(Editor's note: This story was published before the 2022-23 NBA season as part of The Sporting News' 6 for No. 6 series.)

I didn't grow up watching Bill Russell. I didn't even grow up watching Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan.

A 1990s baby, my introduction to the NBA was Tracy McGrady sucking the gravity right out of the building, Kobe Bryant challenging Wilt Chamberlain's scoring records on what felt like a nightly basis and Tim Duncan toying with teams one fundamentally sound bank shot at a time.

That's not to say I'm not well aware of how dominant Russell was, because every NBA fan is. His resume speaks for itself and his greatness pops even in the grainiest of YouTube videos. There's just no substitute for, you know, actually watching a game from start to finish.

Fortunately, the new and improved NBA App features classic games from all 30 teams, giving people like myself an opportunity to see what Russell was like at the peak of his powers.

With that in mind, let's take a trip back to Game 6 of the 1963 NBA Finals.

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What was at stake in Game 6 of the 1963 NBA Finals?

The Celtics entered Game 6 of the 1963 NBA Finals with a 3-2 series lead over the Lakers, putting them a win away from their fifth straight championship.

How did Bill Russell play in Game 6 of the 1963 NBA Finals?

Tom Heinsohn (22), Tom Sanders (18), Bob Cousy (18) and John Havlicek (18) led the Celtics in scoring, but Russell flirted with a triple-double by scoring 12 points, pulling down 24 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.

It wasn't enough to earn Russell Finals MVP because ... that wasn't a thing back then. The first Finals MVP award was handed out in 1969 and it was later named after Russell in honor of him winning so dang much.

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What I learned watching Bill Russell for the first time

Bill Russell really was a monster defensively

Russell's fingerprints were all over this game. For starters, he pulled down 24 rebounds, many of which came on the defensive end. (The Lakers' Gene Wiley had the next-most rebounds with 14.) The NBA didn't start recording blocks until after Russell retired, but by my count, he racked up eight blocks in this one.

You read that right — eight whole blocks.

For what it's worth, that would be tied for the second-most ever in a Finals game. Only Dwight Howard (9) has ever had more. Had blocks been recorded in Russell's day, there's a good chance he would have his name next to a lot more records.

Russell wasn't some stiff, either. While the Celtics did play him like a traditional center by having him hang around the basket, his instincts and awareness were second to none, and he was lightning-quick off the floor.

This particular play stood out to me:

Jerry West had himself a game — 32 points, nine assists, seven rebounds — but even he struggled to score over Russell's long reach. (Five of Russell's blocks came at West's expense.) West's fake would've gotten most bigs out of their shoes. Not Russell. He didn't bite and proceeded to smother West with his massive 7-foot-4 wingspan.

Russell's eight blocks are even more impressive considering he committed only three fouls. And honestly, at least one of those calls was questionable.

I don't know about you, but this doesn't look like a foul to me:

So yeah, Russell could've easily had nine blocks in this game. There were also a number of times when players didn't even challenge him because they knew it wouldn't end well for them. He was as disruptive and intimidating around the basket as advertised.

Bill Russell was self-aware

Russell finished with nine assists in Game 6. He wasn't picking the Lakers apart like an old-school Nikola Jokic, but he did all of the small things that helped Boston flow offensively.

Most notably, he was an outlet machine.

Whenever Russell pulled down a board — which, as we already established, happened often — he was looking to ignite Boston's transition game by giving up the ball as quickly as possible.

Russell didn't get credited with an assist on this possession, and yet it was his quick-hitter that started it all:

The Celtics used Russell a couple of ways in the halfcourt. If he wasn't standing at the top of the free throw line to run handoffs, he was likely setting up shop in the post, where he was a threat to bust out a skyhook or kick it out to a shooter.

Russell wasn't known for his scoring ability, but his unselfishness — he attempted only 12 shots in Game 6, of which he made five — empowered the likes of Bob Cousy and John Havlicek, who are among the leading scorers in NBA history.

There's something to be said about knowing your strengths and limitations.

"[Russell said], 'What I do best is defend and rebound, so I'm going to completely focus on that. Let Cousy handle the ball. Let Sam [Jones] be the shooter, Havlicek be the shooter,'" Kobe Bryant once told Jemele Hill. "And I thought that was a very, very insightful thing that I used in how I was able to go on and win those two championships [after Shaquille O'Neal left the Lakers]."

Bill Russell had a non-stop motor

You want to know something crazy? Russell played all 48 minutes in Game 6. In fact, he only sat for one minute in the entire series. Pace was significantly higher in the 1960s than it is now, so not taking a single breather would've required some serious conditioning.

Athletically, Russell was on another level, and he sure wasn't afraid to let people know that:

In 56 I could have made the Olympics in high jump but turned it down to play basketball instead we could only play one sport then. Track and Field News ranked me #7 high jumper in the world, I was ranked #2 in the US @ the time. @celtics @NBA pic.twitter.com/6FqZjiMlhG

— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 17, 2020

Bill Russell was the ultimate winner

Spoiler: Boston won the game.

In defeating the Lakers, Russell and the Celtics captured their fifth straight championship. They went on to win three more consecutive titles, all of which Russell was a part of.

Those weren't the only championships Russell won. He finished with 11 in his career, the most all-time.

Records are made to be broken, but considering the most championships a non-Celtic has ever won is seven, there's a good chance nobody will come close to Russell's 11 rings.

That's a testament to Russell's greatness. He is one of one.