Dennis Johnson dies

As someone who grew up in the '80s hating the Celtics (/bitter Hawks fan), this news makes me feel sad and old at the same time. D.J. was a great player (forgot he was on the other end of the Bird steal) on a team of great players. RIP :-[

On a lighter note, I have to chuckle remembering what a bunch of ugly dudes those Celtics were. They had game, no doubt, but yikes, it was like watching a bunch of Frankenstein monsters go up and down the floor!

 

That NEVER got old!!!!!

I remember Game 4 well. Guy I went to college with (who later on went to work for NBC Sports as a cameraman) had Lakers season seats up in the colonnade, not that far from Jerry Buss' box. Took me and two other guys to one of the Portland games in the West semifinals, then to Game 4.

I can see Johnson taking the ball and pulling up at the top of the key, the ball leaving his hands and hitting nothing but net as the buzzer sounded. And after I uttered "Son of a BITCH!" I can remember the absolute life being sucked out of the Forum before the ball hit the ground.

 

Pretty good column up by Simmons:


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070222

 

Yes it is, although largely because he's a Celtics honk, he doesn't give Michael Cooper enough credit for being a defensive standout. He did the same thing DJ did -- make opposing players seize up like clams.

The column, however, is a good and solid read otherwise.

 

When God designed a human ass made for posting up, he gave it to DJ.
Game 4 of the '85 finals...what a story. My GF at the time was a yooge Celts fan, bouncing off the walls. With LA up eight in the third quarter, I tried to convince her the Celts were coming back, and she yelled at me, "How can you just sit there and say they're gonna win? They suck!" and stormed off to the kitchen. Knowing the temper she had, I did not follow. Finally, with about a minute left, she comes back in, apologizes, and asks me the score. I tell her it's tied, and she's back out to the kitchen, not to return until she heard me going apeshit over DJ's buzzer beater.
This relationship lasted another 2-3 weeks. I married someone who doesn't give a rat's ass about sports.

 

Way too much of his horseshit certitude .... again.

But a decent column.

 

Dennis Johnson was my favorite NBA player. I liked the way he played. I liked the way he ran the Celtics as they made that title run.
In college I always wore No. 3 on my fraternity's intramural basketball team as my own little tribute.
I haven't kept up with the NBA. I actually thought he was already in the Hall of Fame. I thought all of the players on the old Celtics teams were in.
And I didn't know he was coaching D-League. I might have tried to make a game he was coaching and came up with some made-up interview request to visit with him after. Just to tell him how much I thought of him.
Now I can't and I feel very old.

 

Perhaps the best life decision you ever made.

 

How is DJ not in the Basketball Hall of Fame? It's not like he was a nobody before coming to Boston.

What a sad story. RIP DJ and prayers to his friends and family.

And, one last thing, the Jordan clip only seems more famous because it's more recent. Bird steals the ball was a better call, as was Havlicek's steal.

Hopefully, if there's basketball in heaven, Johnny Most is doing the play-by-play.

 

I don't recall a memorable call for either of Jordan's huge baskets, against Russell or Ehlo.

 

There are two ways to interpret that first sentence. Please tell me the right way is that the Austin paper reported as fact what had already been floating around as a rumor, and not that the paper reported there was a rumor floating around.

 

DJ was a classy guy. I honestly enjoyed him as a player more when he was with the Seattle Supersonics. I was intrigue by his bags under the eyes look. It went well with the freckles.
He put on the weight after he stopped playing. A lot of athletes are doing that. RIP DJ. You made many people happy.