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The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: #1, The 1996 Chicago Bulls

#1
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
Regular Season: 72-10 (87.8)
Playoffs: 15-3 (83.3)
Total: 87-13 (87)

Award Winners;
Michael Jordan: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star, All Star MVP
Toni Kukoc: Sixth Man of the Year
Scottie Pippen: 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Dennis Rodman: 1st Team All-Defense
Phil Jackson: Coach of the Year, All Star head coach

So this is it, the pinnacle, the peak, the greatest team with the greatest player and the greatest coach and the crown jewel of one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. The history of the Chicago Bulls was pretty unremarkable though until 1984.

They came into the league as an expansion team in 1966 and enjoyed some good years in the ‘70s with Chet Walker and Bob Love. Then between 1976 and 1984, the Bulls made the playoffs just twice. In the ‘84 draft the Bulls picked Michael Jordan, who surprisingly didn’t go number one. The Houston Rockets grabbed University of Houston star Hakeem Olajuwon 1st overall, and the Portland Trail Blazers picked Sam Bowie at number two. Bowie wasn’t a bad player, but it’s fairly surreal that he was picked ahead of Jordan, considering he retired after only 511 games and averaged about 11 points in his career. Portland passed on MJ because they’d drafted another top shooting guard in Clyde Drexler the year before. I’m glad Jordan went at number three, personally. It’s weird to imagine him playing in Houston or Portland, or really anywhere but Chicago. It’s a huge, proud city with passionate sports fans located in the middle of America, plus they have those cool red uniforms. Somehow it feels like he ended up right where he was supposed to be.

Jordan played like a superstar from day one, but it wasn’t until 1988 that the Bulls made it past the first round. That was the season that Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant arrived, although neither played a major role until the ‘89 season. Chicago made the Conference Finals in 1989 for the first time in the Jordan era. In ’88, they lost to Detroit in the second round in five games, and in ‘89 it took six for the Bad Boy Pistons to bump off the Bulls, and Chicago handed them their only two losses of the playoffs. Phil Jackson joined as head coach in ‘89-90 and introduced a more unselfish style of offense that was extremely effective. Like Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 and ‘72, Jordan had to share more of the offensive load in order to be truly successful. Chicago nearly made it over the “Detroit roadblock” in the 1990 Eastern Finals, but lost in game seven when Scottie Pippen was stricken by a migraine. As someone who’s had those, I don’t know how in the hell you even try to play professional basketball like that. Tough break, Scottie.

In 1991, Chicago finally rose up and crushed Detroit in the ECF, sweeping them in four games. The Pistons weren’t the most gracious in defeat, and most of them walked off the bench and into the locker room in the closing moments of game four in Detroit. In the Pistons’ defense, Michael Jordan had publicly and harshly criticized them for their dirty play earlier in the series, saying their downfall would be good for basketball. The Bulls then moved on to meet Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, beating them in five and closing the book on the “Showtime” era. That core of Jordan, Pippen and Grant won two more championships after that, in 1992 against Clyde Drexler’s Portland Trail Blazers and in 1993 against Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns.

Shortly before the beginning of the ‘93-94 season, 30 year old Michael Jordan did the unthinkable and retired from the NBA. He explained that he’d done everything he’d set out to accomplish as a basketball player. The previous July though, Jordan’s father was murdered in a robbery back in North Carolina. Jordan and his father had always been close, and he was devastated by the loss. Michael’s father James Jordan had always wanted him to be a baseball player, and it was a sport Mike played well in high school. Jordan decided to honor his father by taking a crack at professional baseball, and he had the opportunity to do so as Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf also owned the Chicago White Sox.

Jordan played not for the White Sox but for their Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, in Birmingham, Alabama. MJ wasn’t as awe-inspiring at his new sport, hitting .202 with three home runs and 51 RBIs. He fared better later that year playing in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .252. For everyone who thinks Michael Jordan “sucked” at baseball, I guess that’s true when compared to how good he was at basketball, but in reality you have to be really, really good at baseball to play professionally at any level. It can’t be any easier when you’re 30 years old and haven’t played it regularly since you were about 18. According to Phil Jackson, the experience was humbling for Jordan and made him a better, more patient and more helpful teammate.

Meanwhile in Chicago, the Bulls fared well in their first season without MJ, winning 55 games, just two less than the year before. They’d added some new talent in Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr and Luc Longley, but despite their strong regular season, they were knocked out in the second round by Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. People who use Chicago’s 1994 season as proof that Jordan’s overrated never mention what happened in the playoffs. The next season though, the Bulls really struggled without MJ or Horace Grant, going 23-25 before the All Star break. Michael started practicing again with his old Chicago teammates, and soon his appetite for basketball returned. In March of ’95 he officially left baseball, partly due to the ongoing player’s strike, and announced his return to the NBA on March 18th, playing his first game the next night.

