Russell vs Chamberlain

[WhiteGhettoMan7]

did you see tommy!!

[Vanletterbomb]

BOSTON vs LAKERS

Russell vs Chamberlain

Bird vs Magic

Pierce vs Bryant

[dantheman9758]

@keepinitoldschool91 Thurmond, Bellamy, and KAJ are all as physically gifted/imposing as players like Shaq or the rather small 6'9 (barefoot) Dwight Howard. Nate Thurmond was built freakishly identical in proportion to Dwight down to the extra broad shoulders and proportionately long wingspan and while I'm not sure if Nate had Dwights vertical Nate was actually 2" taller than Dwight and likely had more wingspan. Plus weight lifting isn't a phyiscal gift. Physically, Wilt's competition was huge.

[ToThirio]

No comparison between the two, Russell is overrated because of the rings, which were a result of his team being full of hall of famers, he lacked the skills Wilt had and wasn't an offensive weapon.

[BNS224]

@ToThirio Russell was not a great low post threat but b/c of Russell's speed and hustle he was a threat on offense. Back then they did not keep track of offensive reb and he got a lot which gave his team extra possessions. Also his speed wore down opposing centers. When needed he could score. In game 7 of the 1962 finals against LA he finished with 30 pts and 40 reb. Wilt vs Russell was a great matchup and both r in the discussion of greatest player just used different styles.

[musikaNeues]

@keepinitoldschool91 from dantheman9758's youtube channel

watch?v=kB43A-ODuLc

3:15 Wilt Chamberlain at the top of the backboard

[lalalaelfullin]

@SeanFJBallers HA! yu wish

[BNS224]

@keepinitoldschool91 No doubt early on Wilt was not the best team player but he developed into one. In 66-67 he avg. 24 pts 24 reb 8 ast. Also in his later yrs. he still could of avg. 30, I mean his shooting pct. was off the charts but he deferred to West, Baylor, Goodrich etc. He even did well against a young Kareem after blowing out his knee. He didn't shoot as much but head to head he shot a higher fg. pct than Kareem and held Abdul-Jabbar way under his career fg pct.

[BNS224]

@keepinitoldschool91 O'neal was slow and had no skill. Howard is starting to develop on O but far from dominant. Russell did not beat Wilt, the Celtics with a team of HOFers beat the 76ers. He has 2 rings due to fact that the 76ers were not as good as the Celtics and injuries. In 68 with Philly he was missing 2 starters and their 6th man. That is like the Mavericks winning without Terry, Marion, and Kidd. In 71, with LA both Baylor and West both were DNP for the playoffs.

[AMilitantAgnostic]

PPL have to look at Russell a bit like they look at Joe Montana, the list of things that Joe could NOT do that Steve Young could, was a mile long. On paper (just like with Wilt) everything was better. Except for one thing, with Joe in charge, you just knew he was going to find a way to win the game. That's the way it was with Russell, he just found a way. That's the best gift an athlete can have.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic He had Cousy, Sharman, Heinsohn, Havlicek, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, & Don Nelson on those teams. An entire team of Hall of Famers in a era of no free agency.

Smart players? Sharman, Heinsohn, & KC Jones all won multiple rings as coaches. Don Nelson invented Nellie Ball, point forward, and has the most wins of any coach in NBA history. AND RED AUERBACH.

That was Russell's team.

Russell was great but he was only 1 guy SURROUNDED BY BRILLIANCE.

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ And all that talent, when Red left who did he make the coach? And why did he do that?

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic Depends on the point of view, doesn't it. Was Russell the great leader that the Boston press made him out to be?

Or was Russell the guy who always sat in the bleachers at practice, and who Auerbach knew was far too arrogant to ever let anyone else coach?

Interesting that Red was caught with his pants down when Russell abruptly quit without notice in 69. In total shock, Auerbach faced a squad with no center or coach 2 months before the season started.

That's leadership?

[billionshadows]

@ZipperZappleZ At least Russell was x300 times less arrogant than Chamberlain, the uncoachable one.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@billionshadows according to what you got these numbers

[dnttalktomeh]

hakeem>wilt and russel

[ZipperZappleZ]

Chamberlain devoured Russell on a nightly basis.

Russell was a pastrami & cheese on rye an Wilt wash it down with bout a dozen 7 Up at half time



[billionshadows]

@ZipperZappleZ Orly? I'd say that Russell's 11 titles to Chamberlain's 2 would disagree with you.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@billionshadows uh huh.

Check out Sam Jones & John Havlicek sometime.

