Re: Official #71 NBA Player Of All Time According To ISH
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBJ 4 MVP
What makes Dennis Johnson more credible for this spot than Andrian Dantley, Bob Lanier, Walt Bellamy or Neil Johnston?
Unlike these other guys, Dennis was a winner. his teams consistently made the play-offs, and Dennis was an integral part of all the teams he played for. After years of mediocrety, the Sonics won a 'Ship with Dennis as their best defensive player, and Finals MVP. Dennis also led the Suns to two 50 win seasons and won 2 more rings with Boston. He wasn't just riding coat tails either, as he had a pair of top ten finishes in MVP voting, and made many clutch plays.
The other thing that Dennis has these other players don't have is his intangibles. Dennis was a great defender, had a very high basketball IQ, was a great leader, and was a terrific team player. He also stepped up his game when his team needed him to, and his game reached a whole other level during the play-offs. Quite the opposite of a Dantley or Bellamy.
Most of the other guys you mentioned spent their times on losing teams. Neither Dantley, Lanier, or Bellamy won anything until they were past their prime, and spent the majority of their career stuffing the stat sheet on mediocre teams.
These factors, along with his accolades(which only Johnston and Lanier come close to) make him greater than other players who are recieving votes.
Re: Official #71 NBA Player Of All Time According To ISH
Quote:
Originally Posted by otmtheshank
Unlike these other guys, Dennis was a winner. his teams consistently made the play-offs, and Dennis was an integral part of all the teams he played for. After years of mediocrety, the Sonics won a 'Ship with Dennis as their best defensive player, and Finals MVP. Dennis also led the Suns to two 50 win seasons and won 2 more rings with Boston. He wasn't just riding coat tails either, as he had a pair of top ten finishes in MVP voting, and made many clutch plays.
The other thing that Dennis has these other players don't have is his intangibles. Dennis was a great defender, had a very high basketball IQ, was a great leader, and was a terrific team player. He also stepped up his game when his team needed him to, and his game reached a whole other level during the play-offs. Quite the opposite of a Dantley or Bellamy.
Most of the other guys you mentioned spent their times on losing teams. Neither Dantley, Lanier, or Bellamy won anything until they were past their prime, and spent the majority of their career stuffing the stat sheet on mediocre teams.
These factors, along with his accolades(which only Johnston and Lanier come close to) make him greater than other players who are recieving votes.
You could make this argument for Don Nelson could'nt you? He has 5 rings with the Celtics, and here's some other details: In his first season with Boston, Nelson averaged 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, helping the Celtics to the 1966 NBA title as one of their role players. Four more championships with Boston followed in 1968, 1969, 1974, and 1976. A model of consistency, Nelson would average more than 10 points per game every season between 1968-69 and 1974-75 (before the introduction of the three-point shot). He led the NBA in field-goal percentage in 1974-75. Nelson was coined as one of the best "sixth men" ever to play in the NBA.
Re: Official #71 NBA Player Of All Time According To ISH
