nba players so you can’t go wrong rockin with Billy goat Also if you have any notion that wilt and Russells era was weak cuz of lack of teams or pace n possessions n fg % or lack of size and athleticism you need to do your research to find out it was less teams but the hardest time to make the league only allowing the best of the best like I explained above from all over the world (basketball became a global sport in 36 and wilt and Russell played over 2 decades since then so it was heavily developed and nowhere near its infancy by the time they started peaking) and no room for lesser players that wasn’t going to work hard enough to get better and continue to do so, had the same height of players in 1962 as 2022 and same with avg center height in those years which is no change in height over 60 years, had the most track and field and high jump record setting athletes in the nba in the 60s n 70s era than any other era including today despite higher pace and no so called advanced tech and medicine with players playing thru injuries and coming back from career ending injuries with no load management or flagrant fouls etc… either and endless proof that inflated stats cuz of pace and possessions etc…. Are debunked because of endles examples of guys like wilt, malone, Lebron, moses, Reed, Caldwell, west, etc… having similar to the same to even better numbers in a year or multiple years past their prime or declining in they prime than they did in a peak prime year or multiple years several years prior where the pace possessions and FG attempts was all significantly higher proving inflated stats conclusion and calculations made up and unreliable and not even thinking about taking into account easier rules, energy conservation of slower pace, less rebounding and big man defending challengers etc…. in a whole different era
Dont forget, he not only made a unique deal to get bill russel but he also drafted Bird. Made the trade for mchale and parrish and got a 3rd baseman from the Blue Jays to become a full time point guard.( danny ainge). Red was involved in 16 championships
means alot of things..........there is no goat.......goats are never alone........they're always in pacs..say 5 or so.........like Bball... good point dude about outlet. it is for me to -----BIG UPS!!!!!!!!!! There is a greatest team of all time however.....therefore, there is a greatest team of all time--------------------------1. Pt guard---------ALLEN IVERSON 2. Guard--------------Micheal JOrdan 3.FWD Elgin Baylor FWD LArry BIrd 5. Center----Wilt Chamberlin
Russell didnt have a low fg% at all. He didnt attempt as many shots..Red grabbed him as a small 6-10 center with a 48 inch vertical leap. Red told him: block to a teammate, get all the rebounds you can and make guys auadruple pump and quintuple-pump. Ruin the careers of line drive shooters who bank off the board. Russell didnt have to score. He had 11 teammates who could shoot. Just get them the ball and terrorize the other team.
Wilt was like Michael Jordan in 1980s..Ball Hog nature.. Similarly like Mike did under Phil Jackson, Wilt got some sense later and understood that Bill Russell was a winner for a reason 😁 Jerry West wishes he played with Russell..Elgin said the same.. Kareem and Dr. J vouch for Bill Russell as the best ever..and like it is said Russell won more MVPs cz he knew intangibles like only players know..He knew the game was played by very insecure humans and knew how to press the right buttons at the right team..He knew how to play psycholical warfare use the talent around him and just figured out how to WIN 😎
I’ll say wilt had the lebron issue. He was capable of being big time but often times he did shit that would lead to him being criticized. He could close games but he didn’t do it all the time. He had many chances to beat Russell, and didn’t. He wasn’t a choker but he lost more than he won. He felt that stacking accolades and numbers are what mattered and he felt putting up numbers regardless of a loss meant he had an excuse to blame anyone but himself. I wouldn’t say he had the greatest talent around him all the time but even when he did, he couldn’t consistently win. Very lebron like career. Sheer accolades alone get him a mention as a top tier goat status player but wilt, like bron is flawed. Bill Russell is more of a Tim Duncan like talent. Doesn’t get the credit he deserved. Is he THE most talented? No. But he sure as hell was as impactful as anyone on that win-loss column.
