Bill Russell - Spirit

[vinsanityrules97]

fukin stupid nba!! imagine i they had tracked blocks!?

[groovyarf]

Does anyone know who the music is by?

[johnnyangel123456]

You need to read Bill Russell's Book, "Red and Me." Talks about the two men and their relationship and how they worked together to be the nucleus on the most dominant team-ever. Red Auerbach was a mastermind and Bill really respected that fact..

[Eyon26th]

Bill Russel got a Ring on his Dick!

eat that! Lebron would

[1776freedom]

Bill Russell was the only guy that could give Wilt the Stilt an even match in the 60's. He was the best defensive center in NBA history. You had to see him to believe it. Chamberlain and Russell had plenty of games against each other with Russell ( 4 inches shorter) containing him. Celts won 8 championships in a row during this era.

[jongib369]

@1776freedom he never contained wilt, nly slowed him down. And it may not be true but I hear nate thurmond actually did a better job "containing" wilt then bill.

[juancarlos85506]

96 bulls greatest team ever i take them over any bill russle team jordan the greatest ever

[Drforrester31]

Man. There's nothing in basketball quite as beautiful as a well-blocked shot. The ultimate defensive stop

[gabri3107]

Whats the name of the song?

[miamigreyhound]

it is a team game dumbfuck!!!!!!!!!

[razzle9438]

bill russell was VERY SMART......and it showed on the court!

[Patrick3450]

I agree Russell was better than Perkins but Perkins is also one of the strongest players in the league 280 plus pounds. Russell was light weight likely alot weaker than Perkins therefore trouble for him, Howard is a beast.

[jongib369]

This is how I see it,  today's players are WAY to fucking stupid to play the type of team game the Celtics did back then. So he actually wouldn't win anything in today's game besides be a GOAT defender and team player

[Patrick3450]

I am watching this video and thinkink Bill had good timing. When you look at those older players play one thing is clear those guys skills were nowhere near the 80's come forward. Wilt and Bill were good in they time but alot of the players today are far more athletic than Bill time. Many of todays big men can handle the ball better also. Bill would need alot of help defending a guy like Dwight Howard. Dwight would just dunk on him all night.

[thegreatestchallenge]

Why can't bill russell score? The reason: he is a natural power forward playing out of his position as a center. If Jordan played center do you think that he can score at will? So why didn't Celtics help him with another big man to play center so that he can now score as a power forward? Because Celtics played a run&gun system and Red believed that Russell can handled the bigger centers alone. FG% in college is 52%, although in nba is mere 40% because he was guarded by centers much taller.

[Slamwoo93]

LOL at 2:53 point guard were so retarded back then

[marquettefootball]

Note: I'm not making Sam Jones OR Robert Horry better than Kobe...but to be THE key component of a team that wins championships is what makes you the best. That's what Russell was, far beyond any one of those other guys in green or any other uniform in NBA history. Scoreboard. Russell. (I also correct myself: Magic = 5.)

[vsv18]

bill russel made this game a TEAM game ... great player , great character !!!

[marquettefootball]

Only one measure counts in determining the greatest of all time, considering the goal of the game is to win: rings. Kobe: 4. Magic: 6. Jordan: 6. Russell: 11. Scoreboard. Game over. Russell = greatest.

[Huggins293]

@marquettefootball Okay so I guess sam jones is better than Kobe too. You do know that this is a team sport.

[LandOfAryan]

bill would suck if he played rite now he would get rocked... by almost any1 times have changed a athelete from today will be nothing compared in 50years back then there was no D they didnt know how to play D all they did was get physical for no reason and thats pretty much it

[kurtmandos66]

@LandOfAryan yes because todays basketball have so many good centers

right Dwight Howard, a 38 year old Shaq and an injured Yao Ming thats stiff

competition oh yeah! Russell would have had no problem.

