The moment we heard about Monta's "What it is money" mishap and Baron's departure last summer, I expected this team to be serious challengers - for the ping pong balls in the summer of 2009. Immune to dismal days the past 25+ years, I shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself, "At least they're still exciting to watch."

So after watching most games this year on Comcast HD (super sweet but what's with Jaymee Sire's chin???), I took note of the block parties hosted by Andris, Ronny, and the ThWIN Towers - that's Randolph and Wright in case you're a little slow today. When they were healthy enough playing with each other, the interior defense got better. Oftentimes though, one of them (especially Ronny) gets hung up to dry challenging a shot when a non-big teammate of his forgets to play defense. And then we forget to grab the rebound. But that should be an easy fix for next season assuming Nellie is replaced by someone else.

Offensively, there's been a bunch of pleasant surprises. We've got a pure, exciting shooter in Morrow. We've got a consistent driver which usually leads to much needed FTs in Maggette. We've got Mr. Reliable in Kelenna, who seems to do everything right. Andris has shown some offensive growth. Crawford is also a good addition to the club, just needs to be more consistent though. Another D-Leaguer Watson is a big surprise. So many times when he takes an ill-advised shot I say "Oh no" just to see the ball go in. I love Turiaf, Andris, and the ThWIN Towers on the offensive end as well since they don't mind picking up some garbage. Oh we also have Monta. Not too excited with Bellinelli though since there's not enough to see and make judgement on.

So really, there's a good group of talented players. We just need more bangers like Milsap and an actual NBA star in the off-season. Maybe we can replace Nellie with Smart also???

Anyway, I'm really starting to learn Photoshop lately...the graphics on this site are sweet so I thought I'd contribute a little. I'm a self-proclaimed Tony.psd disciple. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Poll

Which player excites you most next season?

17%

Morrow

31 votes

1%

Kelenna

2 votes

0%

Watson

0 votes

66%

The ThWIN Towers

116 votes

0%

Turiaf

1 votes

0%

Andris

0 votes

0%

Maggette

0 votes

8%

Ellis

15 votes

0%

Crawford

0 votes

5%

No one man...we need a real NBA Star like Bosh or Amare

9 votes

174 votes | Poll has closed

 A leader in professional sports, the Golden State Warriors, located in Oakland, CA are looking to fill two (2) key positions to help salvage a losing season and perhaps satisfy its customers. We are looking for a stud power forward and a super-quick all-star point guard. Founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, the team has one NBA championship in recent memory. We are now aiming for a second championship to bring to Oakland. Will you be part of that team? Here are the details:

POWER FORWARD:
We are in need of a true power forward to help our star-in-the-making center, Andris Biedrins,  facilitate the boards and interior defense.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
- rebound, rebound, rebound
- establish interior defensive positioning for rebounding and/or blocking shots
- on offense, receive interior passes for easy dunks and buckets
- pass the ball with great accuracy to teammates from the high or low post
- take outside shots from time to time
- will report to Head Coach Keith Smart

REQUIREMENTS:
- must have at least 4 years NBA experience
- must have NBA All-Star credentials
- must weigh at least 240lbs
- must be at least 6'10
- must be physical and willing to bang
- must have at least a 36-inch vertical leap
- must be able to dunk with two hands without a running start
- must be able to scare off opposing players with nastiness
- quick leaper a plus
- outside shooting skills a HUGE plus
- prior college work experience a plus

NOTE: softies and those with Ivy League-like intelligence NEED NOT APPLY!

POINT GUARD:
The point guard will help lead the team in most of the game operations, such as ensuring a smoothly-run offense and defending well against opposing guards.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
- ensure the offense is running smoothly
- maintain a high assist-to-turnover ratio (preferably 5-1 or higher)
- setup teammates' favorite shots by penetrating and dishing
- help with rebounding
- help with defense
- will report to Head Coach Keith Smart

REQUIREMENTS:
- must have at least 4 years NBA experience
- must have NBA All-Star credentials
- must be explosive off the dribble
- must have excellent ball-handling skills
- must have superb passing skills in the open floor or half-court sets
- must know how to use screens properly
- must perform acrobatic shots regularly
- must be willing to take a charge and dive for loose balls
- perimeter shooting skills a HUGE plus
- athleticism a HUGE plus

COMPENSATION FOR BOTH POSITIONS:
- seven (7) or eight (8)  figure income possible
- free tacos from Taco Bell (if team scores over 110 points at home)
- numerous praises in the form of blogs and posts on GSoM
- and many more

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Email us your resume NOW to:
gs_warriors_ceo@warriors.com

Or call 800-GSW-Hoop and ask for Chris Mullin or Robert Rowell.

