Shaquille O'Neal or Bill Russell?

Who's better?

Shaq,easy.

that because even though russel had the achievements,shaq was better,stats dont lie

Wilt Chamberlain has the best stats in the NBA history,so is he the G.O.A.T because "stats,don't lie"....

east dominance=NBA Tanks! wrote:

Shaq,easy.

I'd say it's tight no matter who you got

I will pick Russell because of his defense,championships,winning and impact.

bill russell

LeBron needs titles wrote:

east dominance=NBA Tanks! wrote:

Shaq,easy.

I'd say it's tight no matter who you got

I will pick Russell because of his defense,championships,winning and impact.

and one of the best passing centers

FC wrote:

LeBron needs titles wrote:

east dominance=NBA Tanks! wrote:

Shaq,easy.

I'd say it's tight no matter who you got

I will pick Russell because of his defense,championships,winning and impact.

and one of the best passing centers

Yep...he had perfect outlet pass

its not tight...its not even close tbh..it grosses me out how ovverated bill is. he"s just a slightly better emeka okafor

Ryan clady jr wrote:

its not tight...its not even close tbh..it grosses me out how ovverated bill is. he"s just a slightly better emeka okafor

you killed it now..

Bill Russell.

Half of me picks Russell because, well, he has more rings than he can put up on his fingers. Another half of me picks Russell because of talent. The man could get 40 points, 40 rebounds, 30 blocks. In Finals games he is recorded for 40 points, 50 rebounds, etc. Not only is he the best defender pre-90's, he could pass the ball just as well as any wingman, possibly points, in the NBA today.

But, overall, it's because he was a winner, on the inside and outside. He loved his team, stayed loyal to them through thick and thin, although there was a lot more thick (*cough*James*cough*), his teammates loved him, coaches, fans, everyone. He respected all his opponents, too. He worked has as hell for his body, if you didn't know, was a real bigger (wider) boy when he was, let's say, my age.

Oh, and the third half (?) of me says Russell because he looked cool in short shorts, no homo.

Ryan clady jr wrote:

its not tight...its not even close tbh..it grosses me out how ovverated bill is. he"s just a slightly better emeka okafor

i didnt say this btw

Ryan clady jr wrote:

Ryan clady jr wrote:

its not tight...its not even close tbh..it grosses me out how ovverated bill is. he"s just a slightly better emeka okafor

i didnt say this btw

Oh?

ill say later..i hate using the internet on my cellphone

It's impossible to evaluate the two. Russell played in an era with 8 teams and highly unathletic 6'6 centers, and Shaq played in one of the better eras for Center domination (Hakeem, Robinson, Duncan, Ewing, etc.) and he still dominated. On offense, it wasn't even close. If you switched the two, Russell would get around 13 PPG. Shaq would get around 50 PPG in his prime. As a teammate, Russell is the obvious choice. Everyone respected him. No one hated the man. Everyone hated Shaq when he left LA.

On defense, I'll go with Russell, but it's not as close as you think. Shaq would get around 25 boards a game if he played in the 60s, maybe even more, but what sets Russell apart was his instinct. He had perfect timing, and as the legend goes, most of his blocks led to fastbreaks as opposed to just swatting it out of bounds. Russell gets the edge here.

Lastly, I actually think Shaq's 4 rings are more impressive than Russell's 11. Call me crazy, but I honestly do believe that. Russell played in era with 8 TEAMS. 8 TEAMS! Shaq played in an era with 30 teams and actually carried his teams all the way (with the exception of the Miami run in '06) as opposed to Russell who won 11 championships with 7 other Hall of Famers...Shaq gets the edge here.

All in all, it's impossible to compare the two. Shaq was unstoppable on offense, Russell was unstoppable on defense. They played in completely different eras. My gut tells my Shaq was the better player, but my heart tells me Russell was the better player. I honestly can't choose. Perhaps a more fair comparison would be Shaq and Wilt, not Shaq and Russell...since Shaq and Wilt pretty much played alike.

You always praise different eras, Ben. lol.

I know...but that's because it's a true fact.

50's - mostly unathletic white guys...you know it's bad when George Mikan dominates and the Warriors are actually winning.