[LandOfAryan]

@kurtmandos66

leave centers in the NBA alone Centers from NCAA would rape the shit out of Bill and post him up all day thats why he got 10 rings there wasent that much competition back in the days but now its crazy you got kobe durant wade carmelo lebron ... dwight bynum chris bosh pau gasol good defence rite now if bill in his prime wouldent get drafted in the NBA i put money on that

[sheldondunnjr]

@LandOfAryan - He was a defensive specialist who won two NCAA and 11 NBA chcampionships. Give respect where it's due, all the players you listed respect the shit out of Mr. Russell. Plus he played against one of the greatest center's ever - the 7'1" Wilt Chamberlain - and consistently owned him.

[TheKaiserMaster]

@LandOfAryan - there is a mental, physical and spiritual. If Russel was entering today, as the same person. The training would all be different. The nutrition, the shoes, the knowledge of the game...Russell would have decades of footage and history to watch. Thats why all players today respect players of the old eras. Anyone who is a real baller does. Ill destroy you in hoop.

[cibobary8766]

@LandOfAryan Bill would destroy every center in the NBA today. You know why? Because he dominated a particular center who was a better center than anyone in the NBA today. That particular guy was Wilt Chamberlain, one of the top 5 greatest players of all time, period and possibly the most dominating offensive player ever(well maybe that Jordan guy was more dominating). Russell tore Wilt up. Russell would shut down gasol bynum bosh dwight shaq or any big man to ever play in the NBA.

[LandOfAryan]

@cibobary8766 hahha i think if he was in NBA or any old skool players they wouldent even make it in the starting 5.. lol bills 11 rings hahaha when there was only 8 teams?

[cibobary8766]

@LandOfAryan so what, it was still an .85 championship percentage, no superstar has come close to that. Why wouldn't Russell dominate today? He had the size, he handled a seven footer in the sixties(Wilt, one of the greatest centers of all time). He deflected shots to team mates to upstart fast breaks, no one does that as well and as frequent as Bill did and no one ever will. Plus in the Sixties all 8 of those teams were competitive unlike today were there's at least 8 jobber teams every season.

[LandOfAryan]

@cibobary8766 its like me running around my back yard calling myself a champion he won championships because they were only 8 teams you relise if Kobe MJ played in this era they would win the championship every year with or with out a supporting cast face it im not a amazing basketball player but I bet I could get a starting position in the NBA in bill russel days.. hes just overrated

[cibobary8766]

@LandOfAryan because of idiots like you that blow your load over kobe(who didn't do shit in the finals this year) and lebron(who hasn't won an important game in his life and needs d wade to lead him) bill russell is highly under rated. there is no definitive way to prove that bill russell wouldn't be a winner in MJ or Kobe's era or vice-versa. he didn't win only because there were 8 teams, dumbass. read about that era of basketball and you'll easily find out that the competition was still strong

[LandOfAryan]

@cibobary8766 Kobe avg a little bit less than 30 points through out the playoffs and wasn't a factor? you forgot all those clutch shots he didnt have not even one single bad game you might say game 7 because of his FG% but he did manage to get 15 rebounds which is amazing .. he actually had a great game. you got to be joke if you think bill russel would be anyone today? times change people are much stronger right now then all the other eras and more competition

[cibobary8766]

@LandOfAryan prove to me with facts that bill russell wouldn't be dominate today.....you can't do it. it's impossible. plus if you don't believe he's one of the greatest players of all time, then you're an idiot and nearly every single nba player, nba coach and nba analyst for the last 4 decades would disagree with you.

[LandOfAryan]

@cibobary8766 He was good for his time when Basketball wasn't popular and were 8 teams and there wasent enough length. Your a joke and so is any1 else who thinks Bill Russel was great, he might have been great in his era were there were not many centers matching his length and not many teams. He can go around his backyard and say I have 11 championship its not really a big accomplishment were they werent that many competition. Look at nows Era. Kobe Lebron Wade Durant Carmelo so much competition

[MarkBird32]

@LandOfAryan Bill Russell was a good man and had a good basketball stance, Russell interviewed Larry Bird and has met Larry's brother Mark Bird...so sad in 1976 Joe Bird (Larry and Mark's father) ended up killing himself, he's dead and he's been dead. I still wake up at night with pain and nightmares for Mark Bird....must of been so hard to deal with the pure death of his father and to have to hind the on going sex affair between him and his mother Georgia

[13war25]

@LandOfAryan =DUMBASS...