Although he wasn’t quite in basketball shape yet, he still had some amazing performances. Jordan famously dropped 55 points in a win against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in late March. The Bulls went 13-4 after Jordan’s return, and eliminated the 50 win Charlotte Hornets in round one. In the semifinals though, The Bulls lost in six games to a very good Orlando Magic team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Horace Grant had also signed with Orlando in 1994 and got revenge on his old team.

1996 was Jordan’s revenge tour, and the 32 year old shooting guard got right back into MVP form, averaging a league-leading 30.4 points, plus 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 49.5/42.7/83.4. His three point percentage that year was a career best, not counting the 17 games he played in ‘94-95. 30 year old small forward Scottie Pippen adjusted well to Jordan’s return, putting up 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 37.4% from three point range. The only other Bull to average over 10 points was their sixth man, 27 year old small forward Toni Kukoc, who had 13.1 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 26 minutes while shooting 49% from the field and 40.3% on threes. Power forward Dennis Rodman was traded to Chicago shortly before the season and was an elite rebounder as always, averaging 14.9 boards a game. Between Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, Chicago could absolutely kill you with their defense. The Bulls ran a big starting five, rounded out by 32 year old 6’6 point guard Ron Harper and 27 year old 7’2 Australian center Luc Longley. 30 year old point guard Steve Kerr provided elite shooting off the bench, averaging 50.6/51.5/92.9. He only took 2.9 three pointers a game, but still, that’s crazy. The team had the best regular season ever, until the Warriors broke their record in 2016, with 72 wins and just 10 losses. Their first half was especially phenomenal, winning 41 of their first 44 games, including 18 straight from late December to early February.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls met the 42-40 Miami Heat, led by Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Not surprisingly it wasn’t much of a series, and the Bulls won by between 17 and 31 points. Game two in Chicago was their biggest win at 106-75. Jordan led the scoring with 29 points plus 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. Pippen probably had the best game though, with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and a block on 10 of 14 shooting, including 3 for 6 on threes. Scottie stayed hot in game three with 22 points on 12 shots, along with 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks and a steal for a triple double.

In the next round, the Bulls faced the rival New York Knicks, led by center Patrick Ewing, for the sixth time since 1989. The Bulls had won every meeting until 1994, but this year things went back to the old trend. Still, the Knicks put up a better fight than the Heat. The Bulls won the first two in Chicago by 7 and 11 points before the Knicks took game three as MSG in overtime, 102-99. John Starks led the scoring for New York with 30 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals on 11 of 18 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three. Patrick Ewing played a big role as well, with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jordan scored 46 in the losing effort. The Bulls won game four by three points before having their biggest win of the series in game five at home, 94-81. Jordan put up 35 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and Pippen had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals.

In the Eastern Finals, Chicago faced the formidable 60 win Orlando Magic, the same team that’d beaten them the year before. The Bulls were unfazed and eager for revenge. They swept Orlando, and game one was a 121-83 dismantling of the Magic, with six Bulls scoring in double figures. Jordan was the leading scorer with 21 points plus 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Rodman had a big night with 13 points, 21 rebounds and a block on 6 of 10 shooting and Kerr put up an efficient 14 points, plus 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Game three in Orlando was another landslide victory at 86-67. Shaq and Penny combined for only 35 points on about 37% shooting. In game four, Jordan scored an efficient 45 points, plus 5 assists, a steal and a block to close out the Magic and had officially made his point.

In the Finals, the Bulls encountered a tough team in the 64-18 Seattle SuperSonics, who’d swept the two-time defending champion Houston Rockets in the second round. They were led by 27 year old point guard Gary Payton, considered one of the best defensive guards ever, and 6’10 power forward Shawn Kemp. They also featured German forward Detlef Schrempf and shooting guard Hersey Hawkins.

