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Re: Bird vs Russell




On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, Josh Ozersky wrote:

> Let's hear some stories!

I'm afraid I've never seen him play (heck, I wasn't *born* until after he
retired!) but I did read both of his books.  _Go Up For Glory_ was written
during his career, around 1965 or so I think, and _Second Wind_ was
written in the (late?) seventies.

One of the things I found interesting was how much study he put into the
game.  In his books, he descibes working with K.C. Jones on discovering
that the eye has a blind spot, and they would practice finding the
positions on the floor that would put them in the blind spot of a
defender.  Another fascinating thing I read and have never heard anywhere
since, was Russell found he could reach farther by jumping straight up and
extending his arm out, rather than jumping at an angle with his entire
body straight.  I'm sure this kept him from picking up fouls, too.  Not
only do today's shotblockers *not* do this, they are also completely
content, if not proud, to swat a shot into the fifth row rather than try
to control the ball and get possession.

Highly recommended reading, if they should cross your path.

Dan