Bill Russell’s top five performances against the Detroit Pistons

Bill Russell’s top-5 games against the Detroit Pistons

No. 3: Bill Russell lights up the Pistons 

March 25th 1960 was a night to remember for the most prolific winner in NBA history. He flat out dominated the opposition. His scoring, defensive effort, and rebounding set the tone for the Celtics.

The Pistons couldn’t find a answer as he went on to score 29 points, on 12/17 shooting. For the modern day fan who looks at player’s efficiency he was 70 percent from the field in this game., showing off a scoring ability not often associated with the Hall of Fame player. He also tallied 28 rebounds in one of his most well-rounded games.

These type of stats became normal to the legendary sports figure, however the extraordinary numbers shouldn’t be overlooked. These are the type of games that catapulted the Celtics to their 11 championships during Bill’s stint with the organization in only thirteen seasons.

No. 2: Playoff Russell was something special

Game one of the 1968 NBA semi-finals had the Pistons facing off against the Celtics. The Pistons were poised to show they were legit and ready to take a step towards NBA prominence. Unfortunately Bill Russell wasn’t willing to let that happen on his watch.

Bill came out and put on a basketball clinic. Dave Debusschere tried to withstand the onslaught that day going for a astonishing 19 points 24 rebounds and 4 assists for the young Pistons team. However Mr. Russell finished with a mind boggling 34 rebounds to go with his 15 points and 9 assists taking over when they needed him most.

This led to a big game one score of 123-116, as Russell edged out the Detroit Pistons and seized control of the series. The Detroit Pistons would win two games before eventually losing the series in six games.