Jan. 16, 1963 - Bill Russell (center with Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn) scored 19 points, hauled in 24 rebounds, and blocked a myriad of shots as the Eastern Division upset the West, 115-108, tonight in the 13th annual NBA All Star game. “Russell just dominated the game,” said the West’s coach, Fred Schaus of the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell also dominated the most valuable-player voting. He won this award for the first time in his six All-Star appearances. The 6-foot-10-inch center, along with two slick ball-handling guards, Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati and Bob Cousy of Boston, stunned the West, which opened the game with what was billed as the greatest offensive lineup in basketball history. The result, before a crowd of 14,838 at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, snapped a two-game Western winning streak. The East took a 9-4 edge in the series. The West opened with Wilt Chamberlain, averaging nearly 48 points a game for San Francisco, at center; Walt Bellamy of Chicago and Bob Pettit of St. Louis at forward; Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, both of Los Angeles, at guards. But the smaller, quicker Easterners harassed the West on defense and outran them on offense.
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