Cross-era · careers 2 years apart

Dave Cowens vs Bill Russell

Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 2 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dave Cowens was the higher-volume scorer (17.6 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Dave Cowens was the more efficient scorer (49.5% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Dave CowensStatBill Russell
17.6 Points / game 15.1
13.6 Rebounds / game 22.5
3.8 Assists / game 4.3
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.0
45.9% Field goal % 44.0%
0.7% 3-point % 0.0%
78.5% Free throw % 56.1%
49.5% True shooting % 47.1%
766 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dave CowensStatBill Russell
1.69× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.82× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.63× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.

Playoff averages

Dave CowensStatBill Russell
18.9 Points / game 16.2
14.4 Rebounds / game 24.9
3.7 Assists / game 4.7
0.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.0
45.3% Field goal % 42.7%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
76.4% Free throw % 59.9%
89 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Dave CowensStatBill Russell
1 MVP awards 5
0 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 11
6 All-Star selections 12
0 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#51 All-time GOAT rank #5

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