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ Sam Jones had 10 NBA rings

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic Sam was more clutch than anyone who ever played - including MJ, including Fisher, including Horry. But he is totally forgot which is flat wrong. Check it out

During the Celtic run they had SIX last second, season-ending playoff shots. Miss the shot meant lose the game & the series, go home because the season is over.

Sam Jones made every single one of them.

THAT'S why the Celtics won. But he never talked to reporters, always stayed in the background. Offense ran thru Sam.

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ

Yes and Sam Jones took everyone of those shots knowing that if he missed Russel was there to help it in. BUT yes Sam made game ending shots over and over. Also keep in mind the clock was different too, that changed the game.

However, last 2 min of a game -- Jordan has it for me -- West has to be mentions in there too -

Don't forget for that very last shot .001 on the clock, Robert Horry "big shot Rob"

Sam Jones, IS and belongs up there with the best of the best though.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic Yeah those guys were fantastic no question. They simply didn't do it as unfailingly as Sam Jones.

[stere0brain]

@AMilitantAgnostic The clock was different. That's interesting.

They didn't use the thousandth of a second, nor did the backboard light up. They just had a normal 24 second clock.

Actually, that makes Jones even MORE impressive than he already was compared to Horry or Jordan.

[BNS224]

@ZipperZappleZ No doubt Sam Jones was clutch but if i had to choose 1 guy in the clutch it would be Bird. Bird is taller had endless range, and even on the defensive side made plays (Detroit and Philadelphia). Also if anyone left to double Larry his passing was excellent and a great ft shooter.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@BNS224 I hear ya about Bird.... but again, there's only ever been 1 guy that never missed a clutch shot and it wasn't the Legend.

[AdjustTo]

RIP Wilt Chamberlain 

[HardKore5250]

Shaq could beat Rusell and Jordan is the best cause if you think you figure out Jordan he will prove you wrong even Kobe played pr Wilt against him.

[MrPownage2010]

@isadraym

Pg:oscar robertson

Sg:mj

Sf:larry bird

Pf:tim duncan

C:kareem abdul jabbarr

[IsaDRayM]

my all time team

pg magic johnson

sg michael jordan

sf kobe bryant

pf larry bird

C wilt chamberlain

[geocgeo]

Wilt's highest was 50.4 ppg in the 61-62 season. In the 66–67 season Wilt had Alex Hannum(76ers) as his coach. Hannum addressed several key issues he observed and Chet Walker testified that he and Billy Cunningham observed that "Hannum showed who was the boss" and "never backed down", and by doing this, won Wilt's respect. Hannum pointed out to Wilt that Wilt and he were on the same side, trying to win a championship and Wilt had to change his style of play and concentrate more on defense.

[musikaNeues]

Wilt's teammates, & the entire rest of the NBA outside of Boston, raved about his skill, his athleticism, & his ability.

His interviews after his 100 point game were full of the same thing that he said over & over in the locker room.... "I can't believe I took that many shots. This is terrible." His coach's strategy that year, with that weak team, was to get the ball to Wilt.

Only fools read Bill Simmons & assume that hack has no agenda. He's the biggest Celtic homer since Johnny Most

[billionshadows]

Wilt had a better career STATISTICALLY than Kareem, but Kareem had a better career WINNING than Wilt. If you put Kareem in place of Wilt in 1960, remember Kareem was taller and had a better shot, Kareem would have terrorised Russell and won 10 titles himself, and possibly average 50 points along the way. But Kareem still thrived in a much more competitive league, even winning Finals MVP FOURTEEN years apart. So, yeah, Kareem was better than Wilt. He knew the Secret (SIMMONS!). Case closed.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@billionshadows I seriously doubt Kareem would have terrorized Russell. He was tall but he was never dominating like Chamberlain. But ok whatever you wanna believe.

What if you put Chamberlain on those 80s Lakers teams? With Worthy outside and Magic dishing and a real coach on the bench?

He would have stomped through the league like a wild man

Elite are elite no matter what era but by the way, Bill Simmons is a worthless writer his facts are wrong and he can't even do simple research.

[billionshadows]

@ZipperZappleZ Okay maybe not the Kareem bit, but Chamberlain relied on offensive rebounds and shots near the key to score. The 80's were much harder to exist in, there were goaltending restrictions (something that Wilt relied heavily on was no offensive goaltending) and also that Wilt destroyed people smaller than him. People were taller in the 80's, true fact. Kareem would have been better than Wilt as Kareem could score outside the paint, was a better teammate than Wilt and shot FT's better.

[Sovnarkom]

@billionshadows You're talking right out of your ass with that offensive goal tending statement. Offensive goal-tending was banned in 1958, while Chamberlain was playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. He declared for the 1959 NBA draft and played his first season in 59-60 with the Philadelphia Warriors. There wasn't a day in his pro-career when it was legal.