So a couple weeks ago, I requested JRich to add me to his Myspace...to my delight, he (or whoever manages his Myspace account) added me. Today, I got a new announcement from JRich. There's gonna be a farewell party for him in Da City on 8/31...I went to his myspace page and copied this info...

*EXCLUSIVE*E.L.I.T.E. Entertainment & SUPWIDIT.COM are holding THE party of LABOR DAY WEEKEND. Get your Labor Day Weekend started off properly with NBA Superstar Jason "J-RICH" Richardson saying farewell and showing his never ending love to the BAY AREA. Hosted by Myspace.com it all goes down on Friday August 31st at the PREMIERE nightclub in San Francisco TEMPLE with a special event host that'll make sure "It's goin down!" SPECIAL LIMITED $10 PRESALE TICKETS AVAILABLE MONDAY, log on to SUPWIDIT.com this coming MONDAY for details on pre-sale tickets. Thank you, TNT

This is what the bulletin displayed:

It would be nice to have fellow GSoM cats there...whatcha think?

Check out the story at http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txmavericksnowitzki&prov=st&type=lgns.

He went on a backpacking trip to Australia to stop thinking about the 1st round loss to the Ws and then says,

"Of course you try to block it out," Nowitzki said, "but you can't get something like that completely out of your mind."

I almost feel bad for the man...it's rare seeing professional athletes actually care for the game.

Here I was waiting for the baseball season to end...waiting for Niners football to begin...followed by the highlight of the year - the start of the GS Warriors' 2007-2008 season. The Niners have a promising season ahead of them. With nice FA signings and a good draft, they are poised to return to the playoffs and make some noise.

And depending on what else the Dubs do this summer, October will be a time to tune in to KNBR 680, FSN Bay Area, and of course, GSoM.

But after decades of ignoring the Arena Football League, I gave it a shot to watch more than 3 plays in a game - We watched the Sabercats play against the defending champs, the Chicago Rush, in the American Conference Championship game at HP Pavilion. And boy was it a pleasant surprise! I actually enjoyed the game, the atmosphere, and the validity of a true sport. I was expecting a low-buget event but they really took the time to make everything genuine and exciting.

I am a traditionalist an all but yesteray's experience may have turned me into a closer follower of the AFL and the 'Cats. What was the result of off-season boredom may have led to actual interest in the sport and the team. As a matter of fact, I spent hours today just browsing the 'Cats' website as well as AFL's.

If you're like me - ignoring the league or the 'Cats for years and have never seen a game, give it a shot! You may enjoy it. I know I did!

BTW, they are playing in their 3rd ArenaBowl championship game in like 6 years. The game is on 7/28 at 12pm in New Orleans. It'll be televised on ABC if anyone cares to watch.

I know this is the wrong sport and all but it seems like most GSoMers are form the Bay Area so I thought I'd share this bad news...http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txbeckobit&prov=st&type=lgns.

Some of us here are Giants fans too and as a fan, I am saddened to hear of this unfortunate event. Do you have any memories of Beck?

DId anyone else here register to go to the Warriors' draft party on 6/28? I registered at Warriors.com the other day and got a call from a guy named Nathan who works in the marketing dept for the Warriors and gave me details as to where, when, etc.

Where: Jillian's in SF
101 4th Street, Suite 170
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415.369.6100

When: 6/28/07 from 4-8pm

Special guests: The Warriors Girls

Anyone else going? Anyone ever gone to one of these before?

So, here's another idiot trade idea...sorry Sleepy but I gotta share this...

