One night back in the 1980’s I was watching the Phoenix Suns on CBS against the Los Angeles Lakers. The tip-off started at 11:30 est. right after our local news and with us being situated on the East Coast, that was pretty late to be watching a basketball game.
John MacLeod was the Suns head coach and the late Dennis Johnson was the point guard where he spent 3 seasons.
CBS always had a guy sitting on the sidelines in front of the scorer’s table with a huge camera and you could always pick up the coaches and sometimes the players voices. And of course you had the great Brent Musburger announcing the game.
“BELLY UP, BELLY UP!” MacLeod shouted out to Johnson that night as another Johnson, Magic, brought the ball up the floor for the Lakers getting LA into their half-court offense.
On cue, DJ stepped up and began to pressure Magic.
Players today don’t seem to pick up their man anymore like DJ use to. When he was traded from the Suns to the Boston Celtics he led the C’s to two NBA titles. Just like in Phoenix DJ would pick his man up close to the time-line and ‘belly-up’. Being a huge Knicks fan back in the day I would sit in the stands and watch Johnson pressure the heck out of guys like Rory Sparrow, Edmund Sherrod and Fred Cofield; making it very difficult to run Hubie Brown’s offense.
Point of pick-up is different with all coaches. Some want the pressure, some sit back and wait; it’s all in the philosophy and strategy against certain players. Match-ups are key, you don’t want to pressure a great point guard and have them blow by you. Even in pick-up games today that I observe-kids never check their man early. Former NBA players that thrived on picking their man up early were Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Michael Ray Richardson, Joe Dumars, Gary Payton and even the great one, Michael Jordan at times would get out on at the 3-pt line and pressure his man with the ball. Ball pressure is a lost art…or not being emphasized enough.
DJ will go down as one of the greatest defensive guards to ever play the game; he was a guy who liked to get physical. He played the game hard and played it the right way. Magic and George Gervin both said that he played them the toughest. If that’s not enough, Larry Bird said DJ was the best player he ever played with. “I still got 30 but it was a tough 30.” The Iceman once said.
I find it hard to believe that Dennis Johnson is not a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
-Coach Finamore
Hoops135@hotmail.com
Tags: basketball, Basketball Hall of Fame, Boston Celtics, Brent Musburger, CBS, Defense, Edmund Sherrod, Fred Cofield, Joe Dumars, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New York Knicks, Rory Sparrow, Sports