[stere0brain]

@Sovnarkom that guy talks a lot from that direction!! lol

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@billionshadows Just as now there are far fewer fouls allowed than in the 80's there were fare fewer fouls in the 60's - Also there were fare fewer teams, so the talent was concentrated. What has changed is the fundamental skills and techniques. You will not see Wilt or Russell, or Kareem, use the footwork like Olajuwon. However put any of those men through todays programs, and they would dominate just like they did in their day.

[billionshadows]

@AMilitantAgnostic Can't argue with that man, that was a great response. The only thing is that there is no way Chamberlain would score 50 ppg in a season. NO WAY. But I see your point.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic that sentence doesn't even make sense. fewer fouls allowed?

"Okay, Willis, this time down the court, you can foul. It's allowed."

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ what is a foul today was NOT a foul then - meaning they call the game much tighter today...

I'm kinda hopping you understood that the first time...

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic ya that is fact the game called tighter today almost like purity o basketball in a way

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ And works against the big strong guys of yesterday..... Wilt once dislocated a players solder when the player was "Disrespectful" enough to try it a second time in the same game. Bill Russell's specialized in blocking a shot back into the players face, he did it so often the Boston news would talk about how many "Wilson Burgers" were served that night. 60's were rougher then the 80's and the 80's were rougher then today. Wilt today (playing under 60's rules) would end careers.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic Chamberlain was highly skilled. I doubt he'd have trouble with fouls, since he never fouled out in his entire life, high school college or pro.

People bash that fact, saying he didn't play hard but anyone who says that ever saw him play.

He simply didn't foul. He'd have 0 fouls or 1 foul game after game

This era of no fouls, don't hit the quarterback.... it's all tied around the dismal fact of political correctness.

Human Resources has too much control over the world

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ If Wilt played under today's rules (without adjusting) he would foul out every game.

Russell would be arrested....

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic I seriously doubt it. Even as a old man Laker on a ruined knee surgically repaired by primitive 60s era medicine - he still would do just fine under the current no foul rules. You just don't get it, the guy was not just a bull with no skill. He NEVER played like Shaq. He would devour today's centers like Noah Perkins or Howard with great ease

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@ZipperZappleZ My point was not that Wilt could not play today - a 20 year old clone of Wilt would the #1 draft pick - I was saying Wilt played in a time when the game was much more physical - today's rules Hakeem Olajuwon would do better - old rules, Wilt would crush him. Centers playing today? I can't think of anyone that could even think of playing with Wilt over a 7 game series he would simply hurt them too much.

Howard could stand the beating but his skills are not there

[ZipperZappleZ]

@AMilitantAgnostic we'll really only find out when they are all in Valhalla!!

[BNS224]

@ZipperZappleZ Absolutely, Shaq was allowed to just bully people, his signature move was a borderline offensive foul finished with a dunk. Wilt was athletic 880 yd in under 2 minutes, 10.9 100 yd dash, 53 ft. shot put, etc. Wilt also hated being called great due to his size so he developed the fadeaway and would even go out of his way to shoot fadeaways. Wilt would be a beast in any era. D-Howard is a big guy who whines about contact Wilt would clown stomp him.

[ZipperZappleZ]

@billionshadows Nate Thurmond (who played against both) "when Wilt was on his spot he could bank home that fadeaway wearing a blindfold." That fadeaway was a fifteen footer.

How is it a "true fact" that people were taller in the 80s? Sports Illustrated just had an article a couple of months ago about 7 footers, the demographics suggest there are about a eighty 7 footers in the United States. What there was only 75 in 1961 ?

The league averaged 6'6 in the 60s

The league averaged 6'7 in the 90s

[TheNeveredge]

Bob Cousy and Bill Russell are the big combo team! Blocks/Rebounds + Assists + Shot = Rings!

[Sovnarkom]

@TheNeveredge Bob Cousy never won a championship till Bill Russell arrived and Bill Russell won 5 more after Bob retired. You have to remember that most of Bob Cousy's assists (however flamboyantly they arrived to the scorer's hands) came after an outlet pass from Bill Russell off of a rebound or blocked shot. Bill was the playmaker, Cousy was the middle man.

[stere0brain]

@Sovnarkom well.. there's more to it than that though.... Cousy ran the offense not Russell, and he was more than a spark plug. Cousy was the playmaker on offense.

No knock on Russell that's just fact of those teams.... on offense the ball went through Cousy and later it was Sam Jones who took over the job. The Celtics ran a ton of 3 man weave right at the top of the key, Russell on offense was only a cog in that wheel.

