Russell couldn't play in today's game. There were no great center back then except Wilt. And he did give Wilt fits...
But to guard a guy like Olajuwon...no chance.
But Nobody Today, Can Do What Russell Did Back Then.
Play 13 Seasons and Win 11 Championships.
Russell Couldn't Lure The Best Players In The League, To Come Sign With The Celtics.
Free Agency Hadn't Arrived.
LeBron James Has Been Doing It His Whole Career.
He'll Never Catch Russell.
Russell Used Both Hands To Wear His Rings and It Still Wasn't Enough Space To Show Them All.
I once told a huge Bill Russell fan that Russell will go down as the greatest team player of all-time.
To which the Bill Russell fan responded, "Yes and that makes him the greatest player of all-time because basketball is a team game."
Russell couldn't play in today's game. There were no great center back then except Wilt. And he did give Wilt fits...
But to guard a guy like Olajuwon...no chance.
No athlete in any sport that played long ago could play in today's game, how many home runs would the Babe hit if he was facing today's pitching?Russell couldn't play in today's game. There were no great center back then except Wilt. And he did give Wilt fits...
But to guard a guy like Olajuwon...no chance.
And you don't like black people, so fuck offRussell didn't like white people.
Sounds a lot like the Montreal Canadiens winning all them cups before the 1967 season. Grand total of six teams in the league.Crazy Pete makes a great point about the size of the league in the 1950s and 60s.
The NBA was home to fewer than 10 teams for the bulk of Russell's career.
From 1955-61, the NBA consisted of eight teams and from 1961-66, they expanded to nine teams.
That's the dirty little secret of the Celtics dynasty.
11 Championships is very impressive!
But MUCH easier to win it in the early 60’s… there were only 12 teams total.
Beat the Syracuse Nationals & advance to the conference championships.
And they got breaks:
Laker Frank Selvy missed a Championship winning shot, Celtics win in OT.
Don Nelson’s lucky shot.
“Havlicek steals the ball!”
Wilt inexplicably on the bench for the last several minutes of a close game 7.
Crazy Pete makes a great point about the size of the league in the 1950s and 60s.
The NBA was home to fewer than 10 teams for the bulk of Russell's career.
From 1955-61, the NBA consisted of eight teams and from 1961-66, they expanded to nine teams.
That's the dirty little secret of the Celtics dynasty.
No way the talent today is watered down.
Hakeem Olajuwon was unstoppable in his prime.
Was it when he changed his name from Akeem to Hakeem?
Haha.
Olajuwon made Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, two centers known for their defensive prowess, look silly on many occasions.
It seemed Robinson's career took a turn for the worse when Tim Duncan blossomed into a superstar while Ewing was stuck battling Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference for the decade of the '90s.
One plus about Ewing's professional career: He developed a slick offensive game in the NBA after Big John Thompson schooled him to be a defensive-minded center at Georgetown.
So many more people in the USA & world now. No comparison…..
Back Then, No One Outside U.S.A. Could Win An NBA Job.
Russell didn't like white people.
There isn't much I can say, it's impossible to compare players from different era's, Russell dominated his era, between his blocked shots and the shots he changed, he's probably the best defensive player of all time. The great Dave Bing tells a story of one time scoring like 40 against the Celtics, Russell came up to him after and told him not to enter the paint the next time they met, so the next game Bing avoided the lane and shot nothing but jumpers, that's how intimidating and how much respect Russell hadThat's all I can do. I can make fun and taunt. kane can draw blood with elite counter analysis. Do it, kane. Put JK on the canvas again!
His 2nd wife was Didi Anstett, who was born 15 days after me in Kirkland, WA, Miss USA 1968. His 3rd wife was also white.
Russell never really guarded anybody. He would play two feet off his man to give him room to block the shot or to switch off to a driver or cutter. Russell was "cat-like" quick with extraordinary timing, but he had great help down low from the Jones boys, Havlicek, Siegfried, and the like.Russell couldn't play in today's game. There were no great center back then except Wilt. And he did give Wilt fits...
But to guard a guy like Olajuwon...no chance.
Russell never really guarded anybody. He would play two feet off his man to give him room to block the shot or to switch off to a driver or cutter. Russell was "cat-like" quick with extraordinary timing, but he had great help down low from the Jones boys, Havlicek, Siegfried, and the like.
JK never learns his lesson. Still trying to throw that 40 yard rope when he has a 25 yard duck arm. Changing name from Akeem to Hakeem was the Olajuwan turning point? World B Free would like to have a word with you, JK.
there were only 12 teams total.
Which Means Russell Went Up Against The Top 144 Players In The World Every Season.
Today You Go Up Against The Top 384 Players In The World.
Talent Watered Down Today.
Wilt
16 Seasons.
2 Championships