Top 10 scorers of all-time in NBA Finals

#6 Bill Russell

Bill Russell (Image Courtesy: SI.com)

While he is remembered as arguably the greatest Defensive player of all time, Bill Russell was a capable scorer. Despite never being the focal point of the offense, Russell managed to average a respectable 15.1 PPG over his career. His arrival in 1956 changed everything for a Celtics squad which had always come short in the playoffs. Russell provided terrific rim protection, rebounding and was a brilliant outlet passer, igniting the fast break which the Celtics introduced as a potent offensive scheme.

It's surprising to know that Russell actually led the Celtics in scoring in 2 of the Finals, in 1962 and in 1966 where he averaged 23.6 PPG. After the 1966 Finals, Russell took over as player-coach and it would mark the only season of his career where he didn't reach the Finals. The Celtics, however, would bounce back to win back to back titles in 1968 & 69 after which he retired and stepped down as coach. In total, Russell played 13 years in the NBA, reached 12 Finals and won 11 of them while scoring 1151 points.