14 teams were in the NBA when Bill Russell won his 11th ring..His last 2 rings in 1968 and 1969 Bill Russell was PLAYER COACH. He coached the Celtics to the 1969 championship after the Lakers had a 3-1 lead in that 7 game series. AND GAME 7 was played IN L.A.!!!

[LandOfAryan]

@13war25 there was 14 teams when he won his 11th ring exactly what about his first second third fourth fith?

[13war25]

@LandOfAryan Who said this? You can look at that two different ways. One way to look at it is that there were only 8 teams .

YOU DID DUMBASS,,,LOL

[SamuelMoralesJr]

@LandOfAryan I don't agree with this at all. Bill Russell wasn't a scoring machine. Though he did get 20+ points numerous times, but it's his style of play that is actually absent these days. He was mainly a rebounder, and defensive player who can run in the fast break, and also start it. Celtics were a defensive fastbreak team. For a fastbreak team to work, you need to rebound, defend, and run the floor. Fastbreak players these days are just catch and shoot, and no defense, and no rebound.

[SamuelMoralesJr]

@LandOfAryan defense creates offense. This was true of Russell's Celtics, they would create turnovers, and score on the fast break. If Steve Nash were to pick a player based on the fastbreak concept, the type of player he needs is somebody like Bill Russell who would snarl rebounds, and ferociously defend creating turnovers. At least for a center, or power forward. Bill Russell was tough. He was not physically tough as in strong, but mentally he was strong. He had heart.

[SamuelMoralesJr]

@LandOfAryan Bill Russell was a team player. Team defense included, he was there to offer help defense for this teammates, and then go back to his own man quickly. He even shut down players like Elgin Baylor with little help to win a ring. Bill Russell was a tough guy. He played full court basketball. A defensive stoppage was the end, it was the beginning. A turnover created an opportunity for offense, and rebounding helps ensure the team maintained position of the ball. Russell revolution.

[LandOfAryan]

@SamuelMoralesJr he wouldent be shit in todays NBA haha

[SamuelMoralesJr]

@LandOfAryan Why is that? Derek Fisher can play in the NBA, and that guy is slow, ain't a great ball handler, and he is short. Look at Dennis Rodman, 6'7" 220 pounds, yet he was a great rebounder. Dude Russell was in all intensive purposes a modern big man as far as ability. Yes he wasn't a particularly large big man, but it ain't always about size. Bill Russell would be the best center in today's game. He has an actual post up game unlike Dwight Howard who just dunks.

[LandOfAryan]

@SamuelMoralesJr but at his time he was largest .. they werent that too many centers.. he wons championships when there was 8 teams.. hes so overrated

[kingdomoftheworm]

@LandOfAryan You can look at that two different ways. One way to look at it is that there were only 8 teams and ttherefore, the level of competition was not what it is in today's game, which is true to a large degree. But also, look at the players in the league at the time. There was a lot of parity in the way talent was spread out, as with the exception of the Celtics, Lakers and possibly Wilt's 76ers, there were not usually not more than 2-3 Hall Of Fame caliber players on each squad.

[kingdomoftheworm]

Also, bear in mind that when you only have to play 7 other teams a year, it gives you more time to prepare for each team. Beacuse each team played each other 10-12 times a season, coaches were able to develop strategies on how to play certain teams and players. The game has evolved a great deal since then with more emphasis on individual abilities, scoring, etc., but it is guys like those who were with the Celtics of that era who sacrifice stats and play within a team framework that win.

[LandOfAryan]

@kingdomoftheworm Exactly if there were these so called "hall of famers, and legends" because there were only 8 teams that means not many players.. and matter of fact not many centers so players that had a bit skil stood out if you would have put any player in the NBA that starts would have been a legend and put a allstar they would win championships, and put Kobe, Jordan, Magic at this time they would average 50-75 every game just because they were so many FG attempts.

[kingdomoftheworm]

@LandOfAryan Funny you say that because there was a guy by the name of Wilt Chamberlain who averaged 50 points a contest during the 61-62 season and scored 100 points in a game. Wilt was obviously the precursor to Shaq O'Neal in terms of his strength, talent, and dominance over the league, so dominant in fact the league made several changes to try and stop him. As I said, the game has changed since Russ and Wilt's heyday, but you still cannot deny that what those men did was extraordinary.