GS/LAL trade in a nutshell:
GS gets Turiaf and Radmanovic for St. Jax (and probably the 18th pick)

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming Players
Stephen Jackson
Salary: $6,120,000  Years Remaining: 4
PTS: 15.5  REB: 3.0  AST: 3.8  PER: 14.50
Outgoing Players: Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf

Golden State Warriors

Incoming Players
Vladimir Radmanovic
Salary: $5,215,000  Years Remaining: 5
PTS: 6.6  REB: 3.3  AST: 1.2  PER: 11.02

Ronny Turiaf
Salary: $664,209  Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 5.3  REB: 3.6  AST: 0.9  PER: 15.54
Outgoing Players: Stephen Jackson

Why? The Lakers have a surplus of bigs (8 to be exact), and not much swingmen (Evans, McKie, Sasha V) to help Kobe on the offense. If needed, we can throw in the 18th pick. The main reason for the trade is to get the tuff SOB in Turiaf. As we remember too well this past season, he was the Energizer bunny for the Lakers. It seemed like Nellie didn't know what to do about him whenever the camera focused on him. I added VR to make the trade work financially but he may also be serviceable. For GS, we get rebounding help and still keep our main scorers.

I'm not a big fan of doing a big-time trade (KG) as this will cost us our future...who's to say KG will re-sign with us once his contract expires or if he opts-out? I've waited patiently for a decent Warriors team for so long now. To break up the main pieces will be Richmond and CWebb all over again. People, we have to realize we're only a big man or 2 away from getting to the finals. I strongly believe this. In fact, if we had Milsap subbing in for AB, we probably may have won the Utah series. We can't win close games without someone to patrol the glass.

But I think the best scenario would be to have Al continue playing along side with AB but he really needs to improve on rebounding.

Is it October yet?

Why do you get so bothered by these "bandwagonners"? Does complaining about them give you more credibility as a "true Warriors" fan? I've been a Warriors fan all my life but I don't let these bandwagon fans affect me.

Obviously, you haven't been a long-time fan of any team! Because if you've been a true, long-time suffering Warriors fan like myself, you would expect these things to occur. It's part of sports people...you win unexpectedly, you're gonna get people to talk about your team even though it may seem like they're making things up. If your team loses, you're gonna get people talking about the loss. This is sports people. Deal with it.

after tough losses? I tend to just wake up from my sleep and just think about the last game they've just lost. I was up like 2 hours last night just thinking about the MP botched FTs, or Baron's, or JRich's, or St. Jax'. I know I am a fan, but am I now an extreme fanatic? I mean, when the Giants lost game 6 vs. the Angels, I kept waking up for the next 4 months. When I awake suddenly, I just think about some of the things they did wrong or stuff like if the ball bounced a different way. I wanna know if there are others here that are experiencing the same thing. I wonder if it's time to take up knitting instead...or see my psychoanalyst?

Poll

any one else here waking up?

65%

Yes, I'm googling for the best psychoanalyst in the bay area

15 votes

13%

I wake up about "other things"

3 votes

21%

No, you need to be seen ASAP

5 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

I guess most of us are aware that he didn't play in last night's game due to a situation involving his family. Rumor has it that one of his children may have cancer. During his stint as a Warrior, he was all class. So whatever the issue is, he has support from me, and hopefully from the rest of the GSoMers.

http://nitmik.com/forum/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4737

http://boards.espn.go.com/boards/mb/mb?sport=nba&id=hou&tid=811960&lid=5

There's a discussion about the Ws here. Rox fans seem to be concerned about the Ws should they win game 7 vs Utah. And vice versa.

From a Rox fan anklesnappit:

I really think GS would be favored vs. Hou (or Utah, for that matter) and our only chance will be to effectively slow the game way down at our house so that we can take advantage of Yao's and McGrady's unique abilities. Otherwise, we will be toasted... And I am not sure we will win @GS no matter what.

From a Jazz fan jayswag:

Jazz fan here.  This is one of those times where you are hoping your team wins and advances, but you know it will be over very soon...So I am rooting for my team... but I am worried about the reward waiting for them

From a Rox fan rocket4life95:

I see mismatches galore. They will frustrate McGrady with their quickness. And Harrington, who struggled with Dallas, will frustrate Yao with quickness and athleticism. What are we gonna do with Barnes, Ellis, JRich, BD, SJAX? How are we gonna stop guard penetration? I see problems with this team.  Not only with their speed and quickness, but also their reckless and chaotic style..