The Bulls won the first game emphatically, 107-90. Jordan put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, and Pippen had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Kukoc had a good game as well with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal, and Harper put up 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Basically everyone played well. The next game was much tighter, but Chicago won it 92-88. The next three games were played in Seattle, and game three was the biggest blowout of the series at 108-86 Chicago. As Bill Walton put it, it was a “statement game” for Jordan, who had 36 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Luc Longley had a good night too, with 19 points and 2 blocks on 8 of 13 shooting. With Seattle already down 3-0, the Sonics decided to change things up by deploying Gary Payton to guard Michael Jordan, and it worked. Seattle unexpectedly blew out the Bulls 107-86 in game four. Although Jordan still scored 23 points, 11 of them came at the free throw line and he shot just 6 for 19 from the field. Payton was doing it on both ends that night, putting up 21 points, 11 assists and 2 steals. Shawn Kemp led the Sonics in scoring with 25 points plus 11 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. The SuperSonics extended the series again in game five, 89-78. Jordan did better that night, making 11 of 22 from the field for 26 points, but Pippen, Kukoc and Kerr all had poor shooting nights. Gary Payton led the charge again with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal, and Kemp had 22 points and 10 rebounds. If Seattle had used Payton the same way in the first half of the series, it seems plausible the whole thing could’ve gone the other way. The Bulls closed things out pretty comfortably though in game six back home, 87-75. Jordan did have a very bad shooting night, going just 5 for 19, but still had 22 points, half of them free throws. He also had 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Pippen had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the clincher. Rodman had one of his best games of the post-season with 19 rebounds, 9 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block in game six.

The win was extremely emotional for Jordan, as it was the first championship he’d won since the death of his father, who’d celebrated with his son’s team after their first three titles. He was barely able to speak to reporters after the final buzzer and sobbed on the floor of the locker room after leaving the court. He later said that winning that ring meant the most to him out of the six. Jordan was the Finals MVP for the fourth time, averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. It was probably Jordan’s weakest Finals performance, as great as those numbers are. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well thanks to Gary Payton, and it was the only time he averaged less than 30 points a game in a Finals series. To find out the rest of the story on Michael Jordan and the Bulls, check out the entry on the 1997 team.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 7: Bill Russell

#6 Bill Russell, “Russ,” Center, 1956-1969

Born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934, Bill Russell was raised in Oakland, California, and attended the University of San Francisco from 1953 to 1956. He was a star in college, winning back to back NCAA Championships alongside future Celtics teammate K. C. Jones in 1955 and ‘56 and receiving numerous accolades, including Tournament MVP in 1955 and being named First Team All-American in ‘55 and ‘56. Also in 1956, he was named Conference Player of the Year, and his number “6” was retired by the school.

He was selected second overall in the 1956 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, but was traded to the Boston Celtics for center Ed Macauley. In that same draft, the Celtics acquired future Hall of Famers K. C. Jones and Tom Heinsohn. Before his pro career began, Russell and Team USA won Gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, again playing alongside K. C. Jones.

In his first NBA season, Russell and the Celtics won their first Championship against his would-be team, the St. Louis Hawks. With that first title, he became one of the only seven basketball players to date to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic Gold Medal and an NBA Championship. K.C. Jones would join that club in 1959.

The Celtics went on to win a record eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Boston beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64 and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. The Celtics won two more against LA in 1968 and ‘69. Russell retired with an astronomical eleven championships under his belt, an NBA record to this day. The Celtics also made the finals in 1958, but lost to the Hawks. The only year Boston failed to make the finals during his career was 1967, when they were finally overpowered by Russell’s friend Wilt Chamberlain and the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers in the division finals.

From 1966-67 to ’68-69, Bill Russell was both starting center and coach, becoming the first black head coach in league history. This followed the retirement of his friend Red Auerbach, who chose Russell as his successor. He also served as the team’s captain from 1963 to ‘66.

Russell was named MVP of the league five times (1958, ‘61, ‘62, ‘63, and ‘65), named All-NBA First Team in ‘59, ‘63 and ‘65, and Second Team eight times (‘58, ‘60, ‘61, ‘62, 64, ‘66, ‘67, ‘68). He was also named All-Defensive First Team in his final season in 1969 (the first year the award existed) and was an All-Star every season besides his rookie year, for a total of twelve straight appearances. Russell also led the league in rebounds per game five times (1957, ‘58, ‘59, ‘64 and ‘65) and once in minutes per game, and holds the playoff record for career rebounds per game with a staggering 24.9. The NBA didn’t begin counting blocked shots until the 1973-74 season; had they started earlier, Russell would likely be among the all time leaders in that category. However, he is the Celtics all time leader in rebounds with 21,620, second only to Wilt Chamberlain on the all time list. Second to Russell among Celtics players is Robert Parish, with over ten thousand less. Among Celtics, he’s second only to John Havlicek in minutes played. He’s also sixth in assists and eighth in points. His career highs include 24.7 rebounds per game in 1963-64 and 18.9 points per game in 1961-62. His single game high for points was 37, a mark he reached twice; first in a March 1961 win against the Philadelphia Warriors, and again in a December 1967 win against the Lakers. He also grabbed a ridiculous career high of 49 rebounds in a March 1965 win against the Detroit Pistons.

