Another legend lost... Bill Russell passes at age 88 (1 Viewer)

[GrandAdmiral]

Another legend gone...

NBA legend Bill Russell dies at 88 | CNN

NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away "peacefully" Sunday, according to a family statement from his verified Twitter account. He was 88.

www.cnn.com

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

11 NBA titles in 13 seasons… Let that sink in .

 

[CoolBrees]

That sucks.

Bill Russel was known more for his kindness and works off the court than his unmatched understanding and mastery of the game. When 11 championships are a secondary tale to your humanitarianism; you truly are an exceptional human.


He was as thoughtful and benevolent as we was a competitor.

He will be missed

 

[The Nomad]

RIP to an ultimate winner. LEGENDARY on and off the court.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

He was the keystone to a dynasty.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

Touching.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

A funny moment.

 

[saintmdterps]

Peace and Blessings on your Journey sir. A class act on and off the court.

 

[Yatman]

r.i.p., goat

 

[Optimus Prime]

….There’s an old video in which Russell tells the story of playing golf with Jordan and playfully arguing with him the summer after the Chicago Bulls had won one of their six titles.


“You know we’re going to go after your record,” Jordan told Russell.
“Which one?” Russell shot back.
Russell continued: “You know, we won 11, but we won eight straight.
I don’t think you’ll live long enough to get either one of those.”


Jordan reminded Russell that the NBA had only eight teams for most of the center’s career and had expanded to just 12 by the end. Different from a 30-team league, Jordan said. His Airness thought he had him.

But Russell was just getting started. He offered an argument about expansion and dilution.
“Think about it this way,” Russell remembered saying to him.

“When I was a rookie, there were 80 jobs in professional basketball, so a lot of good players didn’t make it. If there were 12 teams, you wouldn’t win a championship.

You did a great job penetrating and you dished out to [John] Paxson, and he hit the open shot, won the game. If there were 12 teams in the league, he couldn’t make that shot.

He said, ‘Why not?’ Because he would be up in the stands. And that is not a knock on him, but it’s about the quality of the NBA.”……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/31/bill-russell-black-athlete/

 

[El Caliente]

I still feel horrible hearing how fans of the Celtics treated Russell when he played. They cheered him during the game, and vilified him after the game was over.

He did a tremendous amount for Civil Rights (not just the game of basketball). He helped move the ball forward, and who knows where things go without him (and others).

RIP good sir.

 

[Saintman2884]

….There’s an old video in which Russell tells the story of playing golf with Jordan and playfully arguing with him the summer after the Chicago Bulls had won one of their six titles.


“You know we’re going to go after your record,” Jordan told Russell.
“Which one?” Russell shot back.
Russell continued: “You know, we won 11, but we won eight straight.
I don’t think you’ll live long enough to get either one of those.”


Jordan reminded Russell that the NBA had only eight teams for most of the center’s career and had expanded to just 12 by the end. Different from a 30-team league, Jordan said. His Airness thought he had him.

But Russell was just getting started. He offered an argument about expansion and dilution.
“Think about it this way,” Russell remembered saying to him.

“When I was a rookie, there were 80 jobs in professional basketball, so a lot of good players didn’t make it. If there were 12 teams, you wouldn’t win a championship.

You did a great job penetrating and you dished out to [John] Paxson, and he hit the open shot, won the game. If there were 12 teams in the league, he couldn’t make that shot.

He said, ‘Why not?’ Because he would be up in the stands. And that is not a knock on him, but it’s about the quality of the NBA.”……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/31/bill-russell-black-athlete/

Okay, I could argue that Jordan's point was more valid and relevant than Russell's was. Jordan's Bulls had to go up against a lot more teams, more, tougher competition and its a lot more difficult to win 6 NBA titles over the course of 10 years than it was for Russell's Celtics, who played in a smaller, not as competitive, harder, athletic, or as many teams in his playing career. NBA teams were slower, bigger, more cumbersome, not nearly as flashy, as the rival ABA, didn't have the three-point line, dunks were frown upon and such a concept as a up-tempo, fast paced "Showtime" NBA offenses the Lakers pioneered in the early 1980's didnt exist.

I hate to say this, but Bill Russell's NBA doesn't exist anymore and players like him would get run over in today's fast-paced, quick tempo offense where speed and quickness are more important then stingy, suffocating defense. I like and respect the hell out of Bill Russell but a team like Golden State and Steph Curry would beat him badly, comparatively speaking. I think Jordan's point hit him a little too close to home.

 

[El Caliente]

You (not you in particular) really can’t compare eras.

 

[Saintman2884]

You (not you in particular) really can’t compare eras.

Its very unconventional, I know and its a bit a lazy intellectual exercise mentally to try and wonder how well, how dominant, and how greater certain sports players of one era would fare against players in a different era 60 years later.

It's unconventional, but sometimes it does have its merits. Take "Pistol" Pete Maravich, for example, he played in an era of NBA basketball where smothering, physical damaging defenses could do a lot more then they could now and it was a lot more difficult to score 35-40 points. If Maravich played in today's NBA, he'd likely over 30-35 points a game, because the NBA since early 80's has been tinkered and configured to help offensive players and he'd be unstoppable, now. I think MJ's PPG average would be much higher than what it was at its highest prime in the early 90's, because even 30 years ago, NBA defenses could still get away with a lot more then then they do now.

Dan Marino would probably have thrown for 90,000 career passing yards if he had entered the NFL ranks in the late 90's/early 2000's when Peyton Manning and Drew Brees did as opposed to the early 80's when NFL defenses could still be a lot more physical, juking and shivving WR's and RB's after they'd run 5 yards. Helmet-to-helmet hits were fair game 40 years ago and concussion protocols for concussed, woosy QB's or NFL/NCAAF players was maybe sit them out for the next drive or two if thats fine with them, otherwise suit them up and get them back out there.

Joe Montana likely wins a few more SB's similar to what Brady's done over the course of his career if he'd played under today's rules. And honestly, its very surprising Montana and the 49ers didnt win a few more SB's in there's and Montana's long run together. They lost a hotly contested, very controversial NFCCG at Redskins in 1983 due to an questionable offsides penalty late in the game tied at 21, after Mark Moseley missed an easy chip-shot FG and after the Niners penalty, he made the second attempt and Skins won, 24-21. This classic was the only time two future HOF NFL HC's met each other in postseason, Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs, its been labeled the "Lost Classic" but many Niners players on that team felt they got cheated out of another SB appearance, IMHO, they likely get hammered too by Raiders just like Washington did. They were a Roger Craig fumble away from a possible(and likely three-peat) in 1990 vs. Giants, so, thats two possible or plausible more Lombardi's San Francisco could have and that gives them more than any other NFL franchise.

 

[SigFreudianSlip]

RIP legend.