When it comes to great descriptions of what it's like to play from the Zone, this one takes the cake. It's found in Bill Russell’s biography entitled Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man. Here it is:
“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 would surround not only me and the other Celtics but also the players on the other team and even the referees. . . .
“It usually began when 3 or 4 of the 10 guys on the floor would heat up . . . The feeling would spread to the other guys, and we’d all levitate. Then the game would just take off, and there’d be a natural ebb and flow that reminded you of how rhythmic and musical basketball is supposed to be.
“I’d find myself thinking, This is it. I want this to keep going, and I’d actually be rooting for the other team . . .
“At that special level all sorts of odd things happened. The game would be in a white heat of competition, and yet somehow I wouldn’t feel competitive—which is a miracle in itself. I’d be putting out the maximum effort . . . yet I never felt pain.
“The game would move so quickly every fake, cut, and pass would be surprising, and yet nothing could surprise me.
“There have been many times in my career when I felt moved or joyful but these were the moments I had chills pulsating up and down my spine. (These spells) were sweet when they came, and the hope that one would come was one of my strongest motivations for walking out there….
“On 5 or 10 occasions when the game ended at that special level, I literally did not care who had won. If we lost, I’d still be as free and high as a sky hawk.”