Russell’s number “6” was retired by the Celtics in 1972, although he declined to have a public ceremony. This may have been due to the persistent racism he faced as a black player in Boston in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a city with a reputation for hostility toward African-Americans. However, Russell attended a re-retirement ceremony in the new Fleet Center (Now the TD Garden) in 1999, during which he received a thunderous standing ovation that brought tears to his eyes.

Following his playing career, Russell became head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977 as well as the Sacramento Kings during the 1987-88 season and has worked as an NBA broadcaster. Bill Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Always one to make a stand, Russell declined to attend the ceremony in protest of the fact that no other black people had been inducted into the Hall of Fame up to that point. As a further honor, the NBA Finals MVP award was re-named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2009. Russell himself never received the award, as it wasn’t introduced until 1969. He was one of only four players to be named to the NBA’s 25th, 35th, and 50th Anniversary Teams. In the vote for the 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, he was voted greatest NBA player of all time. A statue of Russell was unveiled in City Hall Plaza in Boston in 2013. He was honored by the city where he’d struggled to gain the respect and recognition he deserved in his playing days. He’s since become a beloved figure among Celtics fans and the broader basketball community and is widely considered to be among the greatest ever to play the game.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 9: K.C. Jones

#25 K.C. Jones, Point Guard and Coach, 1958-1967, 1983-1988

Born in Taylor, Texas in 1932, K.C. Jones attended the University of San Francisco from 1952 to ‘56, winning two NCAA Championships on a squad that included his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell. Along with two titles, Jones made Second Team All-American in 1956. The same year, Jones and Russell played for team USA at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, winning the Gold Medal. Jones was picked 13th overall in the 1956 draft, acquired by the Boston Celtics the same day as Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn. Before joining the team in 1958, Jones tried out for the National Football League, but didn’t make the cut.

He was known for his tough defense and was part of an era of Celtics domination, with the team winning the NBA Championship eight times in his nine year career. They beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the St. Louis Hawks in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. Only in 1967 were Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers able to stop the Celtics in the Division Finals. Along with Bill Russell and Sam Jones, K.C. was one of three Celtics to play in all of their consecutive championship runs of 1959 to ‘66. Along with Tom Sanders and John Havlicek, he’s one of only three players to play in eight Finals without losing any.

Jones currently sits at ninth all time among Celtics players in assists and 29th in points. His career highs include 6.3 assists per game in 1965-66. He scored a career high of 22 points in two different games, first in a December 1962 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, then in a November 1965 win against the San Francisco Warriors. Jones retired as a player in 1967, and his number “25” was retired that year. He and Russell are among the only seven basketball players ever to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA Championship.

In the fall of 1967, Jones began coaching at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he stayed until 1970. He then became assistant coach at Harvard for the 1970-71 season, before moving on to the pros and becoming assistant coach of the Lakers, working under his old Celtics teammate, head coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers had an incredible season in ‘71-72; led by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, they won 69 games, including a record 33 in a row, and won their first NBA Championship (against the New York Knicks) since leaving Minneapolis. Jones moved on to head coach the American Basketball Association (ABA)’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1972-73.

He came back to the NBA the next year to become head coach of the Washington Bullets from 1973 to ‘76. In 1975, Jones led the Bullets to the finals, beating the Celtics in the Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Bullets faced the Golden State Warriors. With Al Attles coaching Golden State, it was the first Finals to feature two black head coaches. Unfortunately for Jones, the Bullets were swept in four games. Also in ‘75, Jones coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. After leaving the Bullets, Jones became the assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976-77, before things came full circle as he re-joined the Celtics as their assistant coach from 1978-79 to ‘82-83.

The team was in a bad way in his first season back despite the excellent play of young forward Cedric Maxwell, but the Celtics soon saw the arrival of three stars, with Larry Bird joining the team in 1979-80 and Robert Parish and Kevin McHale coming in ’80-81. The Celtics were champions again in 1981, beating the Houston Rockets in six games. After an embarrassing four game sweep by the Bucks in the second round of the ‘83 playoffs, Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was fired and K.C. Jones took his spot.

The ‘83-84 season was the beginning of an amazing run for K.C. and the Celtics, who beat the rival Lakers in seven games for their second championship of the decade. In the ‘85 finals, the Celtics lost a re-match with the Lakers in six. In 85-86, the Celtics fielded one of the best teams in their history. During the ‘85 off-season, Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Bill Walton, who had an excellent year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure also allowed Kevin McHale to become the team’s starting power forward and shine as one of the league’s best low post scorers. They also acquired point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who was one of the league’s best shooters that year, hitting 57% from the field. The Celtics steamrolled the league, winning 67 games including 40 of 41 at home. They went on to win the NBA Finals in six games, again defeating the Houston Rockets.

