“You like to test a guy like him out,” said Bucks All-Star forward Marques Johnson, who played man-to-man against the rookie. “You want to see what he can and can’t do. You have a check list. Definitely. You’re working it through your mind.”
Where is Kevin McHale vulnerable? Where is he strong? What can you do against Kevin McHale? What can’t you do? What does he like to do? What doesn’t he like to do? Johnson said he worked the whole list, question by question.
“One thing you learn early against him,” Johnson said, "is that you’re going to have to take him outside. He must have exceptionally long arms. It doesn’t look as if he jumps that high, but he’s always got those arms in front of you, making you alter your shot. It’s almost impossible to get through him on the inside.