60's - dominated by two people, and two teams...Philly and Boston. HOF paradise.

70's - one of the worst eras ever...ABA becoming a failed experiment, no real excitement except for Doc.

80's - one of the best eras ever. MJ, Ewing, Barkley, Malone...whole list of people. Throw in Bird and Magic as well and this is perhaps the best era.

90's - bad era for teams, good era for fans. MJ is what I'm talking about. Fans loved him, teams hated him. All in all, it was a decent era.

00's - most hyped up era of all time. some players worked, others didn't. in terms of talent, this may be the best era ever, but a lot of it got thrown a way by off court issues, egotistic superstars getting their calls, and of course, hand checks.

I'M VERY ENTITLED TO MY OPINION!

lmao, handchecks..

If Shaq played in Russell's times (in Shaq's prime), he would easily put up like 75 points a game....

Along with about 45 rebounds and 20 blocks...shooting 100%

Ryan clady jr wrote:

its not tight...its not even close tbh..it grosses me out how ovverated bill is. he"s just a slightly better emeka okafor

Bill Russell is definitely not like Emeka Okafur...

Define. wrote:

Bill Russell.

Half of me picks Russell because, well, he has more rings than he can put up on his fingers. Another half of me picks Russell because of talent. The man could get 40 points, 40 rebounds, 30 blocks. In Finals games he is recorded for 40 points, 50 rebounds, etc. Not only is he the best defender pre-90's, he could pass the ball just as well as any wingman, possibly points, in the NBA today.

But, overall, it's because he was a winner, on the inside and outside. He loved his team, stayed loyal to them through thick and thin, although there was a lot more thick (*cough*James*cough*), his teammates loved him, coaches, fans, everyone. He respected all his opponents, too. He worked has as hell for his body, if you didn't know, was a real bigger (wider) boy when he was, let's say, my age.

Oh, and the third half (?) of me says Russell because he looked cool in short shorts, no homo.

Sorry SK but Bill Russell was the greatest defender in the league's history,not just before the 90's

LeBron needs titles wrote:

Define. wrote:

Bill Russell.

Half of me picks Russell because, well, he has more rings than he can put up on his fingers. Another half of me picks Russell because of talent. The man could get 40 points, 40 rebounds, 30 blocks. In Finals games he is recorded for 40 points, 50 rebounds, etc. Not only is he the best defender pre-90's, he could pass the ball just as well as any wingman, possibly points, in the NBA today.

But, overall, it's because he was a winner, on the inside and outside. He loved his team, stayed loyal to them through thick and thin, although there was a lot more thick (*cough*James*cough*), his teammates loved him, coaches, fans, everyone. He respected all his opponents, too. He worked has as hell for his body, if you didn't know, was a real bigger (wider) boy when he was, let's say, my age.

Oh, and the third half (?) of me says Russell because he looked cool in short shorts, no homo.

Sorry SK but Bill Russell was the greatest defender in the league's history,not just before the 90's

Who did Russell have to block? Guys that I'd probably be able to block (I've rejected guys who were 6'9" and 6'7" that are 13, WOOT).

While guys like Jordan, Payton, Pippen, Olajuwon, Mourning, etc. all had to defend some of the most talented players. Even in the 2000's (where imo there is even more offensive talent) there are defenders like Kobe, Artest, Battier, Payton, Howard, etc. that defend even harder competition.

I agree with most part of Khai's post but i have to discuss something of this

Many people think Russell won his rings because of the players he played with.That's wrong.When he came in the Celtics,they won titles,games etc.But before he got,the same team featuring Bob Cousy,Bill Sharman,Sam Jones failed to win a title and even to reach the Finals.When he retired,the team great Celtics team fell apart and didn't win the championship

And it's unfair to say that Russell played with 6'6 unathletic white centers.That's wrong.There were actually players who were 7 footers and were from 6'9-6'11 which was the height that Russell himself is listed.

Well,we know that Bill Russell was never elite scorer.That's true.He did everything else such as blocking,rebounding,passing,could handle the ball well and so on but never put scoring in first option.But when it was needed,he took things in his hands and delivered big time on both ends which happened in the playoffs and finals only just to win.He's the best defender,shot blocker,biggest champion and most clutch player of all time.


