Tribute to DJ

Like everyone else I was in shock when I heard the news today that Dennis Johnson had collapsed and died today. He was only 52 years old, and it makes me extra sad because DJ was always such a nice and fun guy in interviews. Not that I really know, but he always struck me as a nice guy in addition to being a great basketball player. And as the brief tributes began to pour in, I was shocked to find out that DJ was not in the Hall-of-Fame. To me it just reveals the lack of understanding out there about who really is a great basketball player. Larry Bird said DJ was the best he ever played with, which is not an empty compliment when you think of how many great players were on the Celtics in the 80s. He was also the best player on that championship Sonics team in the late 70s, he won the finals MVP in 1979. He did all the the little things that added up to wins, he was one of the best defensive players of his era, and always did a great job matching up with Magic in those great Lakers/Celtics battles in the mid-80s. He had a great understanding of the game and he had a knack for coming through in the clutch, as best exemplified by his role in the greatest play in the history of the NBA, Bird's steal against the Pistons. Sure Bird made an amazing steal, but it wouldn't meant much if DJ hadn't made a heads up play to cut down the lane and then finished it off over a Joe Dumars. (Take a look on youtube). DJ was always clutch for the Celtics in those days, I can never remember him not coming through. As Ric Bucher said today on ESPN, it was typical of DJ to be helping a player learning some of the little things in the game at the time of his death. DJ was a former head coach briefly for the Clippers in the NBA, and had been an assistant with The Celtics before that, and some people in his position may have been too proud to work in the D-league, but Dennis was never the type to shy away from hard work, and that was what made him one the finest and most underrated players of his era. Hopefully DJ will be put into the Hall-of-Fame soon, but I just wish he had been able to enjoy the honor and be there to accept it.