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In this hypothetical situation.

Say that Russell is drafted by the Celtics in 69-70 and stays there for the rest of his career.

I believe the following would have occurred

1 Kareem still wins in 1971.

2 Russell and Kareem face off in the finals with Russell beating him in 1974.

3 Boston 4 peats from 1973 to 1976.

4 Russell steals some of Kareem's MVP's.

5 Kareem destroys Russell in their H2H more then Wilt did.

As I think Russell's quickness and smarts wouldn't have bothered Kareem that much as Kareem struggled against centers who used their size and strength against him like Wilt and Nate

The biggest change is that think both are viewed as greater players.

Russell wins fewer titles then he did in reality but he wins more rebounding titles and his defensive impact would earn even more praise with his steals and blocks being tracked.

Kareem's game probably benefits from having a rival to challenge his dominance as he would have far more motivation.


Furthermore

Wilt probably finishes his career 7 to 8 rings and 6 MVP's with no Russell to stop him in the 1960's.

But I do wonder if he would be viewed as more of a Mikan/type of pioneer, and discredited among fans and pundits as the ultimate vulture who took full advantage of a weak era with his only rival being a white guard in West.

I do wonder through if the 76ers four peat from 1965 to 1968

If guys such as Luke Jackson and Wally Jones would get in the hall of fame as if Wilt stays with the 76ers past 1968.


Luke Jackson may have not hurt his Achilles (perhaps due to the weight he put on to play the center as a result of Wilt's departure) and who knows how good he might have been.


People who have seen that team will testify that Wilt/Luke were easily the strongest F-C combo in the history of the NBA and Luke would (like Chamberlain) make a habit of tossing Hall Of Fame centers like Reed & Bellamy around like feathers.

Word is Willis used to tremble at the mere sight of Luke Jackson in the MSG tunnel pre-game.

I think it would be very exciting, big man duels are something I love in basketball.

I can't make any legitimate estimations of the numbers of rings though. Way too many variables.

I also don't think it's a given that Wilt would have 7-8 rings without Russell in the 1960s. The only "sure one" I see is 1965 with Baylor injury. The rest are much more debatable, with Wilt having to face healthy Lakers in 1962, 1966 and 1968, along with Hawks in 1960, Royals in 1964 and Knicks in 1969.

70sFan wrote:I think it would be very exciting, big man duels are something I love in basketball.

I can't make any legitimate estimations of the numbers of rings though. Way too many variables.

I also don't think it's a given that Wilt would have 7-8 rings without Russell in the 1960s. The only "sure one" I see is 1965 with Baylor injury. The rest are much more debatable, with Wilt having to face healthy Lakers in 1962, 1966 and 1968, along with Hawks in 1960, Royals in 1964 and Knicks in 1969.

Assuming everything else remains the same, Warriors have a great shot to win in 1960 & the Sixers powerhouse from 1965-68 likely 4-peats or 5 peats if Wilt stays past 1968.

While the Warriors winning in 1962 and 1964 is also likely


Looking at the estimated SRS and regular season head to head data, there is nobody touching the Sixers from 1965-68.

The Royals were roughly an equal team to the Warriors in 1964, and had done fairly well against them in the regular season but Wilt historically owned them.


Furthermore the Sixers from 1965-68 were clearly better than any team aside from Boston, including the Lakers.

The Lakers throughout the 60's had a worse estimated SRS than Wilt's teams and in head to head matchups from 1966-68 (with West playing) they lost to the Sixers by a greater margin than they did to the Celtics.


SRS Chart

-note the 1965 data is skewed due to Wilt's midseason trade. We know they defeated the Royals in 1st round and most certainly would have beaten the Lakers in the finals with no Baylor.







Lakers/Royals vs. Warriors/Sixers Head-to-Head Regular Season (games with West/Oscar playing):


1961-62 Royals

vs. Warriors (8 Games)
Record: 3-5
Point Margin: +0.5 ppg


1961-62 Lakers

vs. Warriors (9 Games)
Record: 6-3
Point Margin: -0.6 ppg




1963-64 Royals

vs. Celtics (12 Games)
Record: 7-5
Point Margin: +0.2 ppg

vs. Warriors (9 Games)
Record: 5-4
Point Margin: +2.5 ppg



1963-64 Lakers

vs. Celtics (9 Games)
Record: 3-6
Point Margin: -8.0 ppg

vs. Warriors (12 Games)
Record: 5-7
Point Margin: -3.9 ppg




1965-66 Lakers

vs. Celtics (9 Games)
Record: 2-7
Point Margin: -0.8 ppg

vs. Sixers (10 Games)
Record: 2-8
Point Margin: -6.4 ppg



1967-68 Lakers


vs. Celtics (5 Games)
Record: 2-3
Point Margin: +4.4 ppg

vs. Sixers (4 Games)
Record: 2-2
Point Margin: +0.5 ppg[/quote]

It would be really fascinating to watch how Russell handled Kareem's skyhook and also handled him in the post.

As Kareem was 7,3 and would have a huge height advantage over Russell while being a more skilled offensive player then Wilt.

Probably much the same way Wilt did. Kareem would have won the individual matchups handily, Russell would have had the greater influence on the play of the 8 other players on the court. Without knowing what players Russell had around him, it's tough to say which comes off winning.