[lalonator1]

Ummmm hes not actully the best player like overall in my opinion : )! i say theres better players that dominated and dominate almost every field (kobe, jordan.) Wilt wus just like the best defensive player Not the BESTTT!!!!!!!! player : )

[panther12789]

I wish they had kept track of blocks back then... Russell's numbers would have been insane haha

[redman2037]

He is the most dominant center in the 50's and 60's with Chamberlain. He is one of the biggest reasons of Celtics success. They had a great passer (Cousy), great shooters (K.C. Jones, Bill Sharman and Tom Heinsohn) and a dominant center (Russell)... Perfect matchup here!

[12Shamwow]

One of the most dominant center in the 50's and 60's. He helps the CELTICS to build the biggest dynasty ever in North America with Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Bill Sharman and Tom Heinsohn

[Fightin09Irish]

Russel is the best player of all time

No doubt so don't even compare him

[CornellTPWA]

does anybody know where the song comes from?

[timjumper7]

lpz777 is unamerican

[alldayallnight89]

stromile swift is a beast! many pros are unknown, underrated players because of that coaching mentality

[geocgeo]

Swift has played for at least 5 different NBA coaches and has avg 19.8 minutes per game I guess all of those coaches lack coaching mentality.They didn't give him more playing time because he has only avg 1.2 blk per game yes 1.2 blocks per game 4.6 reb per game and 8.4 points per game. THAT IS NOT A BEAST THAT'S NOTHING BUT A BACKUP PLAYER OFF THE BENCH.

Liberal minded coach ROFLMAO

When his contract was up he could sign with whoever made him an offer. He gets waived and released.BEAST? ROFL

[geocgeo]

VeoShock-Ragtime4 is such an idiot. Swift is not half the player Russell was.Ragtime4 blames his coaches. I guess his coaches would sit a great player down and let their team lose. The coaches must get paid for losing......ROFL

[13war25]

Ragtime4-You knock Russell,you praise Russell. Make up your mind. The video was made so people can see his shot blocking not his offense. While at U.S.F. they won their last 55 games straight and 2 National Championships while he was their ctr. He was the ctr for the 56 Olympic gold winning team The C's won 11 titles in his 13 yrs there and his last 3 yrs. they won 2 titles while he was player coach. Can't score?15+pts a game regular season 16+in the playoffs in his career.Stromile Swift? LMAO

[Hildabeast31]

not only was he playing them he was blocking them, not letting the same move be pulled on him twice. This is not only the smartest player ever to play but the best alltime, so with all due respect shut ur fuckin mouth

[Smurfman12345]

Canadian Piece of shit fuck you Hilda kiss my ass

[Hildabeast31]

haha whatever man, at least im not running my mouth about shit u have no idea about. maybe u should learn a few fuckin facts be4 u run your mouth like some NBA kno it all bitch

[SWALE1984]

VERY TRUE! You know your basketball very well indeed! Thanks for your comments.

[Hildabeast31]

Smurfman u needa shut the fuck up and respect this man, people do not realize he is the essence of basketball, the mentality to go out and win every game possible. You say to block these skinny white boys isnt an achivement but he played greats like Jerry West and one of the top scorer of all time Wilt Chamberlin,

[Smurfman12345]

No you shut the fuck Hilda

[Smurfman12345]

Jordan will destroy this piece of shit, Blocks against short skinny white boys is hardly a achievement

[VeoShock]

Jordan is the best player, but he will NEVER HAVE MORE RINGS THAN RUSSELL. EVER. That is respect. there r tons of teams in sports that have never did what Russell did my friend. I respect ur opinion dont get me wrong. but russell is a great player and leader, and yet the best bball winner I have ever seen. He is the smartest defensive player I ever seen and one of the best leaders as well. He was a solid scorer to. bill will always be remember, his name on the finals mvp trophy n history

[Smurfman12345]

Jordan already retired stupid of course he wont get any more rings as a player

[VeoShock]

wow, u r a genuis noone knew mj retired, ur brain is as big as your name smurf.