Here’s that list of clutch moments proving wilt by no means choked and if you want I can also post wilts numbers vs Russell and vice versa head to head in postseaon finals and reg season to show wilt increased more than Russell increased head to head and Russell decreased more than wilt decreased head to head Only player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds while shooting at least 60% from the field across Game 7s in the playoffs Wilt even had two G7 games where he shot at least at 80% (1965 and 1969 vs. Russell) that’s clutch against the goat defender ever Wilt Chamberlain G5 1962 first round/ECSF G5- 56 points, 35 rebounds and 12 blocks. Clutch performance in the game leading to blowout G7 1962 ECF- 22 points and 22 rebounds on 7-15 shooting. he shot 8/9 from the freethrow line and scored 5 points in 35 seconds in the last minute Clutch buckets G7 1965 ECF vs Boston: 30 points and 32 rebounds with 80% shooting without a healthy Luke Jackson (PF starter, only played for 18 minutes that match, replaced by 6-6 forwards who got fouled out). Wilt scored 4 clutch points in the last minute and approximately scored the last 10-12 points of the match Clutch buckets 1967 Triple Double average against Boston, two Quadruple Doubles 6 blocks in fourth quarter in one of the Finals games that same championship year Wilt clutch defense Also turned Thurmond into unreliable scorer 34.3% shooting compared to his 55.2% First match vs GSW in Finals: 16 points 33 rebounds 10 assists 9 blocks. Wilt blocked Thurmond's layup/hook shot in the last seconds to sent the game into overtime. Clutch defense 1971 G7 WCF 25 points after spent the last four matches as low-scoring all time defensive player, won the series with clutch playmaking buckets and defense without injured Baylor and West. 1972 Wilt scored 10.8 PPG vs Kareem In nba-western conference finals but out rebounded and out defended and out shot blocked Kareem by far and after they beat Kareem and the bucks, then wilt had 19 a game against the Knicks in the finals where he out rebounded and out defended and out shot blocked everyone else by far along with crucial and clutch playmaking as always and in both series, Wilt was showered by praises, despite scoring a lot less than Kareem in his second to last year ever playing. Probably best example that Wilt's a reliable performer in playoffs regardless of stats and style of play. 1972 G6 WCF vs. Bucks- Wilt scored 20 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in 66.7% shooting after spent the last five games as 9 PPG defender. Rallied Lakers to win the game and overcame a 10 point deficit in 4th quarter, and outsprinted Kareem in fastbreaks. Jerry West called it as the greatest ball-busting performance he has ever seen. Clutch defending, rebounding, playmaking, and scoring all down the stretch 1972 G4 Finals vs Knicks Two clutch blocks in OT played aggressive defense with 5 fouls, shattered myth of him played too carefully when he got 5 fouls. 1972 G5 vs Knicks. Chamberlain with 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 29 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 blocks. They just so happen to get the Finals MVP right that series and wilt even had a broken hand. He won with Jerry West having subpar shooting performance, never shot above 40% in any match vs Knicks. Unlike other poor performances listed in this post, West just flat out admitted that he played a terrible series, despite his 8.8 assists average. 1973 WCS Game 7 vs Chicago Bulls: Wilt get 21pts and 28rbs. He also blocked a shot with 30 seconds left and threw a full court pass to Goodrich to win the game
@@HenDawgTV you mention a modern player comparable to russell ? only one that comes to mind is dennis rodman because of his great rebounding and defence .
I think we put too much emphasis on how many points a player scores as opposed to all of the other stuff players do. Like how you just assumed that they only voted for Russell because he was the best player on the best team even though Wilt outscored him by a lot. But that's not the only thing a player can do, they voted for Russell as MVP 5 times because of everything else he did to put the Celtics in the position to win 11 championships. I know scoring is important and without it, you can't win, but so are all the other aspects of the game that get no respect because you can't measure their impact on a game the way you can points scored.
If players voted for BR more than for WNC then my guess is that as per the 50/25 season for WNC the players hated how he could easily destroy them, so they must think he isn't even trying and still puts up 50points a game so they think BR is doing a better effort, nobody likes Goliath, and their first head to head game WNC dominated BR so I think the majority of people back then including players disliked WNC because of his shear dominance and threat he posed.....imagine as a player liking a guy that might just drop 80 or 100 point on your team.
If you really want to know how Wilt perform against Russell and the Celtics, let's just say really good but underwhelming compared to his standard averages.
I saw both of them play Wilt was by far superior to anyone from day one right up through Jordan,James anyone you want to name Wilt was no.1.Russell was a great team player but he had the same coach and had alot of talent around him.The Warriors when he broke in had Al Attles and Guy Rogers at guards neither could shoot.So what do the Warriors do they draft Nate Thurmond instead of John Havliek why would you do that then they could of drafted Willis Reed so you could of had him as your power forward and Havlicek as your shooting guard.When Wilt went to the 6ers they won a championship then to the Lakers and they won a championship should of been two but they had Van Bretakoff as coach who was a total idiot
if bill russell were starting his career today in the nba how many championships would he win ? . to put this into perspective he would not win as many as antetokounmpo and however many he wins . i like antetokounmpo as much as any big man i've ever seen ,he's great offensively and on defence . and has a competitive fire that i've never seen before ,but the nba is so brutal under the boards today i don't know how long he can continue to play at this level .i'm 77 years old and i've been watching the nba since 1954. thanks for listening to me .
The Celtics won the games. Without Sam Jones, they wouldn't have won as much. Jones averaged 18.9 points in playoffs. 25.8 points in elimination games and 27.6 points in Finals EG's. Russell gets all the credit but Sam Jones was about as clutch as they come.
You've never heard of Red Auerbach's victory cigar? Wow. Let me inform you, then, that when you see a photo of Larry with a cigar after a championship, he's likely standing with Red, and has one of Red's cigars. Smoking in public buildings didn't get taken away from us until 2000 or 2001, if i recall correctly. Also, in the 60s and 70s, smoking was much more common everywhere, including everyone's home. Always a 2-3 foot pedestal with a big glass ashtray in it in most living rooms...
Hope y’all enjoyed this video!! What should I react to next?! 🤔 #Roadto10K
Thinking basketball:
th-cam.com/video/kCKSvjBnCRQ/w-d-xo.html
Bill vs Wilt
Another tibit. John Thompson former georgetown coach was russels backup in boston
Three things not mentioned in the video, Bill Russell won the 1956 Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympics, the Finals MVP award is named after him, and upon his death his number six was retired across the league.
