The document discusses Bill Russell's experience playing in the 1965 NBA championship series as a member of the Boston Celtics. Russell describes moments in some games where both teams would rise to an unprecedented level of play, becoming more than just a physical contest and achieving a "magical" state where they were intensely competitive yet playing beautifully together. As an example, the document highlights the fourth quarter of the fifth game where the Celtics went on a 20-0 run to blow open a close game and win the championship, yet Russell wished the opposing Lakers had played better to help the Celtics reach their highest level.

1. Thumbs

2. Three Thumbs

3. Thumb Circuits

4. Playing well together
The experience of Coliberation

6. Bill Russell – Boston Celtics

7. From: Second Wind: Memoirs of an
Opinionated Man
Every so often a Celtic game would heat up so that it became more than a
physical or even mental game, and would be magical... When it happened I could
feel my play rise to a new level. It came rarely, and would last anywhere from five
minutes to a whole quarter or more….It would surround not only me and the
other Celtics but also the players on the other team, and even the referees. To
me, the key was that both teams had to be playing at their peaks, and they had
to be competitive. The Celtics could not do it alone. I remember the fifth and
final game of the 1965 championship series, when we opened the fourth quarter
ahead of the Lakers by sixteen points, playing beautifully together, and then we
simply took off into unknown peaks and ran off twenty straight points to go up
by thirty-six points, and astounding margin for a championship series. We were
on fire, intimidating, making shots, running the break, and the Lakers just
couldn’t score. As much as I wanted to win that championship, I remember being
disappointed that the Lakers were not playing better. We were playing well
enough to attain that special level, but we couldn’t do it without them.

9. Communities of Play
The Sports Community
The rules and officials
decide if the players are
good enough to play. If
not, they change players.

10. Communities of Play
The Sports Community The FUN Community
The rules and officials The players decide if the
decide if the players are game is fun enough to
good enough to play. If play. If not, they change
not, they change players. the rules.

12. The Lap Game

13. People Pass

14. Rock/Scissors/Paper Tag

15. Rock/Scissors/Paper Tag

16. A New Games Event

17. Coliberation
• Document, explore,
define, expand
• Online and off
• In fun, love, social
change
• In school, at work,
playground and battlefield
• Between friends and
strangers, communities
and cultures, species and
planet, we and me

18. Twoddling