Now defense that's a different story

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@stere0brain Well hold on a second.. If you as a Guard KNOW that if you miss the rebound is GOING to be controlled by Russell (I say controlled because they didn't count all the tips to teammates) how much of your offence do you attribute to Russell? You do understand that Russell had a book on every player on the floor? Also he was the player coach?

[stere0brain]

@AMilitantAgnostic of course.

Yes, I know Russell was his own scout. When you read his memoirs, he makes it sound like some groundbreaking new idea. Fact is, all those guys did that. They all knew every play of every other team, they all knew the other players' strengths & weaknesses, they all knew the other coaches and how they thought about basketball. They played 10-12 games a year

I watched from courtside the year the Sixers won the Finals. I remember a lot of those glory days with Wilt

[stere0brain]

@AMilitantAgnostic If you think Bob Ryan or Bill Simmons tells a unbiased account of that day, take a reality pill. Those guys bleed Boston Celtic green & everything they ever wrote is skewed.

Simmons says NBA peers thought Russell was better. That's not what West, Thurmond, Baylor, Dierking, Hazzard, Walk, or plenty more said about it.

Connie Hawkins, Bob McAdoo, Walt Frazier they all say Norman > Felton

NOBODY thought that except the Boston press. Celtics were stacked, and that was that

[stere0brain]

@AMilitantAgnostic actually.... they say Chamberlain is not just better than Russell...... he's the greatest of all time. I expect they would know

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@stere0brain Think so? Are you sure?

Wilt was a nice guy, fun to be around - the players liked him the fans LOVED him -

Russell was loved by the guys he played with, the press hatted Russell, fans in Boston called him nigger first when he outshined Cousy, then again when he took over as player/coach.

But, the year that Wilt Averaged 50 - the PLAYERS picked Russell as the MVP.

I suspect the players did know who was best.

[stere0brain]

@AMilitantAgnostic by the way you're totally wrong. Fans HATED Chamberlain. Do some reading.

[revnasteewaters57]

Kareem usherd in the new kind of mobile center. He wasn't glued to the floor and he had sweet finess moves for a big man. he is no doubt the greatest center of all times. To this day we don't have a center in the NBA like Kareem. No center ever produce a dominate shot inside like the sky hook.

[JonRoyalty]

Wilt lost to Russel like, EVERY TIME

[ZipperZappleZ]

@JonRoyalty Russell's teams won 84, Wilt's teams 58

[Guitarherotimmydude]

Lakers had the best centers ever: Kareem wilt and shaq.

[DBJetsman]

Stop saying Kareem is the best center ever. First of all, read the stats Mcgill17 says on the most rated comment about how much better Wilt was than Kareem. Second of all, Kareem could only win 6 titles in 20 years!!! Russell won 11 in only 13 years!!! Not only that, Kareem had the 2 greatest point guards to ever play the game (Big O and Magic) for his entire career, while Russell had probably a top 5 point guard ever in Bob Cousy for only 7 years, and Russell still won more titles! DONE.

[stere0brain]

@stnd456 The only center even close to Chamberlain is Kareem. No other center is anywhere close. At all.

Look up what Elgin Baylor says about Chamberlain. Or Walt Frazier, or Bob McAdoo, or Artis Gilmore.

Don't say "everyone from the 60s" when actually huge numbers of them thought Chamberlain was better but didn't have teammates to match the Celtics (which was perfectly true). Look up what Jabbar said about him JUST THIS WEEK.

Google up "Jabbar Pippen open letter"

[blackfluid123]

Like i said they both played against guys who wouldnt make a high school team today & im just saying that cause people try to compare the game then to the game today. If im not mistaken didnt Bill once have 30points & 30rebounds in a playoff game & if so thats better than a 100 points 2 me.

[stere0brain]

@blackfluid123

The 8 40 point 40 rebound games Chamberlain had are greater.

The quadruple double he threw down on the Celtics in the 67 Eastern Conference Finals is greater.

The quadruple double Wilt threw down on the Knicks in the 72 Finals is greater.

The only double triple double in history he had against the Pistons is greater.

Wilt's 55 games of 30 30 are greater.

I doubt there's a guy in D1 today that could stop Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, Bob Pettit, Wayne Embry... yer totally lost

[wizboy211]

You guys know Russell admitted he let Wilt do whatever he wanted in the first three quarters? But then, in the fourth, the monster came out. He would shut Wilt down like he was a blind puppy with 2 legs. Thats why Russell was clutch, and a winner.

[geocgeo]

The number of teams was not always 8 when Bill Russell played, for instance the last year Russell played (1969) there were FOURTEEN teams in the NBA. Russell not only played he was player coach in 67,68 and 69 and won the championship in 1968 and 1969..