Bill Russell is one of my favorite players. He was a great rebounder, and great shot blocker. He was also on a great team that knew how to play a team oriented game, which, a great team is what wins games and especially, championships. To top that off, he played his whole career, except for his last year, with the best coach, arguably, of all time.
Russell knew how to win better than anyone else, which is why he was able to be player- coach.
As long as I've watched Bill Russell play in highlights listen to stories and see his achievements he also was a player and a coach and was still beating teams at the time I believe he is the goat I've said this for a very long time and I won't ever change my answer
Russell took midrange jumpshots including catch and shoot coming off screens. and paint was packed back then so that helps explain some of the fg% which were not low anyways
you can argue all you want about great players. there are no definitive answers. William Felton Russell was a great man. I`m a 76 yr old white guy and he`s been one of my hero`s since I was in high school.
Of course us Bird fans are here, life time C's fan. Great reaction on a guy that will always be a Celtics legend.
💯💯💯
I don't know about being the goat, but Russell for what I've seen is the best human being in NBA history. Cheers from Venice Italy
I’m coming to Italy soon!
Bill Russells modern day comparison would be a combination of players. The speed of any top guard, the all around style of defence of a draymond green the rim protecting greater than a Hakeem or Mutombo and the rebounding of better then Dennis Rodman. Offensively he would be similar to draymond, not much scoring and more of a point center. He would probably average 15-18pts, 15-20 rebounds and 4-6 blocks a game on good efficiency.
auerbach would lite up his victory cigar whenhe knew the game was won
If I had to pick a player IMO that reminded me of Russell ( and I was too young to see Russell play) it would be Dennis Rodman because of his intensity and willingness to do all the "dirty work" and never stopped hustling. Rodman had a warrior mentality and battled for rebounds like his life depended on it. Russell appears to be the same way and he adds shot blocking to his skill set. Russell once said "the way I play, I do not distort the offense and I do not distort the defense". I always loved that quote and it begins to make sense when you think about greatness as being able to blend your skillset with your other teammates to make your team as good as it can possibly be. Another player in the "Russell" mode could be Tim Duncan. If you are putting together an all time team ( 15 guys = 3 groups of 5 players) Russell has to be on it. Perhaps we put Russell as PF with Wilt = C and Baylor as SF and West at SG and Oscar at PG for their era? My all time starting 5 = Kareem at C and Bird at PF and Lebron at SF and Jordan at SG and Magic at PG. 2nd team is Olajuwon at C and Duncan at PF and Dr J at SF and Kobe at SG and Curry at PG. I would love to watch these teams play.
To me greatness means a leader, one who does it with excellence and by doing so makes everyone on the team better. Russell fills that role fully.
💯💯💯
That's how you knew the Celtics had the game all locked up -- Red Auerbach lighting up his victory cigar.
I just learned that lol
Great video, keep up the great work 👍
Thanks for the support!! 💯💙
Greatness in a person is someone who inspires me to be a better human being.
While I am a die-hard Celtics fan, The 1960's Celtics teams were much more than Bill Russell. I acknowledge that Bill was one of the best players of all time, but Sam Jones was right behind him in wins with 10 and no one ever mentions him as one of the best of all-time. Russell played between 1957 to 1969. Here are some of his team mates he played with and their number of championships during that same time.
Sam Jones 10
Tom Heinson 8
KC Jones 8
Satch Sanders 8
Frank Ramsey 7
Bob Cousy 6
John Havlicek 6 (Havlicek won 2 more after Russell retired)
Please note that ALL of these players had the same or more championships (6) than Michael Jordan, who is considered the GOAT, including me.
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There’s a reason for that. Non of those guys win without Russell. They aren’t the goat because they didn’t impact the game in any way that puts them in that convo. All those guys were great offensively yet the Celtics were often one of the bottom offenses in the league. Those teams are reknown for their DOMINANCE on defense. And who was their defense centered around? The innovative shot blocking and fast break starting of bill Russell.
@@TheIcemanthomas I agree. Russell was the force behind all those wins. Russell is definitely in the top 10, and possibly the top 5, just not number one. My opinion.
@@rickjend6667 Journalists and teammates always claimed that the Celtics fell apart without him; Boston was a 35-win team (-1.9 SRS) in 28 games he missed from 1958-69, and for the other 915 games of his career they played at a 59-win pace (6.4 SRS).“
bill sharman , don nelson , bailey howell.
The term, "GOAT", gets thrown around so much that it has little meaning, especially when describing a team-sport athlete. But I put a REAL emphasis on the meaning of describing how I feel about you, H-Dawg, with how you conduct yourself in all of your videos.
Not only do you present yourself as honest and real to the videos you're reacting to, but you show empathy and support to the people watching them. In all of your videos, you take a moment to stretch from your seat, and at the same time, you express to the people watching to do the same, so as to prevent back issues.
