you have to realise that the NBA had really strict rules on illegal dribble back then. 90% of today's crossovers would be a carry or palm or whatever you want to call it. they dribble oddly because they had to
Not only that. They guard and play defense funny, because if you even lightly brush up against an opposing player, it's a foul. It seems like they're more worried about getting a foul, than getting beaten by the guy they're guarding.
Cousy and West are badass. Both were way ahead of their time. Cousy is out there throwing no looks and behind the backs. West is just getting to his spots and draining buckets. Im only 30 but I love watching these old games. Gotta respect the history of this amazing sport.
Jordan. That's it. Oscar may have been a little more well rounded, but to WIN the game, I'll take West. Same in that Magic and Bird were better rebounders and passers than Jordan, but to win, I have to take Jordan.
I was never a giant earl monroe fan because he took alot of nights off,that is he played but didnt always seem interested every night.But rest assured guys like julius erving,rick barry,john havlicek,jerry west,and kareem came to play every night all night.They were relentless and consistantly effective night in and night out just like bird,jordan etc.
Glad to see so many comments defending these players compared to today's players. Yes, obviously, if you took these players exactly as they are with the exact skill sets they possessed at the time and dropped them onto an NBA floor today, they'd be lost. But everything must be taken in the context of its era. Apply their physical, mental, and emotional makeup to the current era and most of these players would today be NBA players, they'd have developed athleticism and skills relevant to today's game. Guys like Russell, Cousy, West, and Baylor would be dominant players. If you took a current NBA player just as he is today and suddenly dropped him onto this floor at this time, HE'D be lost. Every time he dribbled he'd turn the ball over for carrying. Every move to the hoop would result in a turnover for traveling. On defense, he'd foul out in the first quarter.
Y'all must be a damn fool: Sam Jones, Jerry west, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain could play and dominate in any era. They were coached by legends: Frank Maguire, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and they stayed in college for the entire four years. Bob Cousy also could play in any era. Just witness the floor generalship of Cool.
You know, I'm really starting to think that the 60's was an underrated era in NBA history. They actually played good basketball back in that time. The games were up and down and they would put up well over 100 points without a 3 point shot.
Boston and LA yeah wasn’t the case with every time game was really horrible no play calling just coming down chucking up shots bad ones at that the dribbling was limited lol this era wasn’t that good
1962 was the greatest year in NBA history: Wilt's 100 point game and 50.4 ppg average, Oscar's triple-double season average, Russell's MVP award, Elgin scoring 61 pts in the Finals against the Celtics
All this gun control talk there needs to be some junk food control. There able to make original snacks with less sugar & fat but still continue to sell the version that has the original amount of sugar & fat
Well they always emphasized the mid range to the spread the floor. They always shot the ball but there was no 3pter so no incentives to shoot further than 15ft. Outside a few players the nba still played like that until Steph set records in 2016.
Idk how people did not see the parallel, Adrian Dantley avg 30pts for 5 yrs straight shooting 56%, there were a lot more high scoring players that weren’t the Magic or Bird of their era
Russell played incredible in deciding games. This series went to OT in Game 7. Russ played all 53 minutes and for a poor career FT shooter he shot 14-17 from the line.
Russell played his best when it meant the most in game7's: blocked and altered shots, set screens, passes, ran up and down the court non stop. I'd take Russell over today's lazy stretch five, air ball jacking threes any day.
Russell was the hinchpin of the 11 Celtic championships in 13 years. Sam, Hondo, KC, and others had specific roles and refined skills in those roles. Russell, however, was the indispensable, multi-skilled, unequaled force of victory. No other center, including Wilt, had the variety of skills, and the ability to judge the occasion -- and rise to it-- that Russell had. He scored when needed, ran the court & scored when needed, blocked shots, intimidated, passed, set picks, and did whatever necessary to win 11 of 13 championships during his NBA career. Wilt, Mike, Shak, Larry, Kobe, Lebron are all great players -- but none of them came close to achieving what Bill Russell achieved.