[0521Steven]

what is the original video this section was taken from?

[geocgeo]

Bill Russell 220 pounds only 6 foot 9 and a quarter,

Wilt Chamberlain 7 foot 1, 275 pounds early

in his career heavier later in his career.

Do you think Wilt had the advantage phisically?

youtube.com/watch?v=H2AGB7SrvK­8

[redman2037]

Finally, in the 90's, only one guard had a better FG% than Jordan: « Magic » Johnson.

[redman2037]

Jordan was 51% on the FG% before his Wizard's run...

Plus Jordan is a guard and Chamberlain is a center. Only a bad center will had a FG% under SG... guards took shots on a daily basis outside the key, from long distance and from downtown. Insider centers only took their shot in the key.

Every shot taken outside the key is harder to make (and when you are bigger and stronger than everybody in the 60’S, only a bad center won’t made 50% of his shot).

[wizboy211]

wilt wasnt the best scorer ever, MJ was. Wilt was an awful teammate and made his mates always give him the ball. WIlt was obsessed with stats. He put so many teammates and coaches under the bus it isnt deven funny. i hate how people who just watch this think he is the best ever. everyone wwho was around him when he played and wrote a book never say anything good about him, he was an awful mate. So if you werent around when wilt was, or actually know what he was, be queit.

[reno93535]

@wizboy211 Wilt's stats blows MJ's away. Wilt shot a carreer 54%. Jordan a carreer 49%. Playoffs: Wilt 52, MJ 48. MJ took more shots per game career than Wilt. That is why his career average is percentages higher. Wilt was such a bad teammate, he led the league in assists one season.

[wizboy211]

@reno93535 Because all Wilt cared about was stats. Thats why people like you that only see stats or videos nowadays think Wilt was a god. I watched Russell and Wilt play. When Wilt played Russell, Russell's team mostly won. Wilt got better stats, but russell won. thats why russell has too many rings for both hands and wilt cant even fill up half of one hand. And Wilt played in a league where russell was the only competition at center, and EIGHT TEAMS. MJ played with 22-30 teams. Theres a stat.

[reno93535]

@wizboy211 You don't get it. Jordan took more shots per gamer than Wilt! WIlt made more of his shots, 52% to MJ's 49%. So who was the more selfish player? Should WIlt have shot less and dished off to some 45% shooter? Should he have gotten less than 23 rebounds per game so as to not look selfish? You make no sense. John Wooden said that if WIlt was on that Boston team instead of Russell, the Celtics would have won 13 championships. 30 teams of watered down players vs less teams w/ better players

[0521Steven]

@wizboy211 Basketball is a team sport. russell and chamberlain had different responsibilities on their teams. Wilt had to score, block shots & rebound. Russell's job was to rebound and block. even then chamberlain was a better rebounder than russell, still the 2nd best rebounder of all time. Statistics are a reflection of contribution. wilt's large stats reflect how much he contributed. he'd score 50 points and his team would still lose because his teammates weren't good enough most of the time.

[wizboy211]

@0521Steven now thats ignorance talking. Basketball isnt about stats. Its about teamwork and how you play, thats why Russell has 11 rings and Chamberlain has 2. Chamberlain was an awful teammate. Russell was a great teammate. Chamberlain only wanted stats for the first quarter of his career. You know Russell got the MVP vote by the PLAYERS the same year wilt averagede 50. I wonder why? You can read anything from any players from that era and they say how Wilt was and how amazing Russell was.

[wizboy211]

@0521Steven And, Wilt had hall of famers on every team he was on, Russell did too. But some of those years where Wilt and Russell matched up in the playoffs Wilt had a better supporting cast. Russell was just a better teammate and wanted to win more. Wilt even admitted he didnt care too much about winning. You know Wilt was traded TWICE in his prime? No ever player that peopole think is the "greatest" should ever be traded in their prime. and he was traded TWICE. And for not that much.

[saegen18]

tell me why wilt was traded twice during his prime, and also why he played for 14 different coaches in 9 years?....it had to have been because he was as good a teammate as russell was right? that's why russell has 11 rings vs. wilt's 2....

[jaranarm]

@saegen18

Wilt was the superior player but Bill had the superior team. The Sixers never had the star power talent the Celtics lineup did and every coach had to resort to the "pass to Wilt" strategy to win games. The first time Wilt was traded was due to financial reasons. The second time was because he asked to be traded. I swear some people just don't know their basketball history.

[13war25]

Wilt was a great,great player but the only 2 championship rings he won were in 1967 and 1972 seasons. The 66-67 was the first season he played a game more like Russell's which was to.concentrate on rebounding and playing defense.. In the 66- 67 season his scoring went from the 33.5 per game that he scored in in the 65-66 season to 24.1 that he scored in the 66-67 season.