That, IMO, shows you are doing this just as much (if not more) for the people as you are for yourself, which is why I label you as the GOAT of TH-camrs. Not only that, you also give credit to other Y'Tubers for their work on the videos, much respect to you, and them.😎
Sorry for being a bit late but nice reaction. Keep reacting to all the making the case reactions, also this may sound a little bit weird(because I'm a Duncan fan). I really think Duncan and Russell are very similar(especially with sacrificing roles and mentalities). Bill Walton also comes into mind when comparing to Bill Russell(Bill Russell is a VERY good playmaker for a big and Bill Walton is one of the great playmaking big men along with Sabonis and Jokic)
The greatest basketball champion of all time. Possibly of ANY sport. If Russell played today, he'd be Dennis Rodman 2.0. Great vid and reaction as always my bro!!
Thanks for the support as always!!! 🙏🏾
He excelled at the areas the NBA didn't record any stats for while he was playing. As a rebounder he was on par with Wilt and the best rebounders of his era. And as great as any rebounder arguably since. Same for his defense and steals and shot blocking. Wilt was the Celtics tone setter. His ritual before every big game was to vomit to relieve nervous pressure. That's how much he cared about winning. Does anyone today care that much about winning? His matchups with Wilt were legendary and numerous but the amount of film we have on them is extremely limited. That is incomprehensible. Arguably two of the greatest players in NBA history going head to head and we barely have any footage of it. Comparing him to Wilt is ridiculous because they didn't have the same team around them or have the same role on their teams. Even when Wilt changed his game to be more similar to Russell he didn't have the Celtics team to play with nor Red Auerbach to coach him. I marvel at Russell's intensity, athleticism and his incredible game IQ. Probably unmatched by any other player.
Now you know why olds like me compare LeBron to Wilt. #Bird gang
It’s making sense! lol
He was the winningest, a great athlete, a team man, a player coach and humanist.
GREATNESS: 'a MAN has no statistics & no words; just ACTIONS.' I saw Wilt once & Russell once; played the St Louis Hawks in late '60s. Both were incredible. After Jordan won his 6th ring a reporter asked Russell what the thought; he said "not much."
addendum: Bill Russell's greatest achievement: 1967--he stood with Muhammad Ali and DEFIED the murderous u s government & military in REFUSING !!!! to fight in an Immoral war against the peaceful people of Vietnam!!!!! I was deeply involved in the anti-war movement. This is what sealed Bill Russell for me more than anything else!
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I also want to add my comment on Bill Russell: I recently watched his documentary on Netflix, and after seeing it, I place him at the top of my Mt. Rushmore, #1 over #2, MJ. IMO, he is, and always will be the "GOAT", not just in basketball, but in life as well.
Wilt was great in his own right, but I think he was more focused on his ego than the teams he played with. Russell was all about teamwork, winning, and civil rights. When faced with all of the negative/racial things that were thrown at him during his playing yrs, he could've been retaliatory toward his teammates/fans and showed them animosity, instead, he became the bigger man by being a leader of the team and standing up for the rights of all who are human.
As I've said before, the "GOAT" debate is meaningless in a team sport such as basketball, but if I had to label an NBA player as "GOAT", it would be Bill Russell. Sure, LeBron can be labeled as such for this era and MJ for his era, and they both would've been great if their eras were reversed, but IMHO, I don't think they would've been as great in Bill Russell's era, where civil rights was a concern.
I'm a huge MJ fan, I grew up watching him, but hypothetically, I'd have to say that because of MJ's competitive nature on/off the court, LeBron would've been the better player than MJ if they played in Bill Russel's era, and Russell would still outshine both of them. It's one thing to be great on/off the court in eras where race is not much of a factor, but it's a different scenario just trying to survive as a black person, let alone playing basketball, in an era where race is the main focus.
Bill Russell not only became a great winner, but he was also a survivor for civil/human rights, which makes him the greatest person of all time, alongside Muhammad Ali. R.I.P. to both of them.😎
Greatness in team sports is only measured by championships.
Crowley kills these vids. 🏀
For sure!!
I’ll answer the “greatness” question in the beginning.
Greatness is when your accomplishments are so incredible/one of a kind that it will stand the test of time. Basically decades after you last played there are newcomers/kids that will look at your body of work/career accomplishments and say “yo this dude is different” even if they never watched that player play in real time.
Bill Russell is my favorite Celtic, the best Celtic, and the greatest winner of any team sport. Anyone who doesn’t believe Russell is a Top 10 player of all time, simply doesn’t understand the game of basketball. His game would translate to ANY era. There will never be another Bill Russell.
The most similar I can think of is Tim Duncan (who also has an entry in this series). Duncan was more of a scorer than Russell, while Russell was an even more dominant defender than Duncan, but their essential styles -- control the pace, make your teammates better, do whatever the team needs to win, set the tone of the team, etc. -- are very similar.
