Born in the 856 wrote:
jimmy bobby wrote:If I were creating a NBA team to try to win a championship, it would be a struggle regarding whom to pick first. I'd be very tempted to pick Larry Bird.
I'm kind of old school, I think i'd pick:
1. Bill Russell
2. Michael Jordan
3. Oscar Robertson
4. Larry Bird
5. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
The Big O is probably the most under appreciated NBA player of all time.
Dumb-ass, Chamberlain was better than Russell.
Russell said that Wilt played "my game better than I did". And Russell could never play Chamberlain's game near as well.
What Russell did do was to play in a manner that was always what the team needed. Wilt's biggest sin was that he did not always do this. The year he scored 44+ ppg, his team was last in scoring defense and finished 31-49. Initially one might say "you can't blame Wilt---he scored 44 ppg", but was Wilt really doing what the team needed to maximize winning? Think about a team with Wilt in the early 60's. There is no way they should be 31-49. And no way they shouldn't be dominant defensively. But Wilt cared more about a fast pace and scoring when he was capable of so much more control of a game. The next year Wilt with practically the same rotation, was made to play differently under a different coach. He scored 8 ppg less. His assist to fga ratio increased significantly and his team went to the Finals while finishing 1st in scoring defense. Wilt was sometimes too engaged in showcasing his talent than making the right plays for the team.