Wilt was 4 inches taller and ouweighed Russell by over 50 lbs.

watch?v=B2iR470UVh4

[KazuyaRazuKazama]

Ahhh, you should've went ahead and let the whole clip play, man(^_^)! ...lol, I'm in to learning things about the Legends.

[c2g1980]

I have Russell as the #1 greatest winner, sportsman & person & Jordan as the greatest overall player ever because he had no flaws from shooting the rock to defense & being 6-0 in nba finals appearances isn't bad either. I think undefeated in 5 or more championships in a 29 team league is right up there with 11-1 in a 8 to 14 team league.

[SP3489]

Russell was the best player of all time. He succeeded because he played beyond stats. He gave it all for his team, which is something a lot of people don't realize unless they watch only game tapes.

Wilt was incredible... but he was an individual "me" centered player, and didn't perform well in clutch situations. In an interview with SI he said he didn't like playing in tough games (mentally he didn't like the pressure). Hell, when being traded to LA players voted 9-2 that they DIDN'T want him.

[graypokemonmaster]

i love how bill russell uses WE when discussing him getting a block...Team player

[JaesopRocks]

i wish i couldve watched Wilt and Russel play each other =(... RIP Wilt

[reeseluvscello]

humm... those shorts are really short .... rip wilt chamerlain

[buckfan1969]

I think Russell's comments say it best; "He's by far the best player I ever played against, and it's not even close". After all these years, I've reconciled in my own mind that nobody ever drove himself and his teammates to play as well as Russell did the Celtics, and nobody was ever as dominant a player as Chamberlain. I think that's why Russell won so many championships, (not only at Boston but at USF) and why Chamberlain set records that will never be broken.

[Humes53]

In the 100 point game the Knicks were freezing the ball and fouling Wilt's teammates just to keep Wilt from scoring. If the Knicks hadn't employed those low down tactics the Dipper might have had like 110 or more!

[Humes53]

Put Wilt on Boston and Russell on Philly and the games would have been blowouts instead of down to the wire. Bos had 9 Hall of Famers. That is a testament to the greatest player ever, Wilt Chamberlain!!! Wilt toyed with the NBA like a cat does with a mouse! 50 points a game average is ridiculous! 55 rebounds in a game vs. Bill Russell! Wilt made an absolute joke of the NBA! He was that great!!! Never ever be another.

[Treemeslave]

bill russel is (in the words of bill simmons) a lefty dennis rodman who passes like luke walton, has mjs crazy winning desire, and could block shots like josh smith releashed on the WNBA for a whole season.

WOuldnt u love to play with someone like that?

[tiger1649]

br most overrated ever! 6'9 no dribble no shot,free throw,played against no real jumpers,got killed by wilt.what a weak ERA! looks like wnba!

[MJRiley878]

@tiger1649 wow are you kidding me. what ever man im not even going to argue with you. your full of BS, Bill Russel is the greatest center of all time along with 'the dream'. GO CELTICS

[thegreatestchallenge]

@tiger1649 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 running and Red believed that Russell can handled the bigger centers alone. college FG% is 52%, although in nba is mere 40% because he was guarded by centers much taller.

[lamons71]

Bill Russell hands down,11 time NBA champion,5 time Finals MVP,Russell is the greatest player in NBA history forget Jordan he comes 2nd when you're talking Bill Russell

[i8yokity]

Best players of all time:

1. Bill Russell

2. Michael Jordan

3. Wilt Chamberlain

4. Magic Johnson

However, I believe there are some point guards in today's game that are going to enter these ranks within this decade (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Rajon Rondo). We'll see...

[Zealea16]

The difference between Kobe and Lebron is that Kobe has a better team. High scoring guards like Fisher and odom and a dominate center - Andrew Bynum and the best Post player in the league; Pau Gasol. What does Lebron have? A cheesy team.

[dorianlovestacos]

@Zealea16 high scoring guards like fisher and odom? fisher averaged 7 pts a game during the season! and odoms not even a guard! hes a forward! and he only averaged like 10 pts a game!

and bron' had williams and jamison

get your shit straight

[dorianlovestacos]

@Zealea16 kobe > no ring "king"

[WiltatKansas]

@Zealea16 No, no, no, differnce between Kobe and LeBron is that Kobe is a winner and LeBron a loser.