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Russell was psychologically way ahead of Tim Duncan.. Every great player Wilt, Kobe, Michael, Shaq, Kareem all will tell you that initially they were scoring freaks but eventually had to resort to Russell's way.. As Kobe put it out correctly Russell's way the only way to win the championship.. Also, Russell's master startegy against Wilt was classic..He would let Wilt score for first 3 quaters he knew Wilt loved stats and to get them he ignored his teammates Russell's teammates would be involved all the time and they would be up for the game..Then come money time Russell would shut down Wilt..and obviously Wilt's teammates can't be of any help now and that would end up one way only..Russell winning and Wilt crying that Russell had better teammates 😂😂 not realising that Russell made them good.. Bill Sharman talked some sense into him in 1972 and that's when Wilt became the complete player only once he played the Bill Russell way.. 😎
Bill is always the greatest to me. Bill is Midas when it comes to teams, and he's a guy who you would BEG to have in your gen. While maybe his athleticism and shooting may not be top tier, the fact he could make you go from average or subpar to Hall of Famer is something of a miracle. And Bill's loyalty to his team is something i wish i could see more of. Giannis is the closest we have to that.
💯💯🔥🔥 good points
1962 Finals - Russell averaged 23-27-6 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs/FG%
1963 Finals - Russell averaged 20-26-5 on 47%
1965 Finals - Russell averaged 18-25-6 on 70%, NBA Finals record for FG%
1966 Finals - Russell averaged 24-24-4 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs
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How about when he faced Wilt?
1964 Finals: 11.2 points on 38.6% shooting
1969 Finals: 9.1 points on 39.7% shooting
Russell was like Larry in being an unselfish player that made others better. #Bird gang.
That is why I don't rank LeBron in my top five. There are so many greats that people forget. Russell is in my top ten.
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He’s more akin to Duncan
💚Thanks for this one! I know it's unpopular, but Bill is the GOAT.
One thing left out of this vid. Bill also won an Olympic gold medal where he was the team's leading scorer, and they won by an average of 55 points.
th-cam.com/video/NFXtOtRFhns/w-d-xo.html
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Greatness is someone you measure your faults against.
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Closest comparison of player you’d have is Ben Wallace but it’s still apples and oranges comparing them. Only thing similar is both being defensive players and did a lot for their team not only on the stat sheet but leading plus winning a championship with mostly defense, hustle and rebounds.
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Damon Youngblood 1962 Finals - Russell averaged 23-27-6 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs/FG%
1963 Finals - Russell averaged 20-26-5 on 47%
1965 Finals - Russell averaged 18-25-6 on 70%, NBA Finals record for FG%
1966 Finals - Russell averaged 24-24-4 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs
@@HenDawgTV does that look like Ben Wallace? Russell was on a whole different level. That’s like saying jordan is like demar derozan 😑
@@Papichulo-xc5nd reading comprehension would do you wonders before attacking people sir…
I said, “it was a apple and oranges comparison and only thing similar were their defense, hustle, leadership, rebounds, and how they both helped their team not only on the stat sheet and won championship with that style of play”.
@@damonyoungblood5488 dude don’t ever put Ben Wallace and Bill Russell in the same sentence EVER again.
Journalists and teammates always claimed that the Celtics fell apart without him; Boston was a 35-win team (-1.9 SRS) in 28 games he missed from 1958-69, and for the other 915 games of his career they played at a 59-win pace (6.4 SRS).“
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Where does Bill Russell rank all time?!
Russ /Jordan tied Goat
Bill will always be the greatest man in basketball.
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After seeing this, to answer your question: What makes Greatness? HEART. (I'm sorry a child from West Oakland, where my mom is from, went thru that racism, more example of HEART to endure)
Draymond Green is a good example of a player playing like Bill Russell (not comparing but think about how (and why ;) the Warriors succeed bc of Draymond's ability to get the ball to his teammates especially to start a break).. I'm 49 yrs old, Warriors fan since I can remember (all losing years..until!! :D ) so Bird was my favorite watching him every week on Game of The Week (no internet, no cable). My dad talked about how great Russ (original Russ) was. I'm happy I get to see Draymond and Chips! Shout out Big Nate's BBQ in Oakland!
At a joint tryout for the JV/Varsity teams at Laney High, Michael Jordan tried out for the Varsity team when he was in the 10th grade. At this time he was 5'11" and the coach wanted a taller player so put Jordan on the JV team instead. He missed one game in the middle of his JV season. The next 2 years he played every game for the varsity team.
Let me know at what point it sounds like he was cut from the team, I'll wait.
Bill Russell innovated defense to offense, aerial shot blocking, hustle play, and the term defense wins championships. People will be biased because he wasn’t a scorer and wasn’t putting up numbers like the other goat candidates. “The way I play….my team wins.” - quote by Bill Russell. Wilt was still putting up good numbers but his averages often dropped significantly anytime he matched up with Russell. He averted 50 a game and then only 27 on worse efficiency against Russell. Wilt had good teammates and all of their matchups all were pretty close. But Russell just extremely clutch and his teams were just a bit better than most of wilts. He had wilts number when it came to getting the W regardless of how dominant wilt would be individually..
Oh and the reason Russell was awarded the mvp more was because he WAS the most valuable. The Celtics were often the worst offense in the game even tho they had some of the best scorers. The reason they were so successful was because they were a historically great defense. And Russell was the catalyst for that. Therefore u can say he was absolutely the most valuable.
