Looking at Bill Russell's teammates help in the Finals.

[coastalmarker99]

1957 vs. Hawks

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST

44.0%, 101.8, 46.7, 19.3 Russell's teammates


44.8%, 79.9, 42.6, 18.3 Pettit's teammates

Russ received more help in 3 of 4 categories, plus one virtually tied.

So Russ received more help from his teammates in the 1957 Finals than Pettit did.





1958 vs. Hawks:

Russell missed to 2 of 6 games, so stats just from the 4 that Russell played in

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
47.6%, 99.3, 46.5, 20.5 Russ's teammates
46.1%, 76.5, 39.8, 19.0 Pettit's teammates

Russell received more help from his teammates in all 4 categories.



1959:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
46.7%, 112.5, 44.3, 23.2 Russ's mates
44.6%, 88.7, 55.2, 16.1 Baylor's mates (inc. Mikkelsen)
42.1%, 90.5, 54.7, 17.6 Mikkelsen's (inc. Baylor)

Baylor was the best Laker, but Mikkelsen was C.

Either way, Russell's teammates were better in 3 of 4 categories.


1960 vs. Hawks:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
44.6%, 96.4, 39.1, 17.6 Russell's teammates
46.0%, 79.6, 42.7, 21.1 Pettit's teammates

Pettit's mates (led by Hagan) gave Pettit more help in 3 of 4 categories than Russell's mates did.

First Finals (of 4) that Russell received less help from teammates.



1961 vs. Hawks:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
47.8%, 103.4, 45.0, 21.6 Russell's teammates
41.8%, 80.2, 44.4, 18.4 Pettit's team mates

Russell received more help from his supporting cast in all 4 categories, including big leads in TS% & PTS.


1962 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
46.8%, 94.8, 34.6, 21.4 Russ's mates
48.0%, 73.0, 40.1, 15.6 Baylor's mates

Russ's mates > in PTS & AST.
Baylor's mates > in TS% & TRB.

Close, leaning towards Russ's mates bc they had bigger leads in PTS & AST



1963 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
44.2%, 91.3, 35.5, 18.2 Russ's mates
49.4%, 79.4, 40.5, 13.4 Baylor's mates

Very close. Each set of teammates has a big advantage in 2 categories.

I'm judging it as a tie.


1964 vs. Warriors:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
46.5%, 94.0, 35.4, 18.8 Russ' mates
41.7%, 72.0, 34.2, 15.2 Wilt's mates

Russ' mates > Wilt's mates in all 4 categories, including big advantages in TS%, PTS, and AST.

Russ got way more help from his supporting cast than Wilt did.



1965 vs. Lakers is difficult bc Baylor was hurt and missed the series.

So the comparison of the two leading players is between two players with very different skill sets: Russell and Jerry West.

So the Russ vs Gene Wiley (Lakers' C) might be better, even though Wiley was no West




1965 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
45.5%, 105.6, 38.2, 18.8 Russ's mates
49.4%, 77.0, 52.6, 16.4 West's mates (inc. Wiley)
49.7%, 103.2, 40.4, 17.8 Wiley's Mates (inc. West)


I'll call it a tie:

Russ's vs. West's split 2 categories each.

Russ's mates close to Wiley's.




1966 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
48.7%, 94.5, 37.1, 17.3 Russ's mates
51.4%, 89.6, 37.9, 18.7 Baylor's mates

Close stats. But Baylor's mates gave him more help than Russ's did in 3 of 4 categories, so Baylor got more help.




1968 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
52.2%, 98.7, 33.7, 16.5 Russ's mates
50.4%, 88.3, 44.3, 18.4 Baylor's mates

Each set of mates leads in 2 categories.
Calling this a tie.


1969 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
47.6%, 96.7, 34.3, 14.1 Russ's mates
49.1%, 94.6, 35.7, 18.6 Wilt's mates

3 of 4 categories close.
But overall, Wilt's mates (led by Jerry West) > Russ's mates.



In Summary: Finals, 1957-1969

Russell received more help from his teammates than the leading opposing player did from his teammates:
1957
1958
1959
1961
1962 (close)
1964

Russell received equal help:
1963
1965
1968

Russ had less help:
1960 (close)
1966 (close)
1969 (close)

Overall: 6-3-3

[72-10]

Wow, if what you say is true looks like Bill had way more help than the invincible Wilt. Anyone who picks Bill over Wilt would be an unreasonable, flippin moron. I would bet you're quite keen to see Wilt's stats.

[ImKobe]

He did have the most help out of anyone in his era by a decent margin, but he still performed at the highest level in the biggest games & was the first black athlete to do so, and he paved the way for everyone else, and should get the respect for it. He was also mentally in Wilt's head by "befriending" him to gain a competitive advantage, which should be taken into account as well.

[kawhileonard2]

Russell came into the league playing with the Rookie of the Year and League MVP winner.

[Sulico]

So your point is: whether more help or less help, Bill Russell won either way.

Yeah, we know. Thats why he's so great.

[HylianNightmare]

Looks like the goat to me

[jlip]

Russell won as the favorite, as the underdog, with home court advantage, without home court advantage, with Red Auerbach as his coach, while coaching himself, while leading his team in scoring in the Finals when necessary, while leading his team in assists in the Finals when necessary, while leading his team in rebounds always. From his senior year of high school until his last season in the NBA, his team ended with a championship every year except for a Finals that he got hurt and missed half the games and one GOAT season/ performance by a fellow GOAT player.

I was amazed at how a few years ago the 1960 and 1992 Olympic teams were inducted into the basketball hall of fame because they were considered the greatest collection of amateur and professional talent on one team respectively, but Russell's 1956 Olympic team actually holds the record for the largest margin of victory in the Olympics, and they were not inducted. The only future hall of famers on that team were Russell himself and K.C. Jones who is only in the hall of fame because he played with Russell. He was never a NBA all star.

[iamgine]

1960 vs. Hawks:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
44.6%, 96.4, 39.1, 17.6 Russell's teammates
46.0%, 79.6, 42.7, 21.1 Pettit's teammates

Pettit's mates (led by Hagan) gave Pettit more help in 3 of 4 categories than Russell's mates did.

First Finals (of 4) that Russell received less help from teammates.

1966 vs. Lakers:

TS%, PTS, TRB, AST
48.7%, 94.5, 37.1, 17.3 Russ's mates
51.4%, 89.6, 37.9, 18.7 Baylor's mates

Close stats. But Baylor's mates gave him more help than Russ's did in 3 of 4 categories, so Baylor got more help.

lol how does he receive less help when his teammates outscored the opponent by 17 pts :lol