Wilt absolutely had the skill set, he just never utilized it in the way that Russell did to where it benefitted the team. That's something that made Bill great, is he knew when to use which skills, and how to enhance everyone else's. Coincidentally, the years that Wilt's teams won titles, he played a lot like Russell, focusing on defense, and rebounds, while allowing other players to step up offensively.
Whew! This video brought tears to my eyes. All of these Celtics were my childhood heroes and everyone you just saw have either their numbers, or nickname (Loscy), hanging from the Garden's rafters.
@johnhebert3855 HUGE ups! for Mr. WALTER A. BROWN. He brought the C`s to level that made the NBA a TOP FLITE! pro sports league. With Brown, none of this would`ve been possible.
Lol Bill Burr talked about this too, he went to some games in the 80s and he went to a recent game and talked about the differences. It would be nice to enjoy an oldschool game Rather than some announcer every few minutes saying EVERYBODY MAAAAAAKE SOME NOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!! People taking in great basketball as it should be
Yeah, sure. Crowds. The "glory" days when average NBA attendance was around 4,000 (even the Celtics only averaged 6,852 during the 1961-62 season). Back when even the NBA Finals wasn't broadcast live.
Exactly what I was thinking. Precision passes (and behind-the-back variety), controlled the tempo, knew where his teammates would be. Cousy was sooooo ahead of his time.
Havlicek only played one season with cousy.And havlicek said all you had to do is move without the ball and cousy would find you even if you were seperated by the whole court.Havlicek said he had scores of easy layups in his rookie year because cousys passes were pinpoint accurate and they never stopped coming.
All the people criticizing these guys.. they were underpaid.. their equipment was shoddy.. a lot of them had to get part time jobs in the offseason to pay the bills.. their nutrition/training wasn't as good. The facilities were bad compared to today. Heck even the rims.. they weren't breakaway so if you didn't get all net the ball was going to go bouncing who knows where. There was no standing around for 20 seconds while someone isolates.. no three point line so people could just clog the lane.. that meant little driving.. No slowly backing your man down while everyone stares at you with their thumbs up their asses. No travelling/palming the ball. In short yes the players today are better athletes.. faster, stronger, taller.. the only thing these players were probably equal to was in endurance, as they simply ran themselves ragged in those days.. but sure, under modern conditions a modern team would easily beat both these teams..under 1960s conditions? A lot closer.. but give these guys credit for what they were able to do at the time.. I mean a top high school decathlete today could probably have won every single event at the 1896 olympics.. so what? Cousy, Russell, West and Baylor could play in the NBA today. Cousy would average 7-8 assists per game.. I'm sure he could learn a decent jump shot; he didn't need one back then. Russell would be one of the top power forwards in the league.. 12rpg.. 2-3 blocks per game.. just as dominating a defensive presence as back then... West would average around 20ppg as a pure shooting guard. Baylor would be a jack of all trades type small forward.. .. a few others might be bench players.. it is what it is.
CapAnson12345 Its not that they wouldnt be good today... Russell would be the best defender in the nba today, and the best player as well. He would still be so much better than everyone else on defense by so much that it wouldnt even be funny But the thing is that people try to say that the 60s was more exciting and the golden age
+Derek, in this game, Russell scored 30 points and had 40 rebounds the greatest Game 7 Finals performance ever! Celts win in OT 110-107.Baylor had 42 and West 35, that is why it is the Golden Age of basketball. The Celts had to beat the Warriors in 7 games as well, 109-107 game 7.
Ankle Bully Fam facts 😂, no disrespect but ain’t none of these damn dudes stopping Lebron or Giannis 💀. I’m pretty sure your average college PG could dribble rings around this defense as well.
Ankle Bully Fam I’d go as low as that too lmfao. I just hate when old head say shit like “Lebron or any other player would get killed in older eras” like wtf, Lebron would single handedly break this era if he went back to play in it 💀💀
Almost all the comments are about comparing then and now. For me, it's just interesting to watch this game on its own merits, as an historical artifact. Who cares that either team would get smoked by any team in the NBA today?
