Bill Russell is a renowned basketball player from the late 1950s who revolutionized the NBA defensive concepts. He stood out as player with his praiseworthy skills before the kinds of Michael Jordan who arose in the 1980s. With his philosophies, he was able to improve on the game as a Celtics player and through his philosophies he also got accolades which were all well deserving.
What is most impressive about William Russell is how he controlled the game at the defensive end; this made him stand out in every game. Generally, most games concentrated on the offensive end and credit was given depending on how good a shooter is. The Celtics were a true definition of this as they had a very strong and unstoppable offensive machine but their defensive end was wanting, thus winning some games became impossible. However when Russell joined the team in December 1963, the team got several wins afterwards. Although he was slender, he had other tactics that strengthened his rebound prowess. One, he was quick in his movements to the ball. Secondly, he anticipated where a shot would come off of the rim and the third factor that was a plus to his prowess was his positioning. His game basically considered three factors: the physical, mental and analytical.
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It is needless to say that Russell made tremendous achievements athletically. In fact he is considered the greatest player of his time. He “posted the best regular season record in NBA in 1956-57” (NBA, 2016). From observation, his persistence and philosophy on team play contributed greatly to his achievements. He always extended his efforts within the game and season. Although he was not considered as a skilled offensive player, Russell was a selective shooter who made his mark of 457 in 1958-59 which was second in the league (NBA, 2016).
Don Nelson, a Celtic player, said “There are two types of superstars. One who makes himself look good at the expense of the other guys on the floor. But there’s another type who makes the players around him look better than they are; and that’s the type Russell was” (NBA, 2016) True to Nelson’s words, Russell always believed in teamwork among players. To him, it was a beautiful thing to see a group of men coordinating their efforts and skills towards a common goal; when teamwork is achieved in action it brings forth success, and that is what happened in the case of the Celtics (Russell & Branch, 1980).
Bill Russell made significant contributions to both the basketball fraternity as well as the Celtics team. During his era, spectacular achievements became a routine. By 1963, Boston had won its fifth consecutive NBA title and he won his third consecutive MVP. He set a Final record of 29.5 rpg at the NBA Finals and he also helped in launching the greatest championship run in the history of professional sports. He became the first African American coach in the league in 1965-66. In 1973, Russell took a team that had won only 36 games and placed it on a winning track.
In conclusion, it is irrefutable that Russell changed people’s thinking on how basketball games are won. He remains to be a great player in history although there were debates on who was a better player between him and Michael Jordan. His defensive artistry always intimidated his opponents and he was the true symbol that showed it did not take a scorer to dominate a game. His culture of team play was adopted by other teams in an effort to emulate his success in the game.
References
Russell, B. & Branch, T. (1980). Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man. Ballantine books.
NBA (2016). William Felton Russell . Retrieved from http://www.nba.com/history/players/russell_bio.html