[geg430]

@VeoShock calm down 

[cibobary8766]

@VeoShock sorry i may be trolling here, but if bill russell is the best basketball winner you've ever seen and the object of the game is to win, why isn't he the greatest player of all time?

[VeoShock]

what makes u think he is the best player ever

[cibobary8766]

@VeoShock Because basketball, heck any sport is about winning, and Bill Russell is the most prolific winner in any professional sport.If the object of the game is to win, then the guy who helps his team win the most is the best player. He won 11 titles in 13 years, that's 85%. Jordan won won 6 in 15 season, only 40%. Yeah, yeah bill probably had better team mates but he was still the center piece of that dynasty, as was Jordan to his.

[VeoShock]

@cibobary8766 I respect ur opinion. as for me, it is simply put in my eyes as the best player is some one who can do the most any player can do at that craft of the sport. n what that means to me is can that player dribble from end to end, having quickness to get pass defenders at every position, can score from anywhere, great passer, defend well, etc. now that is what i c. to me its a different between a great winner n great player.

[VeoShock]

@cibobary8766 bill russell is clearly the best winner cuz of the rings he has, but player in my opinion, i think jordan is the best cuz this guy can do it all. defend, score, pass, run, everything. u name it, mj can pretty much do it. that is y i think he is the best player ever. russell won more n that is y i think he is the best winner ever.

[Hildabeast31]

u are the dumbest basketball piece of shit ever

[rondocelticsfan9]

u dont know what u sayin, smurfman12345 some of the best basketball players r white example : bob cousey larry bird kevin mcale. u are a racist hater

[TheKaiserMaster]

@Smurfman12345 Jordan wouldnt be shit without the players of the previous eras. Baylors, Thompsons, Ervings... Russel Played 13 seasons and won 11. Nuff said. I don't see how you can talk shit about him if you are sitting on your broke ass watchin his videos.

[dyrdek3234]

@Smurfman12345 russ isn't a piece of shit because hes better than u will ever be and white people can play too look at bird west maravich and i averaged 3 blocks a game my high was 8 blocks

[PJHunterTJ]

notice all the left hand outlet passes.

[PJHunterTJ]

Cousy was sick

[PJHunterTJ]

Why don't they go ahead and put rap to it.

[xxbiznatch101xx]

gud times one thing u notice about old skool basketball is they dont do a lot of fancy ball hanlding so i think thats nice its all about the game not really 2 much showing off

[ProudConfederateSon]

Bill Russel and Bob Cousey were the Dynamic Duo

[BRIDGMONKEY]

Best defensive center ever. Dwight Howard and Lebron James could take notes from the way that Bill Russell blocked shots. Most of the time when Howard and James blocks shots, it goes out of bounds or back to the other team. When Russell blocked shots, he made sure he blocked it to himself or a teammate.

[TheBrassHole]

He was the best player ever. He was the coach while he played, player coach. 11 Championships = Greatest of all time.

[hasselhoff3]

More rings than fingers baby. Thats all you need to say.

[geocgeo]

Do an internet search for

Russell vs. Wilt Hoopedia By Bob Ryan From the NBA Encyclopedia

[edgarflores10]

@hasselhoff3 Rings come from teams...calm down !

[bgoodmann]

Bill Russell is the best to ever play the position (center); and possibly the best to ever play the game. By the way, this is from a lifetime Knicks fan!

[geocgeo]

Ragtime4-Just a little info for an idiot like you who thinks Russell only blocked shots these are are some lifetime stats.

Regular season Playoffs

15.1 points per game 16.2

22.5 rebounds per game 24.9 4.3 assists per game 4.7 Like I said you are a DUMB FUCK!!!!!!

[edgarflores10]

@geocgeo Wilt was a much better player than him

[petercriscuola]

@edgarflores10

russell has 11 rings, case closed.

[edgarflores10]

@petercriscuola So DJ Benga has more ring than Lebron, Wade, Nash..... Does that make him a better player????.. cause i think that's what you're are trying to tell me

[petercriscuola]

@edgarflores10

its not the same.

bill was THE man, the mvp in every championship the celtics won.

try again.