The 1962 Los Angeles Lakers featured two players from my home state of West Virginia. They were Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley. The Lakers' coach Fred Schaus also was the head coach at West Virginia.
I know how many titles they won with and without cousy.Still except for johnson no one and i mean no one could run an offense like those two guys.You think he would not be a star in any era,of course he would!?
@slip satchHey to spoil your man-crush on Cousy (have you ever even seen him play, other than highlights?). But, Oscar, Frazier, Stockton, Isiah, Nash, Lebron, CP3 were/are very good running the offense. The Celtics didn't really "run" an offense. They were free-lance, like all the other teams in the 50s and and mid 60s, that's why they were able to win 5 more championships AFTER Cousy retired. The NBA didn't really start running offenses until the New York Knicks instituted the ball movement offense of Red Holtzman.
Sadly, he might be behind the times. A defensive superstar is basically MIA as far as media attention. Perhaps, you could make an argument for Gobert. But the current rules are working against him.
@@mortenpotzdidler1998 The thing with Russell is he was explosive. He can guard smaller players without much problem and he have the strength to contest stronger traditional centers. Russell is also a cerebral player that he's also a very good passer for his position. There was a season where he averaged 5 assist, which is now typical among PGs.
James Hannon. Take Mr William Felton Russell out of the CELTIC green & they don't win no titles at all. Russ was clearly the HYBRID! that RED needed after Russ's collegiate career was finished at USF when the C's traded for him.
@@petegobeckli1386 YEP! Traded "EASY ED" for RUSS who was drafted by the ST. LOUIS(now ATLANTA) HAWKS. The CELTS scored in bunches between 1950 thru `55. Made the playoffs quite often. They couldn`t STOP! the opposition at crucial junctures of contests. Enter DANNY BIASONE &...the 24 second SHOT CLOCK in 1954.
@@stolensentience well I watched him play live on tv or in person from 1969 on till his retirement and his knees were starting to go on him and he was getting heavier every year.. so he got sort of mechanical.. But in his younger days he appears on film to be as quick fast and graceful as any big man today.. the roles of centers have changed though
@@stolensentience if he was in the paint and driving to the hoop none of today's centers could stop him for very long and he and bill Russell are probably the greatest defenders the game has ever seen... He's certainly the greatest rebounder ever
I believe that's Don Gilles doing play by play for this broadcast. He was a great Boston sports broadcaster for many years. He was also the longtime host of the candlepin bowling show that was shown on channel 5 in Boston from 1958 to around 1995 or 1996. RIP!
WTH?? This game was down to the wire, went into OT, and they cut it off at the 9 minute mark? They don't even bother to show the Celtics celebrating winning the thing? Fail.
@@perezfinichames I've definitely heard the announcers call of Frank Selvy's missed shot on the baseline, though I'm not sure if it was the radio call or the tv call....video footage of it might exist, but it might not necessarily be the broadcast footage that you are seeing here. I remember hearing one of the other Lakers tell the story decades later that every once in a while they would call up Selvy and say, "Hey Frank, nice shot!"
@@perezfinichames No, I've seen it too. I was also there (no kidding--I was 12) seated on the C's left baseline, right behind Selvy when he took that shot. He had a no-spin pumpkin ball delivery. Rebound--Russell
Chamberlain was so quick and strong in his 20s no one today is even close.John havlicek who was 6 5 around 200 or 210 pounds said that wilt was driving on him once he could not stop him so he grabbed the ball with both hands.Then he said wit lifted him up in the air with the ball as he clutched it, and damn near dunked him and the ball together.Thats how powerful he was?!