It’s all making sense!! 💯
Wiltt is the goat
Closest comparison is David Robinson/Draymond hybrid with KG intensity
Sheesh
3:46 Bill Russel is my GOAT of all team sports-11!
26:25 Yup.
30:23 Bill Russell is a great man. Born in 1934.
The most successful sports dynasty in North America is the Montreal Canadiens and Henri Richard tied Russell for individual rings. Montreal has 24 Stanley Cups.
Wow
george mikan was the first great player ,he won 5 rings with the lakers 49 to 54 .
Bill is amazing Most underrated 2 way player ever. Better defensively than almost anyone else is better than him offensively while being top 3 playmaker at his position, 2nd best rebounder ever, and the only player coach ever, and dominated as the best player overall on his team slightly above hondo even at the very end of his career when black population was the vast majority and the nba was only accepting best of the best of college pro streetball overseas and aba players in a league with the toughest rules ever, bigger basketball that’s harder to fit inside the rim, high pace thats harder to keep up with fatigue and skill wise, etc…
But the undisputed goat still has to goto wilt Chamberlain. There’s a long list of clutch moments I will list in a separate comment that wilt has that Russell cannot match in number of moments which also shows wilt does not shrink in the moment. And no one was great enough to force 4 different rule changes to try and slow down his greatness except Wilt. That alone puts him in a different universe.
Also the reason why people elevate jordan above other guys that have more rings than him or a better finals record than him is cuz of picking and choosing when to use context such as Mike not having as great of a team as those guys but what they often fail to miss is you have to go by having a greater or worse team relative to who your competition And no one has overcome the competitive odds as much as wilt has as the only player to beat a team that outnumbered his own by 2 or more hall of famers multiple times in the postseaon, only player to beat 5-7 hall of fame teams 2 different times in postseaon and has lost the least when the hof odds were even or in his favor than another player while winning when the odds against him more than any other player. This goes to show you your best bet with winning with any given team is going with the goat who contributes the most to the game who destroyed the game and forced the game to change 4 different times, wilt Chamberlain whom even dominated 70s prime legends including Kareem overall as someone outside of his prime like he did in 71 and then out defending and out rebounding kareem in 72
So yes wilt is the goat but Russell is right in the top 3 gods pantheon of nba players so you can’t go wrong rockin with Billy goat
Also if you have any notion that wilt and Russells era was weak cuz of lack of teams or pace n possessions n fg % or lack of size and athleticism you need to do your research to find out it was less teams but the hardest time to make the league only allowing the best of the best like I explained above from all over the world (basketball became a global sport in 36 and wilt and Russell played over 2 decades since then so it was heavily developed and nowhere near its infancy by the time they started peaking) and no room for lesser players that wasn’t going to work hard enough to get better and continue to do so, had the same height of players in 1962 as 2022 and same with avg center height in those years which is no change in height over 60 years, had the most track and field and high jump record setting athletes in the nba in the 60s n 70s era than any other era including today despite higher pace and no so called advanced tech and medicine with players playing thru injuries and coming back from career ending injuries with no load management or flagrant fouls etc… either and endless proof that inflated stats cuz of pace and possessions etc…. Are debunked because of endles examples of guys like wilt, malone, Lebron, moses, Reed, Caldwell, west, etc… having similar to the same to even better numbers in a year or multiple years past their prime or declining in they prime than they did in a peak prime year or multiple years several years prior where the pace possessions and FG attempts was all significantly higher proving inflated stats conclusion and calculations made up and unreliable and not even thinking about taking into account easier rules, energy conservation of slower pace, less rebounding and big man defending challengers etc…. in a whole different era
A big part of the russel story is red auerbach. Bills best and only friend during that time. Red intergrated the celtics.
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Dont forget, he not only made a unique deal to get bill russel but he also drafted Bird. Made the trade for mchale and parrish and got a 3rd baseman from the Blue Jays to become a full time point guard.( danny ainge). Red was involved in 16 championships
greatness is a gift from god , but its up to you to work on your gift
MJ, Bird, Kareem, Timmy then best PG Magic or Steph or Pistol is my starting 5. Wilt is my 6.
means alot of things..........there is no goat.......goats are never alone........they're always in pacs..say 5 or so.........like Bball... good point dude about outlet. it is for me to -----BIG UPS!!!!!!!!!! There is a greatest team of all time however.....therefore, there is a greatest team of all time--------------------------1. Pt guard---------ALLEN IVERSON 2. Guard--------------Micheal JOrdan 3.FWD Elgin Baylor FWD LArry BIrd 5. Center----Wilt Chamberlin
Russell didnt have a low fg% at all. He didnt attempt as many shots..Red grabbed him as a small 6-10 center with a 48 inch vertical leap. Red told him: block to a teammate, get all the rebounds you can and make guys auadruple pump and quintuple-pump.
Ruin the careers of line drive shooters who bank off the board.
Russell didnt have to score. He had 11 teammates who could shoot. Just get them the ball and terrorize the other team.
