Bobo's got his leprechaun blinders on again. Must've been tough for Russell winning those 11 championships by himself. Must've been a b**** playing 1-on-5. ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
http://global.nba.com/history/battle_giants.html ------------------ One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
Doesn't matter. 4x100m relay. For years, US team always win. That doesn't mean the 100m champion is always American. I have no intention to dismiss Russel, but 11 team rings said less about an individual than 100 points or 10000 chicks. Some people call Russel the "greatest winner" or "ultimate team player" in the center position and few will argue against it, but not necessarily the "greatest center", or "best center". Ok, to put it more precisely: Having 11 rings means Russel had great teams, which either he fit very well, or fit him very well, more likely both ways. [This message has been edited by KD (edited May 28, 2001).]
Honestly speaking, I don't think in Wilt's mind, he really took Russel as his "great rival". He had to accept that label because Russel's team often beat his. However, Wilt was fighting the whole Celtics team all the time while Russel just tried to stop Wilt. Let's look at how great centers evaluate one another. We have heard Shaq praise Hakeem's skills, Hakeem praised Shaq's speeed and power, Jabbar praised Hakeem's defense, Hakeem praises Jabbar's skyhook. Have you ever heard Chamberlein praise any of Russel's "skills"? Other than saying to the reporter that Russel was great man or a competitor, or whatever diplomatic phrases, Chamberlein must have been thinking "What! You guys must be crazy to compare him with me. I got 50% more rebounds, infinite more points and I could even go to Olympics for track and field events. Not to mention the magic no 10,000 women. What have I done to be compared to a mortal?" [This message has been edited by KD (edited May 28, 2001).]
Auerbach hit the nail on the head when he said "Wilt was more concerned with his stats, while Russell was all about wins and losses" ------------------ One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
Because if there's an unbiased viewpoint in this its Red Auerbach. ------------------ Charles Barkely on the Raptors defeating the Knicks in Round 1 :"I think it was the Lord. The Lord was with the Raptors. You know the Knicks like to talk so much about religion, but I think the Lord was a Raptor fan." [This message has been edited by Puedlfor (edited May 28, 2001).]
1. Bill Russell 2. Hakeem Olajuwon 3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4. Wilt Chamberlain 5. Shaquille Oneal Russell is the best, but Hakeem not far behind. ------------------ I am an invisible man.
kbm, no way Wilt is below 2nd let alone 4th,,, ------------------ "See they pick and pick and pick. Man they picked me to death." -Steve Francis on the Utah Jazz
Quote from Chamberlain: He wrote of their second meeting this way: "I just plain destroyed him. I outscored him 45-15 and outrebounded him 35-13, and he fouled out trying to guard me." The Warriors also won, 123-113. Now head to head stats: PLAYER……..G…...PTS.…PPG..…REB.…RPG…WINS Chamberlain…142…4,077…28.7.…4,072….28.7…..57 Russell………142….2,060…14.5….3,373….23.7…..85 If the rest of Chamberlains teammates did as well in their match ups then Russell would have never won a game. BobFinn do you think Russell could have ever won a game of one on one against Wilt? I don't. But I liked the link you posted, great reading. I would have loved to have seen some of those match ups in person. Must have been more exciting than Bird and Magic. ------------------ [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited May 28, 2001).] [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited May 28, 2001).] [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited May 28, 2001).]
Truer words were never typed on this BBS..... ------------------ My doctor says I am bipolar. I am going to get a second opinion. I have never had intimate desires for polar bears.
1. Wilt 2. Russell 3. Dream (this one is very close to 2) 4. Jabbar 5. Shaq Now if you give Dream The Glide and CB4 in their prime many would say that Dream is probably the best of all time because he would have a lot more rings. ------------------ I have seen much of the rest of the web. It is brutal and cruel and dark. CC.net is the light.
On offense, Hakeem often played like a (small) forward. So if we rank him among the (small) forwards in NBA history, where will he be? By the way, can anyone tell me where Rudy's surname comes from? I know it is from his dad. I mean doesn't that sound Russian to you? ------------------
Dream like a small forward? Dream never played like a small forward and never possesed the ball handling skills to even attempt it. He did not even posses the ball handling skills to play power forward until he had been in the league for several years. Dream always liked to recieve the ball in the low post. He may have possesed the athletism of a small forward but he could barely dribble until he had been in the league several years. ------------------
I think if you were to compare them to modern-day centers... Wilt would be Shaq:The man who pretty much noone can stop, but has a very obvious Achilles Heal in free throw shooting. Russell would be Zo:Another force to be reckoned with. A solid offensive player himself, is noted even more for his defense, tough play, and hustle. I, myself, would take Russell/Zo. ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
That is what Jordan said (when he argued that a super center is not needed for a championship). I guess the thing is that many small forwards are now playing like guards; that is why there is no strong resemblance. ------------------