[DkMonster12]

Russel>Chamberlain. Why the fuck is this even a debate? 11 championships to 2? That's like comparing Lebron to Kobe. Lebron maybe a great overall athlete and scorer, but at the end of the day he can't carry a team like Kobe has. Discussion over. :D

[Rory10304]

also, I get the idea that Russell probably jedi mind tricked Chamberlain. If Wilt was scoring all these points than Wilt was happy and he didn't care about his team winning. (Wilt was about his own stats, if Russell was about stats, it was this one: championship wins) If Wilt deferred to his team mates occasionally, then he probably would have beat the Celtics with some sort of consistency.

[Rory10304]

the Celtics with Russell didn't have better players than any of Wilt's teams. If anything, the teams were equal in talent. There were like, eight teams back then. How could any team not be loaded with quality players.

[MelC54]

Underline the word TEAM. Clearly the Lakers had more talent but the Celtics had the better TEAM.

[andoito]

Bill is a team player that's why Celtics won more championships than Wilt's who is an individual player. Every coach prefers a team player,

[MelC54]

I'd take Chamberlain over Russell despite all of Russell's championships. The Celtics usually won because quite simply, Russell's teams were better than the teams Wilt played on. The head to head battles usually ended up in favor of the bigger, stronger, more athletic Chamberlain.

[arther1045]

@MelC54 russell almost always beat Chamberlain no matter whos team was better. Wilt had as good or better talent from 1965 on and only won 1 title. he went to a Laker team in 1969 that played in the title series the year before, and he still lost. He left a Phila team that had the 2nd best record in the league after he left. Its a myth that Russell always had better talent. Russell won more because he was alot more valuable t a abssketball team then Wilt. Simple as that.

[HaroldTheDog]

@MelC54 Russell made his team good, though. and chamberlain admitted that

[MelC54]

@HaroldTheDog I think somewhere in here you will see that I said 2 or 3 times that Chamberlain may have played on teams with more talent, but the Celtics were a better team. Championships aside, Chamberlain was a better individual player. Wilt was an arrogant guy but he performed well on the court. He just was not the team player like Russell.

[hswatnik]

great stuff

[13war25]

How Wilt finally won a championship vs Russell and the Celtics..Coach Alex Hannum convinced Wilt, the NBA scoring champion in each of his 7 previous seasons, that the team would prosper if he would focus his attention on other aspects of the game and let the team develop better scoring balance. That Hannum was able to get his point across, and that Chamberlain embraced the role change, is a credit both to the coachs skill at persuasion and the players frustration with not winning titles.

[tayandpaity]

As a coach I would take Russell over Chamberlain every time. Chamberlain was obsessed with stats while Russell was obsessed with winning. Russell was a team player and that led to 11 championships while Chamberlain had FAR fewer. Chamberlain got traded TWICE in his prime, nobody would have traded Russell EVER. Chamberlain was a coach-killer, he had NINE different coaches in his career. He blamed others for his mistakes while Russell was never selfish like that. Russell IS defense!

[SayIrishWristWatch]

Russel is better...hands down

[kdc111190]

Jabbar is the next great Center to come, after Wilt and Russel....

(e - )

(e

[tellthetruthg]

how do you choose? If you owned an NBA team , Knowing and seeing what's been seen to date 2009. You have the first round pic. Russel , Wilt or Jabbar who do you take ? Or Dwight Howard? O'Neal? Nate the Great Thurmond!! I'd take Lew Kareem Abdul Jabbar every day none but Jabbar had the over all game and his will to win. He is the the # 1 pic !!

[kdc111190]

of course! he has the combination of fines and power! he has all the talent of other centers that you have mention..

[edgarflores10]

@kdc111190 Jabbar is the greatest center of all time

[bettydaw1970]

@edgarflores10 35 year old wilt made him his bitch !

[edgarflores10]

@bettydaw1970  number 1 all time scorer..thats all i have to say !

[bettydaw1970]

@edgarflores10

yea and pete rose was the all time hit king...was he the greatest baseball player? longevity is great, but...

[edgarflores10]

@bettydaw1970 theres a difference between a scorer and a so called hit king

[bettydaw1970]

@kdc111190 wrong.....nate thurmond..

[L3g3ndkill4]

@kdc111190 and then Hakeem Olajuwan :)

[roledo]

Hahaha Jabbar at the ending....

[Mcgill17]

kareem was not a better center then center then wilt do you understand wilt went one season averagin 55 ppg and 25 boards a game. he ended is career averaging 30.1 ppg and 22.5 boards and he the most dominat player to ever play his position he got so bored of scorin he decided to lead the legue in assist you cannot name a center who can do that and still average 30 plus points.

[TrayCook20]

@Mcgill17 cant agree wit you anymore thats some stats for ya

[MrAfdsfsdf]

@Mcgill17 Chamberlain didn't get bored of scoring he was just obsessed with records so he decided to be the tallest player to lead the league in assists.