Could you compare bill to Rodman. I know you said today's game but that's the closest imo
Wilt was like Michael Jordan in 1980s..Ball Hog nature.. Similarly like Mike did under Phil Jackson, Wilt got some sense later and understood that Bill Russell was a winner for a reason 😁 Jerry West wishes he played with Russell..Elgin said the same.. Kareem and Dr. J vouch for Bill Russell as the best ever..and like it is said Russell won more MVPs cz he knew intangibles like only players know..He knew the game was played by very insecure humans and knew how to press the right buttons at the right team..He knew how to play psycholical warfare use the talent around him and just figured out how to WIN 😎
Yea typically Wilt outscored him big time, rebounds were similar but Russell won the games
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I’ll say wilt had the lebron issue. He was capable of being big time but often times he did shit that would lead to him being criticized. He could close games but he didn’t do it all the time. He had many chances to beat Russell, and didn’t. He wasn’t a choker but he lost more than he won. He felt that stacking accolades and numbers are what mattered and he felt putting up numbers regardless of a loss meant he had an excuse to blame anyone but himself. I wouldn’t say he had the greatest talent around him all the time but even when he did, he couldn’t consistently win. Very lebron like career. Sheer accolades alone get him a mention as a top tier goat status player but wilt, like bron is flawed. Bill Russell is more of a Tim Duncan like talent. Doesn’t get the credit he deserved. Is he THE most talented? No. But he sure as hell was as impactful as anyone on that win-loss column.
Great points!! 🔥💯
Here’s that list of clutch moments proving wilt by no means choked and if you want I can also post wilts numbers vs Russell and vice versa head to head in postseaon finals and reg season to show wilt increased more than Russell increased head to head and Russell decreased more than wilt decreased head to head
Only player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds while shooting at least 60% from the field across Game 7s in the playoffs
Wilt even had two G7 games where he shot at least at 80% (1965 and 1969 vs. Russell) that’s clutch against the goat defender ever
Wilt Chamberlain G5 1962 first round/ECSF G5- 56 points, 35 rebounds and 12 blocks. Clutch performance in the game leading to blowout
G7 1962 ECF- 22 points and 22 rebounds on 7-15 shooting.
he shot 8/9 from the freethrow line and scored 5 points in 35 seconds in the last minute
Clutch buckets
G7 1965 ECF vs Boston: 30 points and 32 rebounds with 80% shooting without a healthy Luke Jackson (PF starter, only played for 18 minutes that match, replaced by 6-6 forwards who got fouled out).
Wilt scored 4 clutch points in the last minute and approximately scored the last 10-12 points of the match
Clutch buckets
1967 Triple Double average against Boston, two Quadruple Doubles
6 blocks in fourth quarter in one of the Finals games that same championship year
Wilt clutch defense Also turned Thurmond into unreliable scorer 34.3% shooting compared to his 55.2%
First match vs GSW in Finals: 16 points
33 rebounds 10 assists 9 blocks.
Wilt blocked Thurmond's layup/hook shot in the last seconds to sent the game into overtime. Clutch defense
1971 G7 WCF 25 points after spent the last four matches as low-scoring all time defensive player, won the series with clutch playmaking buckets and defense without injured Baylor and West.
1972 Wilt scored 10.8 PPG vs Kareem In nba-western conference finals but out rebounded and out defended and out shot blocked Kareem by far and after they beat Kareem and the bucks, then wilt had 19 a game against the Knicks in the finals where he out rebounded and out defended and out shot blocked everyone else by far along with crucial and clutch playmaking as always and in both series, Wilt was showered by praises, despite scoring a lot less than Kareem in his second to last year ever playing.
Probably best example that Wilt's a reliable performer in playoffs regardless of stats and style of play.
1972 G6 WCF vs. Bucks- Wilt scored 20 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in 66.7% shooting after spent the last five games as 9 PPG defender. Rallied Lakers to win the game and overcame a 10 point deficit in 4th quarter, and outsprinted Kareem in fastbreaks. Jerry West called it as the greatest ball-busting performance he has ever seen. Clutch defending, rebounding, playmaking, and scoring all down the stretch
1972 G4 Finals vs Knicks Two clutch blocks in OT played aggressive defense with 5 fouls, shattered myth of him played too carefully when he got 5 fouls.
1972 G5 vs Knicks. Chamberlain with 24 points, on 10-14 shooting, with 29 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 blocks. They just so happen to get the Finals MVP right that series and wilt even had a broken hand.
He won with Jerry West having subpar shooting performance, never shot above 40% in any match vs Knicks.
Unlike other poor performances listed in this post, West just flat out admitted that he played a terrible series, despite his 8.8 assists average.
1973 WCS Game 7 vs Chicago Bulls: Wilt get 21pts and 28rbs. He also blocked a shot with 30 seconds left and threw a full court pass to Goodrich to win the game
you went bgsu ? thurmond and komives 1960 almost won a ncaa title .
Yesssirrr
@@HenDawgTV you mention a modern player comparable to russell ? only one that comes to mind is dennis rodman because of his great rebounding and defence .