This is actually a great game, waaay more physical. Also, why do people say these guys couldn't compete today? I'm absolutely convinced they would fare great
Agree on certain conditions. If they grew up studying the game of today? Then yes they would. If you were to transition them from that time period to now? No. Players have spent their whole lives learning a specific way of how to play the game. The athleticism, schemes, shooting, dribbling, style of play is drastically different. However I do believe some players talent transcend eras 💯.
@@julian3560 no doubt some people could do it. But the real thing and argument isnt if they changed amd learned. But whether they as they are could transport to today their game from then to today. Many people feel they were just as good then. Thing is, they weren't. People dont seem to understand that even though wilt is a guy that could play in any era , wouldnt have put up the same numbers in later eras. He would have to play against tougher competition every game , bigger players every game then what he faced then. Not to mention the amount of shot in that style of games led to way more rebounds. They were taking almost 40% more shots a game . Thats 40% more opportunities to get rebounds. The lane was narrower he was bigger then everyone elso its made rebounding and scoring much easier. When the lanes widened, his scoring went down tremendously. Not to mention. They didnt really understand the game overall like people today that growed up learning through others experiences. Also it wasnt a black mans sport in the early 60s. It was still mostly white. Blacks have shown to be better basketball players. So many of those players back then even with todays training and studying of the game could not play today. And if you were a type player that could transcend, you were playing against inferior talent overall back then
@@julian3560 i've changed my opinion a bit since 6 years ago when i wrote that comment, i'd say i agree with you, i'm not sure what i had in mind when writing this but over time i've come to appreciate what kind of special athletes play these days, and how hard they train. wilt might be the only one that wouldnt need the physical training, but he'd need to change up his game slightly.
It would be really ignorant to make fun of these players from the past. The reason why we have competitive NBA today is because of the science developed through years using the data from the players in the past. Never ever make fun of pioneers, they laid the foundation.
A few things that stand out from this game: 1) Elgin Baylor's combo of size and athleticism. He was in some ways the LeBron of his time. 2) Russell's rebounding. Probably his most valuable on-court skill (yeah, he was a great shot-blocker too, but guys didn't attack the rim nearly as much back then). 3) The offensive sets that Red Auerbach ran. Really ahead of their time. 4) How bad the shooting mechanics were for so many players. A guy who could shoot something resembling a modern NBA jumper (for example, Jerry West) had an edge on most of his peers.
Amazing players then on Chuck Taylor Converse shoes..starters West ,Baylor Russell ,Jones these guys would be super stars today aswell.. No.22 .Baylor , looks like he was ahead of his time.. Lakers and Celtics rivals for the next 60 years.
That’s because of the pace of play. It was WAY faster than even the modern game. Check the shooting percentages, and you’ll see that it certainly wasn’t incredible offensive skill.
No he (Nash) wasn't. Mark Price (better, I believe, but didn't have the longevity) said the rules and style allowed Nash to become an MVP. No argument here. Nash and Iverson were unique. But Curry is definitely better than both.
Yeah nash was fun to watch he reminded me alot of pistol pete,The difference was that pistol pete was more talented and pete could shoot from 40 feet out and never miss when he got hot.
I live in Gettysburg, PA. I was hoping to see # 21 Barney Cable of the St. Louis Hawks. I'm having troubles finding any films with my 6' 7 inch friend. At 84, he still plays excellent golf scoring often in the 80's.
What impresses me is how quickly the game evolved. If you go back and watch some NBA videos from the early 50's, it looks like a joke. 10 years later and you can tell, these guy are skilled proffessionals.
I actually found this game entertaining. It's not as good as today's NBA but it's also not as bad as people are saying considering there is no three point line to spread the defense. The lane is clogged. Yeah most guys if not all can't use their left hand but it was competitive.
Can't blame them. Rules back then didn't allow you to dribble sideways, you could only touch the top of the ball. That's why most guys stuck with their dominant hand.
Not as good? It was better. For years the Celtics kept winning because they were a TEAM with the box score for every player who had time in the game was scoring double digits. No ONE player scoring most of the points.
