Goodbye DJ

Whoa boy, this is a sad passing. . . hard to believe. Just 52. Dennis Johnson.

I sure loved DJ. So clutch. So clutch. He was as smart and tough a basketball player as the game has seen. An extraordinary defender. A Champion.



For those who do not recall, DJ could post up on most anybody. He had this big ole rump, and he would lean into guys and just murder em. Bang, turn around jumper off the glass from 15 ft like it was a lay-up. Bang, drive to the hole for a swinging hook. Bang, draw contact and get to the line.



From Elias stats: Dennis Johnson, widely regarded as one of the great clutch players in NBA history, averaged 14.1 points per game in the regular season during his 14-year NBA career but in 37 games in the NBA Finals he averaged 18.3 points per game. Among the 65 players in NBA history who played at least 800 games in the regular season and 15 games in the Finals, only two had a larger increase in their Finals PPG average over their regular-season mark than Johnson's 4.2: Hakeem Olajuwon, who was plus 5.7 (21.8 to 27.5) and James Worthy, who was plus 4.6 (17.6 to 22.2).
Bill Simmons breaks down all specifics of DJ's greatness, so I will not repeat the obvious but to say that DJ belongs in the Hall of Fame.



DJ bringing the ball up the court. As a Celtics fan, this is an image of comfort. With DJ at the controls, the ball went where it was supposed to. DJ made the most amazing passes to get Larry the ball in his spot on the wing, where Bird would then initiate many of the Celtics half court sets. Obviously teams put a great deal of effort trying to deny entries to Bird. But DJ would laugh at that nonsense and deliver the pill. Once Larry got the ball, the good times just rolled. DJ and Bird had a really special connection. I was great to watch. And there were so many big wins.

I feel very lucky to gotten to cheer for DJ. May he rest in peace.