D.J. shut down Magic in '84, hit a game-winning jumper in '85, and sank a layup in '86. Larry Bird once called him "the best I've ever played with.""I'm a winner," he once said. "I put my heart into the game. I hate to lose. I accept it when it comes, but I still hate it. That's the way I am."
I remember playing hoops on the playground in the 7th grade - while the other guys were yelling out, "Mag-ic!" or "Bird!" and throwing a behind the back pass or shooting a fadeaway jumper, I was the one yelling "D.J.!" and driving the lane. I would miss about 80% of the time, but that's not the point. Dennis Johnson was and always will be one of my all-time favorite players. Boston would never have hung their banners in '84 and '86 without him and his tenacious overall play. RIP #3.
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