"Even Derrick White can't do that" - When Bob Ryan labeled Dennis Johnson the most disruptive guard in NBA history

Yahoo

18-05-2025

When the Boston Celtics' dynasty of the 1980s is discussed, the spotlight often shines on Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. But one man who saw the team up close while writing for The Boston Globe, Bob Ryan, knew that without Dennis Johnson, the C's wouldn't have captured multiple titles or made it to four straight championship rounds.
In fact, Ryan went as far as to call DJ the most destructive defensive guard basketball fans may have ever seen.
Dennis was a menace on the defensive end
Even during the best offensive campaign of his NBA career, "Airplane" averaged 19.5 points per game, making it clear that while he could score, his offensive game had its limits. But when DJ truly separated himself, it was his hard-nosed defense on the perimeter, consistently locking down the opposition's best scorer — no matter the hardship of a situation, he never let his head drop.
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This aspect of his game was evident even before he arrived in Boston. In the 1978 NBA Finals, the five-time All-Star struggled offensively, averaging 16.6 points over the seven games as his Seattle SuperSonics fell to the Washington Bullets.
The weight of that loss was thumped on Dennis' shoulders as he missed all of his 14 field goal attempts in the highly pressured Game 7. However, when the two teams met again in the '79 championship round, Johnson delivered revenge in emphatic fashion, averaging 22.6 points and recording 11 blocks from the guard position over the five games to lead his team to the Larry O'Brien title.
Ryan stressed that Johnson's impact wasn't just about numbers. Instead, it was about his ability to make game-winning plays through sheer defensive willpower.
"DJ was pretty good. He had one of the most fascinating Finals ever in 1979," Ryan said. "He blocked 14 shots in five games from the guard position; even Derrick White can't do that. As much as he loves his shot-blocking prowess… he's the most destructive defensive guard we have ever seen. He was very good."
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Johnson's arrival elevated the Celtics' dominance
Given that the 6'4" guard had earned five consecutive First-Team All-Defensive selections in the seasons before the Celtics acquired him, Boston knew exactly what they were getting. After being humiliated by Andrew Toney in the 1982 playoffs and Sidney Moncrief in 1983, the Celtics understood that to return to dominance, they needed someone like DJ to fortify their perimeter defense.
His arrival paid dividends immediately. Not only did he help the Celtics win a title in his very first year, but he also played a defining role when he switched to guard Magic Johnson in the second half of the '84 Finals.
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More impressively, even after that triumph, Dennis didn't stop working hard as his defensive efforts were one of the biggest reasons why Bird was able to focus more on his offensive production and win three straight MVP accolades, as well as the team reaching four straight NBA Finals.
It's just another example of the team aspect in basketball. While you need superstars like Bird to get you over the hump, he cannot get the job done without some specialist players like Johnson. Without the proper team around those superstars, you cannot win a championship.
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