Very interesting footage. Line drive jump shots (not much jump), one handed perimeter shots...off the glass often...and Bill Russell left handed, line drive free throws were money, lol. Felix's granny style free throws, not so much. It's truly amazing how the game and it's mechanics have evolved. Thanks for the vid! (Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were a great 1/2 punch, wrong era).
If you ask me, this looks EXACTLY like a 2013 playoff game: made shots, missed shots, turnovers, rebounds, assists, blocked shots, only 51 years previously.
Btw folks, if u do a search for 'Frank Selvy's shot' or '1962 closest the Lakers came to beating russell' you can see the final play of regulation, which was Selvy's missed jumper from the baseline and Russell 's rebound, sending the game into OT.
A lot of the people missing the whole point of this comparison. Right, the current nba players would kill these players one sided, but that’s because these guys were here playing before them. If it weren’t for these guys, today’s NBA would probably be worse than this. Someone said JR Smith would kill in this era. Right, if his current basketball skills transferred in this era, I wouldn’t doubt he’s gonna be a legend. But if he started playing basketball in this era not knowing anything he does now. He might not even be playing in the NBA. On the other hand, imagine if these legends started playing basketball in the current era, they would still be legend. West, Baylor, Cousy, Russell in this game, they were way ahead of everyone. Something like 10 years or more. Imagine if they were in today’s NBA, we might already be seeing basketball action from 2030’s by now.
Cousy played against Chamberlain who played against Jabbar who played against Jordan who played against Kobe who played against Lebron. The great players would do well in today's game.
Rick Barry shot free throws underhand and made almost 90% of them. Wilt used them as a last resort because his free throw shooting was so poor. Some say it's mechanically superior, i.e. easier to repeat the same motion each time than a one-handed shot, but it's so uncool that nobody uses it.
@@keithsmith4780 BTW Rick Barry at one point was pretty much the only NBA player using the underhand FT method. Other than a teammate of Barry's who learned the technique from him.
Hal15Greer:First,thanks for posting and sharing this particular video. Let's be completely clear. This perticular game(as a whole)had so much to offer. For so many reasons. Exciting game with many other great players and both coaches. Part of the rich NBA history. After watching this,I have a unique question. Why hasn't Richie Powers (one of the 2 on-court referees) been inducted in the Basketball Hall Of Fame by now? He had a long career of officiating NBA games(1956-1979.) His book "Overtime" (during the 1973-74 season) is very insightful as well. What keeps him from being honored in this way? Just wondering,that's all. This is horrible and makes no sense. Hopefully,one day this will change. Once again,thanks for posting and sharing this truly vintage video.
NBC had the contract for the NBA during the 1961-62 season and often paid for the video feed from the local station that carried the broadcasts. WHDH in Boston did the Celtics TV broadcasts then, and it's probably the video feed that NBC used. The video you're seeing probably deteriorated over the years, and it's likely that the final few minutes simply don't exist anymore, if they ever did exist beyond the actual airing of the game. Back in that day, the networks rarely saved tapes of live broadcasts, unless it was a significant event or a technician or bigwig wanted a copy; TV wasn't the cash cow it is now, videotape cost about $300 per half-hour (about $2,300 today) , and the networks freely used tapes over and over to record new content. For this reason, almost all of the Tonight Show from the 1960's is gone; it exists from 1972 on because Johnny Carson insisted it be saved (per contract, he owned the rights to the recordings, but not the name of the show; it now airs on Antenna TV as "Carson"). If if seems odd that Game 7 wasn't saved, consider this: The first Super Bowl (it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game then) was aired by both CBS and NBC. Yet neither network bothered to save a tape of the game, and it was only recently that the NFL managed to piece together the entire game from many different sources.
Bill blocking Wilt from the outside distance area when Wilt took it to try a throw for there and Bill was there and enough to leap or heal up a little or more and swap his ball away !
One thing I noticed here which was unexpected is that players really got in the face of officials in a way that I think would get you a quick T in today's game.