[geocgeo]

Ragtime4-You are WITHOUT A DOUBT the BIGGEST FUCKING DUMMY that has ever commented about Bill Russell. Check out the videos GREATEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL CAREERS also the video BLOCK ART and see how fucking STUPID you are. DUMB FUCK!!!

[geocgeo]

I started going to Celtic games in 1963 when I was 10 years old.. What people don't realize but can see if you watch this video is the way Russell blocked shots. You see a lot of centers will go up block the shot and slam it out if bounds which means the other team gets the ball right back. Russell would block the shot keeping it in play and in most cases one of his teammates ended up with the ball. He was the smartest player I ever saw.

[Camurgladius]

Durn, you beat me to the punch: that's exactly what I was going to say. It really is very noticeable in this vid, the way Russell could CONTROL an opposing shot so well and just sort of tap it to a teammate so often--it just amazes me how someone his size can have such careful movements. Not as viscerally satisfying as swatting it to the upper deck, but more useful in terms of getting that W.

[MAGIC32vsKOBE24]

Give me russell and MJ and my franchise would be ready to go!

[wjsqudgh]

I m not sure where I read this but back when Russell was playing ppl would laugh at him when he blked shots... If he is playing now I doubt anyone would even mock him about it..

[VeoShock]

Man I love this vid, just like the song says, his feet r always dancing in a sense of positioning his feet to make a rebound or block a shot or yet lead a break with a pass.

[VeoShock]

Man, I love this vid. The music fits the type of player Russell is. Always moving his feet n eyes, watching n feeling out his opponents. His Spirit n Love for the game n his teammates is nearly unmatched. He is a very smart n intelligent player. Plays the gm hard, n is a champion. Many consider him the best defensive Center of all time. N he has the resume that can pretty much prove that. LOL. A Great player, n a Great human being.

[lethal651]

whoa there cowgirl...... are we comparing swift to any legends?! Does sum1 need their crazy pills? Swift proly sucked more cocks then all ur mommas did.. Wats next "OJ for president?"

[lethal651]

#1 jordan #2 russell

[EricAnno]

Reverse that, and you'd be correct.

[DevillDogg]

EricAnno is correct!!!

Even Jordan himself acknowledged that Bill Russell was the greatest in the history of baskeball; Jordan even stated to a reporter that Russell would be the only player that he(Jordan) would've have feared playing against. Long Live Sir William Of The Land Of Celtic Pride!!!

[rondocelticsfan9]

1#Jordan 2#Russell #3Bird

[lpz777]

fuck the celtics and fuck bird..

[bolek9335]

time when bball was about love ... now it's about money

[bostonfan17248]

Bill Russell has won i thnk 11 championships.

Nd one as a Player/Coach.

Dats incredible

[Ragtime4]

Russell won 2 championships as player/coach and was the first black head coach in major U.S. pro sports.

Of the black superstars in the NBA today who would make the best head coach?

[CanadiAnnie]

Russell is only doing blocks in the video because that was his specialty. He could dominate a game without scoring 1 single point. That blocking got his jersey retired, 11 championship rings and a spot in the hall of fame :)

[Ragtime4]

I agree completely. It seems there has always been a racist/conservative stigma against shot blocking, because even today it is undervalued and not understood for what it really is and for how it effects the shots attempted by offenses. The best shot blockers in today's game are often not tested because offensive players will kick the ball out or pass the ball rather than attempt to score.

[Ragtime4]

2:52-2:55 Russell blocks the ball out of bounds.

Russell doesn't do hardly anything in this vid besides block shots.

Funny how the most successful player ever dominated the game with shot blocking.

Hard for me to tell if it was Stromile Swift or Bill Russell in this vid....

I certainly don't see Juwan Howard reflecting any aspects of the athletic, shot blocking style that made Russell so effective.

[VeoShock]

LOL funny how Stromile Swift never made the all-star like Russell and Juwan did. Funny how Swift never was even AN OPTION ON OFFENSE. Funny how u dont see highlights of Swift as a star in the League. A few dunks and, well thats it. 8 pts a gm. LOL. Swift is a joke. A Lottery pick bust.