He come up with performances like 20 points/30 rebounds,30 points/40 rebounds etc,he was the best defender that Wilt has ever played against and the only one who slowed him down.He once held Chamberlain to just 8 points in the Finals.See what i mean.He did everything just to win!He was by far the greatest team player that the NBA has ever had,didn't care what anyone else thinks about him(such as critics for offense) and just won games and titles.Even though he struggled with free throws,when it was needed to win,he shot great.This guy seemed not to have troubles in any aspect of the game when it was needed to step up and win the championships


Shaq on the other hand,is the most unstoppable player that has ever stepped on a NBA hardwood.Yes,he wasn't perhaps as dominate as Wilt was but how many people could slow him in his career,prime?Very few,aside of Russell,Hakeem and perhaps Wilt,i don't see others.He has faced many legendary big men who were defensive specialists but none has ever stopped him.Aside of Hakeem who slowed him down in the 1996 Finals in his peak against the Big Cactus who was in his 3rd year,there weren't other strong candidates.He still averaged 28 points,12,5 rebounds and 6 assists though....

He was fantastic winner,champion who always delivered in the clutch.He seemed not to have any weakness in the Finals too,he stepped up when it was really needed.Shaq was great defender if you ask me but he was inconsistent which made him look bad but really picked up with his defense in the playoffs,finals.

Some might argue that aside of dunks,he wasn't skilled.Well,they are wrong.This guy could score with hook shot,using the move called "Drop Step",had sence for passing,could block shots,defend when he gets intense etc.And he got non stop to the foul line and picked up lots of 2+1 calls in his career.However,he was the most efficient scorer that the league has seen.Almost any game he finished with some 30 points and + 60% FG and draws amazing amount of fouls.He always put others in trouble.That's why he was so brilliant at making a impact,far tops anyone in terms of this

Both O'Neal and Russell held records in the Finals,the first one has averaged most points per game in the Finals for any center and the second has averaged most rebounds per game than any other center.Case can be made for both,it's matter of opinion

I like your way of comparing stuffs Khai.Smart in every sense of the word!

Define. wrote:

LeBron needs titles wrote:

Define. wrote:

Bill Russell.

Half of me picks Russell because, well, he has more rings than he can put up on his fingers. Another half of me picks Russell because of talent. The man could get 40 points, 40 rebounds, 30 blocks. In Finals games he is recorded for 40 points, 50 rebounds, etc. Not only is he the best defender pre-90's, he could pass the ball just as well as any wingman, possibly points, in the NBA today.

But, overall, it's because he was a winner, on the inside and outside. He loved his team, stayed loyal to them through thick and thin, although there was a lot more thick (*cough*James*cough*), his teammates loved him, coaches, fans, everyone. He respected all his opponents, too. He worked has as hell for his body, if you didn't know, was a real bigger (wider) boy when he was, let's say, my age.

Oh, and the third half (?) of me says Russell because he looked cool in short shorts, no homo.

Sorry SK but Bill Russell was the greatest defender in the league's history,not just before the 90's

Who did Russell have to block? Guys that I'd probably be able to block (I've rejected guys who were 6'9" and 6'7" that are 13, WOOT).

While guys like Jordan, Payton, Pippen, Olajuwon, Mourning, etc. all had to defend some of the most talented players. Even in the 2000's (where imo there is even more offensive talent) there are defenders like Kobe, Artest, Battier, Payton, Howard, etc. that defend even harder competition.

He was the greatest shot blocker because he mastered 3 things for perfect blocks

1.Perfect Timing
2.Not fouling the shooter
3.Blocking it for his team mates to grab it or himself

He knew exactly when to go up for the block and how to block because he had sense and knew everybody's game on defense.That's right,he had a book on everybody.Where does he usually take his shot attempts from which makes him outstanding and would have been fine blocker in any era he would play.He usually waited for couple of quarters and on couple of plays,he gets 5-6 blocks.I think he would have been outstanding shot blocker in any era however he won\t average 6-8 blocks per game like he did.He would average 3-4

:O
not reading any of that.
you win.