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Boston Celtics GOAT? Bill Russell or Larry Bird

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 This is a close call. Who is the Greatest-of-All-Time for the Boston Celtics? You can't go wrong with either choice. Let's look at their career stats:


Russ:

15.1PPG - 22.5 RPG - 4.3 APG - .440 FG - .561 FT - 11-time Champion - 5-time MVP

Larry:

24.3 PPG - 10-0 RPG - 6.3 APG - .496 FG - .886 FT - 3-time Champion - 3-time MVP

The numbers, of course, don't tell the whole story. Russell's 11 Title rings are amazing, and five MVPs is impressive. But Russ was not a volume scorer and almost never shot the ball from any distance (as partly evidenced by his 56% accuracy from the foul line.

But Russ gets the nod on athleticism, rim protection and rebounding. And Bird was the better passer. Both stars were true team players and played to win. The NBA has seen few players with their level of fierce intensity.

Remember that the League did not track blocks and 3-pointers in Bill's time, but Celtics fans know who wins each of those categories. I always have a tough time comparing these two Celtics greats, but I might tend to give the GOAT award to Larry - only because he was more of a complete player than Russ.  

Let me know what you think



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