Jerry West had a difficult time when he faced the Boston Celtics. And that’s because of the defensive presence of Bill Russell. According to the Logo, the secret to scoring over Russell is to make sure you see him before throwing up a shot.

A defensive menace
"Unless you really knew how to play against Bill Russell, he was a menace out there," West said. "It took me two years to figure it out. You always had to see him before you drove. If you didn't see him, you better look to pass the ball. And so that took away a lot of layups, lots of really close attempts to the basket. And he always seemed to... he was an amazing shot blocker. Michael, he was like the plastic man," West told Michael Cooper via the NBA History & Legends on CLNS.

West has always been gracious towards his foes, even his toughest ones. He’s not your typical old head who harbors ill feelings towards their opponents decades later.

NBA Finals record
West guided the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances. His only championship came in 1972 when they beat the New York Knicks in five games. Out of his eight losses, six were at the hands of Bill Russell’s mighty Celtics.

Some haters have brought up West’s mediocre 1-8 NBA Finals record, especially after he defended LeBron James’ own Finals record. Though West played in the 1960s and 1970s, when winning a championship didn’t completely define a player, he became a target of today’s NBA ring culture.

Despite this, most people have the utmost respect for him. His career as a player didn’t yield as many rings as possible. However, his career as an executive is considered one of the best — if not the greatest in history.

He was the one who traded for the 17-year-old Kobe Bryant and paired him up with Shaquille O’Neal. He was also an executive board member when the Golden State Warriors reigned supreme. And finally, he was the one who lured Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to the LA Clippers.