By John McMullen
For younger fans, the rivalry between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics doesn’t exist --- unless you are talking about ping-pong balls of course.
But, older fans know better and if you grew up as a Sixers loyalist in the ‘80s, Dennis Johnson was a lot like Larry Bird. You hated him on the floor but the minute he left, there was an enduring reverence for how he played the game.
His recent, untimely passing got me thinking about the greatest rivalry in sports during my lifetime. If you think the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees’ enmity is intense now -- you would have been captivated by the Sixers and Celtics.
You see, comparing anything to Julius Erving’s 76ers versus Bird’s Celtics would be like saying Lewis-Holyfield was the equal of Ali-Frazier. The Sixers and Celtics had it all -- history, passion, hate, envy and perhaps what fuels a rivalry most -- similar talent on both sides.
So when the Sixers tore through the NBA after acquiring Moses Malone in the 1982-83 season., the chieftain on the Celtics -- Red Auerbach -- was concerned and not about Moses, believe it or not.
The cigar smoking legend was obsessed with stopping one of the greatest pure scorers ever -- the aptly nicknamed ‘Boston Strangler’ -- Andrew Toney. Revisionist basketball historians -- most of them too young to remember the period in question -- say Auerbach acquired Johnson to compete with Magic Johnson and the Lakers.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The architect of the Celtics brought in the game’s best on-ball defender to try and stop Toney, who lit up Boston on a regular basis and once scored 25 points against them in one quarter, a Sixers record that stands to this day.
D.J., who died of a heart attack at 52 last week, was up to the task and helped turn the tide back toward the Celtics in the greatest rivalry in professional sports.
For that, Dennis Johnson may never be liked in Philadelphia but he will always be respected.
How many athletes can say the same?
-John's column appears on this page every Saturday. You can reach him at jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com
1 comment:
I'm aware that it's a rhetorical question you're posing, but...for starters, Dwight Gooden, Larry Bird, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, John Tudor, Curt Schilling, Lawrence Taylor, and maybe a dozen other.
What everyone forgets about Philly in the media crush to talk about how we threw snowballs at Santa Claus, or had a courtroom beneath the Vet, is that this city has always paid respect to great opponents while spitting boos and hatred from the stands.
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