People say it was the greatest individual rivalry they’ve ever seen. I agree with that. Let me assure you that if either Wilt’s or Russ’ coach had ever told one of them he couldn’t guard the other guy, he would have lost that player forever.
BILL RUSSELLRemember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you’ve got him.
More Bill Russell Quotes
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Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
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I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of really smart people. The thing that strikes me most about them is how they continue to explore and learn every day. I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well.
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To me, the most important part of winning is joy. You can win without joy, but winning that’s joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you’re not hungry. Joy is a current of energy in your body, like chlorophyll or sunlight, that fills you up and makes you naturally want to do your best.
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I think that David Stern is probably the greatest commissioner that any sport has ever had in the history of this country.
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The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
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What’s more important than who’s going to be the first black manager is who’s going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.
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Friendship is a full-time job.
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Heart in champions has to do with the depth of our motivation and how well your mind and body react to pressure – that is, being able to do what you do best under maximum pain and stress.
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The magic to a great meeting is all of the work that’s done beforehand.
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Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.
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Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
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Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.
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If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it’s not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
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We overreached our decision power. Sometimes our decisions have to fit the reality of the outside world.
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The morale and the camaraderie that we had for one another earlier in the year is starting to come under duress because of all the losses. Some of the guys are feeling the pressure now from the last year when they were not successful.
BILL RUSSELL