Boston Celtics tickets

"Bill Russell single-handedly revolutionized this game simply because he made defense so Important." Boston Celtics schedule coach Red Auerbach on Bill Russell. "Defense wins championships." It's true in almost every sport, and no one proved its accuracy in basketball better than Boston Celtics center Bill Russell. Standing just over 6 feet, 9 inches tall, Boston Celtics tickets Bill Russell was far from the biggest center of his time. When it came to winning, however, no one in the game has ever stood taller than Bill Russell. Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to 55 consecutive wins and two NCAA championships, before winning an Olympic gold medal in 1956. The Boston Celtics had assembled a talented offensive team, and coach/GM Red Auerbach felt Bill Russell could bring the defense and rebounding his team needed to become a champion. Bill Russell was right. Bill Russell's tenacity in holding opposing big men in check and keeping them off the boards were the final ingredients in the building of a dynasty.

One could make a statistical case that Bill Russell was the best defensive center of all-time. Bill Russell led the NBA in rebounding five times and retired as the second-leading rebounded in league history. Bill Russell once grabbed 51 boards in a game. It was one of seven times he hauled down 40 or more. Bill Russell was a 12-time All-Star and won five league MVP Awards. Boston Celtics schedule However, there is only one statistic that truly matters when discussing Bill Russell. Bill Russell powered the Celtics to 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons, numbers that are not likely to be duplicated by any athlete in any era. Lamented former Lakers forward "Hot Rod" Hundley: "If we played Boston Celtics tickets four-on-four, without Bill Russell, we probably would have won every series. The guy killed us. He's the one who prevented us from achieving greatness."

Bill Russell's tussles with fellow Hall of Fame center Witt Chamberlain were the stuff of legend. While the taller Chamberlain was the better scorer and carried more impressive individual statistics, Bill Russell and the Celtics was his Achilles heel. Bill Russell served as Boston's player-coach for the last three years of his career, steering the team to championships in the final two.