Quote:
Originally Posted by BadBaronRudigor
As Red Auerbach himself said, Cousy was a flashy little no defense showboat. He dominated in a weak period (as did Neil Johnston for that matter) but was an inefficient scorer and poor defender. His only real competition at the time was Guy Rodgers who was basically Cousy without scoring and flashy inefficient scorers are always overrated. A step up from Maravich and Iverson (who also got an MVP) because of his ability to set up others but more on their level than that of the elite PGs like Magic, Oscar, Frazier, Stockton, etc. More along the lines of Tim Hardaway.
And yes, when comparing head to head in the GOAT competition, I give Russell the edge over West, Baylor, Pettit, etc. because his teams won just like I give MJ the nod over Drexler, Karl Malone, Hakeem, David Robinson because his teams won. Is it everything . . . no (sorry Robert Horry) . . . is it one of the main factors, yes . . . as important as statistical domination of any category. Wilt v. Russell: I don't see a strong edge for Wilt in any category except scoring and I think the head to head wins, consistently, every year but 66-67, irregardless of the relative talent levels around them, irregardless of the head coach (Russell was the coach for the last two titles), more than makes up for the scoring edge. Wilt to me is #3 in GOAT, though he is certainly the most talented and dominant player of all time and the guy I would draft first if starting an all-time team (as I did the last time we did one, lol).
But I certainly don't think anyone that disagrees and values Wilt's dominance, or MJ's modern era accomplishments, or even Kareem's longevity and lack of weaknesses in the GOAT competition is foolish (not JUST for that anyway) . . . .the same doesn't go for the LeBron/Kobe/Iverson is GOAT types though . . . so be warned.
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From Bob Cousy's nba.com profile:
"Cousy was the heart and soul of a team of stars that featured Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Bill Sharman, and Satch Sanders"
"In 1960, after admiring his play for a decade, former New York Knicks Coach Joe Lapchick called Cousy the best player of all time. After Cousy retired, Celtics owner Walter Brown told a Boston newspaper that "the Celtics wouldn't be here without him. If he had played in New York, he would have been as big as Babe Ruth. I think he is anyway."
""What Russell was on defense, that's what Cousy was on offense -- a magician. Once that ball reached his hands, the rest of us just took off, never bothering to look back.
-- Former Celtic great Tommy Heinsohn"
"The rambunctious rookie almost single-handedly drew fans into the Garden, although Auerbach was still unimpressed with Cousy's flair."
"Until he retired in 1963, Cousy was the one player who brought it all together for Boston with his brilliant playmaking and court savvy. "
"At age 35, Cousy retired as a player. Even his final moments on the court were spent basking in Celtics glory. His last regular-season game became known as "the Boston Tear Party." Cousy was rendered speechless by emotion during a 20-minute farewell statement that was supposed to last only seven minutes. Then a voice cried out from the sold-out Boston Garden, "We love ya, Cooz." Those words from Joe Dillon, a city water worker and certifiable Celtics nut, broke the tension and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
President John Kennedy wired to Cousy: "The game bears an indelible stamp of your rare skills and competitive daring."
Also to note, a gamous Hondo quote: "I made a living off of Bob Cousy!"