having been a rabid Sonics fan back in the the day,,,,,,,gus williams, freddy brown, lonny shelton, jack sikma, wally walker, JJ, paul silas......THAT was a great team.
and DJ was the backbone.......sorry to hear he passed away so young.
thx for the good times DJ
2007-02-22 09:55:37 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Basketball
I was shocked when he died. He was a clutch player for the Celtics during the 1980's. His #3 was retired in 1991. R.I.P DJ#3 (1954-2007).
2007-02-22 10:09:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dennis' career was of HOF quality, although obviously it's much tougher to make it primarily as a defender than as a scorer.
Johnson was first team all-defense six times, and 2nd team all defense 3 times.
Plus, the guy was a winner. A lot of not-so-flashy guys seem to end up in the right place at the right time, and Johnson was one of those players.
He's much, much more qualified for the HOF than someone like Robert Horry, and I see a lot of stuff here on Answers that Horry should be in the HOF (when he retires of course).
And yes, Bird's steal was only half the story of that play...the other was Johnson having the presence of mind to cut to the hoop... easy to do, some people say... but in that tape, you can also see the Celtics' other guard, Jerry Sichting right there, wide open, and he just froze right up, didn't want the ball in that situation. Bird, of course, knowing where everyone is on the court, found Johnson easily and Johnson converted the layup...not an easy shot actually, under the circumstances.
Johnson was also one of the smartest players ever to play the game. But again, when you make your living as a defensive stopper, recognition does not come as easily.
The Celtics acquired Johnson for the sole purpose of having SOMEONE who could guard Andrew Toney of the 76ers. Toney destroyed the Celtics in the 82 playoffs, and Johnson was the Celtics answer for Toney.
The biggest coaching decision of the 84 finals was KC Jones deciding to put Dennis on Magic beginning in the 4th game. Magic was no longer able to run wild after that, with Dennis smothering him for the rest of that series. And Dennis then chipped in with a quiet 20 points in game 7.
Dennis Johnson was the kind of player you had to see every day in order to appreciate him. Fortunately, I had a satellite dish in those days, and used to watch about 70 Laker and Celtic games every year (in the mid-late 80s)... so I got to see him play an awful lot during those years. Of course, people who never saw him play are just going to look at his statistical line and say he's a bit short of HOF qualifications (as if they know what HOF qualifications are to begin with).
There's a reason why so many Celtics from the 60s are in the HOF, and it's not (usually) because of their statistical line... they simply were winners. As was Dennis Johnson. It is too bad that he never got the recognition he deserved, but perhaps that's the way he wanted it. He wasn't a trash talker, he just went out and got the job done every night. He was also durable, missing less than 4 games/year on average, over his 14 year career.
2007-02-22 13:10:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any Celtic fan from the 80s will remember the dramatic ending to game 5 of the Eastern finals when the Pistons led by a point with seconds to go, Bird stole the ball and fed DJ who reliably laid it in for the win. He was an integral part of the Celtic machine of the mid-80s with Bird, Parrish, McHale and Ainge. His memory will remain with Celtic fans forever.
2007-02-22 10:19:26 · answer #3 · answered by mattapan26 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No question, Dennis Johnson was a class individual who happened to also be a great basketball player. As a Celtics fan who recalls the great teams of the 1980's of which Dennis Johnson was an integral part, I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing.
2007-02-22 11:30:58 · answer #4 · answered by cliff 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I remember those teams, when Gus left the warriors to go there, and Marvin Webster 'the human eraser' Freddie Brown from 'downtown' ...they were great fun to watch...ol freckled DJ, playing long armed D on the other guards...he will be missed...
2007-02-22 13:56:32 · answer #5 · answered by doingitright44 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree...Dennis Johnson was the glue to that Sonics championship team. His defense and toughness set the tone. He was also a better than average offensive player.
R.I.P.
DJ
2007-02-23 05:31:38 · answer #6 · answered by Marvin P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone starts dying the minute they are born, having said that.
DJ was a class act, plus he was a consistent player on a daily basis.
2007-02-22 10:04:23 · answer #7 · answered by Duh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just remember him as a Celtic and he was quite a dependable player that compimented Mc Hale and Bird very well. He will be missed.
2007-02-22 10:01:13 · answer #8 · answered by me 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I really remember the lay-up to win the game when Bird provided the assist at the end.
2007-02-22 10:01:29 · answer #9 · answered by Dane Cruz 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He was a pretty good defensive player, gave Magic some problems.
2007-02-22 10:04:15 · answer #10 · answered by zebbie g 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