[VeoShock]

Funny how Juwan and Russell been a starter for all or nearly all of their career.  Cant say that for Swift can we. Bench player at best. Horrible. LOL.

[Ragtime4]

Unlike you, I don't have blind faith in the corrupt coaching establishment to judge equitably among players.

Stromile has always been better than the players ahead of him but hasn't gotten an opportunity in keeping with his abilities.

He can't be a star in the league if no coach gives him a chance.

He can't score if he doesn't get the ball.

[VeoShock]

I respect anyone opinion, but u r CLEARLY AND I MEAN CLEARLY BLIND TO THINK A SCUBBY PLAYER LIKE STROMILE HAVENT HAD A CHANCE TO PROVE HIM SELF AFTER PLAYING ON A SORRY TEAM LIKE THE GRIZZLES. He started in his career before and NEVER EVER PROVE HE CAN BE A STAR PLAYER. For someone to say he hasnt had a chance is truly mislead, or dont know basketball. That is truly untrue, he is a lottery bust and scrub player. Simple as that.

[Ragtime4]

Well when he started for Lorenzen Wright in02/03 the Griz had a record 6 game win streak. In 03/04 when Wright hurt his knee in March 04, Stromile got more minutes and the Griz set a franchise record for best record in a single month. In 04/05, Swift started for an injured Pau Gasol and the team was 7-4, and performed much better on the glass then they had been with Gasol in the lineup.

In 05/06, Stromile started 5 games, while Ryan Bowen started 19.

Don't tell me that's an opportunity.

[VeoShock]

Dont tell u that's opportunity. U r acting crazy now. Ok, Swifts starts 14 gms in 01/02 season N avg 11 pts and 6 rbs. Comes back next yr and starts more gms but his numbers drop. Opportunity! N saying this bomb is someone good. Plz, u dont know what u r talking about. He signs 4 yr 22 million with Rockets n what he did there, a bum. Never even had a 2 blk season since u act like his D is so good. Mourning doesnt start N has avg 2 blks off the bench. U have ur opinion n i got mine.

[Ueki0507]

well, Russell isn't really an offensive guy. He's mainly a defensive guy and his forte is blocking shots. Don't even compare Juwan or Stromile to him. Russell is probably the all time defensive player.

[Ragtime4]

Russell's style was very similar to Stromile's style, and their strengths and weaknesses are similar-- physically, there is no question, though I'm aware most people don't have respect for Stromile's mind. Russell was undersized at times, such as vs Wilt, yet Russell was able to do enough against Wilt individually while shutting down the smaller players in the paint for his team to be able to win most of the time against Wilt's team.

Russell's greatest physical assets on D were quicks + length.

[Ragtime4]

My original comment in this vid about Stromile Swift is that he reflects some of what made Russell such a dominant player, unlike Juwan Howard, who throughout his career has not reflected the athletic defense that made Russell dominant.

Russell was unorthodox in his time, but his coaches always gave him a chance. Stromile hasn't had a real strong relationship with a head coach since college, where he led a LSU program under NCAA penalties to the Sweet 16 as a Sophomore.

[rondocelticsfan9]

what do u call 11 time champion ragtime?

[Ragtime4]

I call it proof that Russell is the best of all time, and it's proof that athleticism and shot blocking are extremely important to good defense. In today's racist and culturally conservative climate, someone like Stromile Swift who can dominate games defensively the way Russell did can be overlooked.

Swift has never had a liberal minded coach like Red Auerbach who will let him play his style and treat him with respect.

[rondocelticsfan9]

i never even heard about Stromile Swift  be4 u said somthing

[Ragtime4]

Check him out. There are some great highlights right here on youtube. Watch the video titled "Stromile Swift blocks Marvin Williams"

Stromile has always tried to block shots while keeping the ball in play when he can.

About Bill Russell, there's no question that when he played he dominated games with a style that was different from what had been the norm. If Russell hadn't had coaches who let him play his style, you never would have heard of Russell either.

[joffeter]

Russell and celtics tell us that team is the king,not individual!