[WiltatKansas]

@MrAfdsfsdf You're wrong, Chamberlain decreased his scoring becasue coach Hannum asked him to do that when Wilt entered the 76ers, Wilt was a freak of his ego and his records but he was not a ballhog, when he played for the Warriors in his 6 first years coahc McGuire asked him to score everything, and he did that.

[playcube006]

@Mcgill17 he didnt get bored no one gets bored he lead it in assist because people were calling him a ballhog so he wanted to prove them wrong

[LACrfg5]

@Mcgill17 hakeem olajuwon, is wilt and bill put together, he was a offensive powerhouse, and a defensive monster!.. he could do it all as we all seen he had a quadruple double, and he won titles in an era where the bigmen dominated at the time, o'neal, ewing, robinson etc

[Treemeslave]

@Mcgill17 sweet....thats cool and all...

but, uh...how many championships did wilt win?

2 right?'

how bout kareem?

6 right?

[Iommi567]

@Mcgill17 1.) it was 50 points a game, not 55. 2.) he averaged 40 shots per game in that season the most Kareem ever averaged throughout his very lengthy career was 24. 3.) 22.5 boards is impressive until you look at the league back then when you realize that no one can make a jump shot. Therefore a lot more rebounds were up for grabs. 4.) If by so bored by scoring you mean he wanted the assist record you're correct. Another reason why Kareem was better. Kareem wanted to win, Walt wanted to

[Iommi567]

@Iommi567 set records. Also I should add that I HATE Kareem. But, he does deserve respect.

[edgarflores10]

@Mcgill17 if wilt were to play big time players today he'd be a shaq in his prime

[reno93535]

@Mcgill17 50.4 per game, 1961-62. 25.7 boards. Greatest scorer and rebounder ever.

[geocgeo]

@Mcgill17 Wilt 50.4 per game yes 55 false...His coach talked him into changing his style.That's why he was on 2 NBA championship teams(67 and 72) Russell retired after the !969 season.Russell's last 3 seasons playing he was PLAYER COACH and won 2 NBA Championships in those seasons.

[DeedsResearcher]

@Mcgill17 Wilt averaged 50.4 points per game in his highest single season. That was the year he also had his 100 point game. The game after the 100 pointer, he played against the Celtics, and was held to 26 points.

Key point: In Wilt's day, the free-throw lane was very narrow, so they took shots from close in. The league widened the lane in order to open it up and reduce the dominance of the big men. Jabbar played his entire career with the wider lane.

[xPHATMARKx]

@Mcgill17 do you think he wilt can play his style while playing a 20 year old shaq

[SlayerInBlood]

@Mcgill17 Blah blah blah! He didn't get bored of scoring, he passed the ball more to shut up his critics who complained that he hogged the ball too much which is what he did. Kareem was a better team player and basically just as talented. Wilt was not superhuman. Why the hell do you think he has so many unbreakable records? because the game has changed, players have grown taller and more atheletic. How many Kevin Garnett's, LeBron James' or Derrick Roses were there back then? The players evolve.

[TheReeeeeech]

@SlayerInBlood kareem was a better team player? wilt once was the league leader in assist the only center to do so. wilt also averaged more assists in his career. so u dont know wat ur talking about....

[SlayerInBlood]

@TheReeeeeech Wilt led the NBA in assists because he wanted to shut up his critics, not be a team player. The coach also wanted him to pass the ball more. Wilt didn't pass the ball to be a better team player so you sir dont know what you are talking about.

[omnivorous65]

@Mcgill17 Kareem was a much, much better center. Just imagine both players in todays league with the game they had back then. Wilt would not be effective offensively. He had no post game. He simply overpowered smaller and weaker players with his strength and height. Not even Shaq who is a stronger version of Wilt could not do that anymore. Kareem, apart from having more rings, would still be an unstoppable force. His skyhook is still unstoppable and he hits his freethrows.

[MrHeyy101]

@Mcgill17 he averaged 50ppg and 27rpg  you mean

[emotionaL2533]

This man literally changed the game (he scores so much that they changed the rules) NOT MJ 

[Heightz1734]

Kareem is still the best center of all time!!!

[SSJ4Brolyisthebest]

Yeah!

[pepperkorn3]

glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>gl­itch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glit­ch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch­>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>g­litch>glitch>glitch>glitch>gli­tch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitc­h>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>­glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>gl­itch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glit­ch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch­>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>g­litch>glitch>glitch>glitch>gli­tch>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitc­h>glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>­glitch>glitch>glitch>glitch>gl­itch>gl

[nachosjuan]

superb

[WiltatKansas]

Excellent!