I think we put too much emphasis on how many points a player scores as opposed to all of the other stuff players do. Like how you just assumed that they only voted for Russell because he was the best player on the best team even though Wilt outscored him by a lot. But that's not the only thing a player can do, they voted for Russell as MVP 5 times because of everything else he did to put the Celtics in the position to win 11 championships. I know scoring is important and without it, you can't win, but so are all the other aspects of the game that get no respect because you can't measure their impact on a game the way you can points scored.
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If players voted for BR more than for WNC then my guess is that as per the 50/25 season for WNC the players hated how he could easily destroy them, so they must think he isn't even trying and still puts up 50points a game so they think BR is doing a better effort, nobody likes Goliath, and their first head to head game WNC dominated BR so I think the majority of people back then including players disliked WNC because of his shear dominance and threat he posed.....imagine as a player liking a guy that might just drop 80 or 100 point on your team.
GOAT - 1 Michael Jordan, 2 Wilt Chamberlain, 3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in that order.
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I don't think Chamberlin beat a Russel team in a championship.
Anyone who compare Ben Wallace to bill Russell is like comparing jordan to demar derozan 😑
Facts
Bill Russell's best comparison is Moses Malone
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If you really want to know how Wilt perform against Russell and the Celtics, let's just say really good but underwhelming compared to his standard averages.
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@@HenDawgTV In 10 elimination games against Russell, Wilt's stats: 29.8/28.2/2.3/54.4 ts%
In 9 elimination games against Wilt, Russell's stats: 11.0/24.6/4.8/45.5 ts%
HEAD TO HEAD SERIES AVERAGES(CHAMBERLAIN VS RUSSELL)
YEAR: POINTS/REBOUNDS/ASSISTS/TS%/MPG pts/rbs/ts%(rounded)
1960: Wilt 30.5 / 27.5 / 2.0/ 51.35 45.5 31/28/51%
Russ 20.7 / 27.0 / 2.8/ 45.18 42.8 21/27/43%
1962: Wilt 33.6 / 26.9 / 2.9/ 51.05 48.0 34/27/51%
Russ 22.0 / 24.4 / 4.3/ 47.60 47.7 22/24/48%
1964: Wilt 29.2 / 27.6 /2.4/ 50.93 45.8 FINALS 29/28/51%
Russ 11.2 / 25.2 / 5.0/ 41.18 42.8 11/25/41%
1965: Wilt 30.1 / 31.4 / 3.3/ 57.52 48.7 30/31/58%
Russ 14.1 / 25.3 / 6.7/ 45.86 48.6 14/25/46%
1966: Wilt 28.0 / 30.2 / 3.0/ 50.03 48.4 28/30/50%
Russ 14.0 / 26.2 / 5.6/ 47.04 47.8 14/26/47%
1967: Wilt 21.6 / 32.0 / 10.0/56.39 47.8 22/32/56%
Russ 11.4 / 23.4 / 6.0/ 43.63 45.6 11/23/44%
1968: Wilt 22.1 / 25.1 / 6.7/ 48.60 47.9 22/25/49%
Russ 13.7 / 23.9 / 4.1/ 47.87 46.0 14/24/48%
1969: Wilt 11.7 / 25.0 / 3.0/ 47.10 47.3 FINALS 12/25/47%
Russ 9.1 / 21.1 / 5.1/ 43.50 48.0 09/21/44%
I saw both of them play Wilt was by far superior to anyone from day one right up through Jordan,James anyone you want to name Wilt was no.1.Russell was a great team player but he had the same coach and had alot of talent around him.The Warriors when he broke in had Al Attles and Guy Rogers at guards neither could shoot.So what do the Warriors do they draft Nate Thurmond instead of John Havliek why would you do that then they could of drafted Willis Reed so you could of had him as your power forward and Havlicek as your shooting guard.When Wilt went to the 6ers they won a championship then to the Lakers and they won a championship should of been two but they had Van Bretakoff as coach who was a total idiot
if bill russell were starting his career today in the nba how many championships would he win ? . to put this into perspective he would not win as many as antetokounmpo and however many he wins . i like antetokounmpo as much as any big man i've ever seen ,he's great offensively and on defence . and has a competitive fire that i've never seen before ,but the nba is so brutal under the boards today i don't know how long he can continue to play at this level .i'm 77 years old and i've been watching the nba since 1954. thanks for listening to me .
wilt got the stats , but russell won the games
The Celtics won the games. Without Sam Jones, they wouldn't have won as much. Jones averaged 18.9 points in playoffs. 25.8 points in elimination games and 27.6 points in Finals EG's. Russell gets all the credit but Sam Jones was about as clutch as they come.
You've never heard of Red Auerbach's victory cigar? Wow. Let me inform you, then, that when you see a photo of Larry with a cigar after a championship, he's likely standing with Red, and has one of Red's cigars. Smoking in public buildings didn't get taken away from us until 2000 or 2001, if i recall correctly. Also, in the 60s and 70s, smoking was much more common everywhere, including everyone's home. Always a 2-3 foot pedestal with a big glass ashtray in it in most living rooms...
Nope never heard about it! Thanks for putting me on 💯