FanHouse BillRussell

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Monday, there are 8 days remaining.

This was the kind of domination that puts to shame the Los Angeles Lakers of this decade and the Chicago Bulls of the '90s. It's something those outstanding teams could only dream about.

It's the kind of domination that professional sports will never ever see again.

The Boston Celtics won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966, the most impressive streak in high-profile team sports, a mind-boggling string that sounds almost mythical today.

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Wednesday, there are 55 days remaining.

There are no cheap records in the NBA. But one of the most eye-popping records Wilt Chamberlain holds, all things considered, is his mark for most rebounds in a game: 55, captured against Bill Russell's Celtics early in the 1960-61 season. The final score of that game (on November 24, 1960) was 132-129.

Interestingly enough, it was Russell's record that Wilt broke. (Russell had 51 rebounds against the Syracuse Nationals late in the 1959-60 season.) But as was so often the case in the Wilt/Russell rivalry, while Wilt got the record, Russell got the win.

Shaquille O'Neal may be headed to Cleveland or may team with Amar'e Stoudemire to push the Lakers in the Pacific Division next year. Either way, it appears his beef with Kobe Bryant is officially over.

After the Lakers cruised to a 99-86 win for their 15th NBA championship and Bryant's first without O'Neal, the Big Aristotle gave props to Kobe via Twitter:

John Wooden is, without question, one of the greatest college basketball coaches to ever set foot on the hardwood. A (seriously) spry 96 years old, Coach Wooden was kind of enough to take some time out of his Championship Monday to speak with FanHouse. From his upcoming Gatorade commercial (it debuts tonight, you can get a sneak preview of it here), to how he feels about the money and attention that college coaches receive, to who he has pegged to win Monday night's big game, Coach Wooden had plenty to say. Hit the jump to read the full interview.

Dwight Howard is on the verge of making history and no one seems to notice. He's averaging 2.9 blocks and 14.0 rebounds a game, putting him on pace to become not only the youngest player to lead the league in blocked shots (beating out Marcus Camby by nearly a year) but also only the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Sports By Brooks: Dr. J. will not take a photo with you if you think he's Bill Russell.

2. Sactown Royalty: Ron Artest may opt out after all.

3. Hardwood Paroxysm: Fight Ubuntu: the screenplay.

4. Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Gary Payton and Xavier McDaniel address 3,000 people rallying outside the Sonics trial.

5. Joe Sports Fan: Excellent analysis of the non-celebrity Laker fan demographic.

6. PJStar.com, via SLAM: Shaun Livingston is dunking again.