Just prior to the very first game in which he would coach Bill Russell, Red Auerbach is said to have pulled the rookie aside for a brief heart-to-heart chat in which the GOAT-to-be acknowledged a bit of apprehension regarding his offensive capabilities and the wily teacher assured his prize pupil that, when negotiating a contract, the only “numbers” that mattered would be the W’s and L’s.
The youngster’s sub-50% Free-Throw shooting made that appear to be a good deal; Russ was only 56% (60%, post-season) for his career from the charity stripe …
… but did you know that Red’s Rook posted the league’s fifth-best Field Goal percentage that season (albeit a rather paltry .