Following that high point, the team experienced several serious setbacks. The first and most heart-breaking was the death of college superstar Len Bias two days after he was drafted second overall by Boston. Second, after a rare healthy year in ‘85-86, Bill Walton was injured and only played in ten regular season games in ’86-87. He was able to appear in twelve playoff games, but only for an average of 8.5 minutes. Third, Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 but kept playing on it for the rest of the year. He played well but wasn’t 100 percent, and his decision to play affected the rest of his career. Had Len Bias made it to the NBA, McHale could’ve gotten much more rest. All things considered, the Celtics had a good run in ‘87, winning 59 games and finishing first in their division. In the end, they didn’t have the depth of the year before and again fell to the Lakers in the finals. In ‘87-88, the Celtics had another strong season with 57 wins, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games, missing the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. Jones left the team following the season.

Other than Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones had the greatest tenure of any Celtics head coach. He won 308 games and lost just 102, a winning percentage of .751, higher than any other Boston coach, including Red himself. He took the team on four straight trips to the finals, winning two, and never falling short of the Conference Finals. He also coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team an impressive four straight years, from 1984 to ‘87. In 1989, Jones became the assistant coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and in 1990 was promoted to head coach, where he remained until 1992. In the ‘94-95 season he was assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons, and in ‘96-97 made one more trip back to Boston, reprising his role as assistant coach, working under his former player and then head coach, M. L. Carr. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, and it remains to be seen if he’ll make it there as a coach.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 19: Dennis Johnson

#3 Dennis Johnson, “DJ,” Guard, 1983-1990

Born in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1954 and raised in Compton, California, Dennis Johnson attended LA Harbor College from 1972 to ‘75 and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles County in ‘75-76.

In 1976, Johnson was drafted 29th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. The Sonics lost in the Finals to Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets in 1978. He won his first NBA Championship in a re-match with the Bullets in 1979 and was named Finals MVP, averaging 22.6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.2 blocks in the five game series. He was especially dominant in the Sonics’ game four win with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks on 12 of 23 shooting. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. following the 1979-80 season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played until 1983.

Johnson was traded to the Celtics after the ‘82-83 season. He played there with greats like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. It was a hell of a career move for DJ, and he and Bird greatly complimented each other’s games He won a Championship against the Los Angles Lakers in his first year in Boston. The Celtics won it all again in ‘86 against the Houston Rockets with quite possibly their best team ever. Along with DJ, Bird, McHale and Parish, they also featured guard Danny Ainge, Hall of Fame center Bill Walton as their sixth man and Scott Wedman and Jerry Sichting coming off the bench. They made the finals in 1985 and ‘87, but lost to the Lakers both times. The C’s slowly declined after ’86, in large part due to the death of Boston’s #2 overall pick in the 1986 draft, Maryland’s star forward Len Bias. DJ was involved in one of the Celtics’ most famous plays of the ‘80s if not ever in game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s were down by one point with five seconds left in the game when Larry Bird stole Isiah Thomas’ inbounds pass before firing a pass to Dennis who’d rushed towards the basket for a layup. His bucket put the Celtics up by one point and won the game.

Johnson made All-NBA first team in 1981 and Second Team in 1980. Always an excellent defender, he made All-Defensive First Team six times; every year from 1979 to ‘83 as well as ‘87, and All-Defensive Second Team every year from 1984 to ‘86. Johnson was a five time All-Star, including every year from 1979 to ‘82, as well as ‘85. Johnson retired following the 1989-90 season and his number “3” was retired by the Celtics in 1991.

He currently sits at eighth all time among Celtics players in both assists and steals, as well as twentieth in points. His career highs include 7.8 assists per game in 1987-88, 19.5 points per game in ‘81-82, 1.8 steals per game in ‘79-80, and shooting over 50% from the field in his rookie season of ‘76-77. He scored a career high of 39 points in a February 1981 loss to the New York Knicks while a member of the Suns. He also served as the Celtics’ assistant coach from 1993 to ‘97, and as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003.

Sadly, Dennis Johnson died of a heart attack on February 22nd, 2007, at the age of 52. He was considered by many, including former teammate Danny Ainge, to be one of the most under-rated players of all time. For Larry Bird’s part, he called DJ the best teammate he ever had. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

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