I admit, I'm feeling giddy. But I don't care...besides, I've waited 27 long years for this. Even IF we don't go all the way, I'm a happy fan!

according to the Murph and Mac show on KNBR this morning. They say he's Baron's friend and will be in the house! If I see this on the Web, I'll put a link but I thought I'd let you guys know in case it interests you................................................................................................. ...........................................

I've said this ever since the Warriors picked up Kabuki; I love the way he plays! With that said, why not give him Mikael's minutes? In this game, you have to be smart in everything you do. MP to me just doesn't get it (I'm sure many of you concur)! He's too friggin inconsistent! Makes great plays at times but then does bone-headed mistakes. If there's a ratio between bone-headedness and smarts, he's 7/3. You know he'll give you solid plays that stem from good basketball knowledge. I know they say the game of basketball is 90% mental and 10% physical (OK I'm guessing here). But if this is the case, then my vote is on Kabuki!

Belive me, I'm not in panic mode right now. I just want to see if Kabuki playing MP's would benefit the 8-man rotation's chemistry.

Poll

Should Kelenna take MP's PT?

60%

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!

15 votes

12%

No, a 7/3 bone-headedness to smarts isn't as significant!

3 votes

28%

I really don't know! Let's ask Nellie.

7 votes

25 votes | Poll has closed

Sorry if this has been mentioned already but this morning on my way to work, KNBR reported that the Mavs hired Alec Baldwin to become their motivational speaker. Cuban is simply amazing...what's next? Hire a priest? As for the link, I'll check if there is one.

300 characters.....asfhbalsfibasfibasfibasfjbasjfasfjna'osfbna'sofubasfuabsfasfyabslfbaslfuyvasfuyvausyf vualsfyvausfyasvfyasvasyhfvashfavfuasylfvalsfvyhaf...there!

without checking google or the Internet, what would be the all-gloom Warriors team that you could come up with? When I say gloom, I mean those really bad, sad, fugly years of 1994-2006. This is where the bench players get their glory. So without further delay, here are mine (again try not to use the Internet to make this funner):

1 - Bimbo Coles
2 - Larry Hughes
3 - Dwayne Ferrell
4 - Jason Caffey
5 - Adonal Foyle (sorry Zorgon)

honorable mention:
Dwayne Morton, Gert Haminck (sp), Mookie Blaylock, Mark Price, Carlos Rogers, Todd Fuller, Erick Dampier, Sam Jacobson, Alan Henderson, Calbert Cheaney, Clarence Weatherspoon

All the new GSoM members are flocking like seagulls to this site! I love it a lot...They're now creating their own diaries! I love it...and keep it up...BTW (might as well spell it out as this requires 300 characters...By The Way), where the hell were you when we were struggling? We could have used more love and comfort when our Ws were left for dead before our 16-5 run...Anyway, I love the fact that you're all here now. Keep representing!

I know KNBR is in love with the Giants and all but they are also the Warriors' "flagship" station. During the season when the Ws sucked, their games would be broadcast on KNBR 1050 (which is bad for me cuz the signal is wack as I live in the Central Valley) while the Razor and Mr T would continue on 680. Or if the Giants had a game, it would stay on 680. So pretty much, the Warriors games are less meaningful to KNBR. I know it has to do with popularity/marketing but man, it's annoying.

I was wondering, with the recent success and the playoff berth, would this change KNBR's ways?

I am a huge KNBR listener but they gotta show more love...

Poll

Would KNBR finally suck up to the Warriors?

11%

Maybe...if KNBR agrees to sign a "KNBR will love the Ws" offer from Cohan for $555 trillion.

2 votes

41%

Yes! Because the Ws are the new Kings of the Bay Area!

7 votes

47%

No chance, KNBR just loves the Giants, win or lose!

8 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

1. Get complacent. Yes we are up against a lottery-bound team. But so what! Take no prisoners! Hope they didn't forget those times when the Blazers smacked them silly year after year.

2. Complain about calls and flirt with ejection, especially Baron and St. Jax! We need those play-makers.

3. Go on a 3+ minute scoring drought! If the perimeter isn't working, move the ball around! Or take it strong to the hole!

4. Play Dunleavy-soft defense.

I'm not sure if you guys want updates for this game, but I'll be doing this every 5 minutes.

For whatever reason, I can access this game on DirecTV channel 656.

2nd qtr - Garcia just hit a 3 ptr....

SAC 44
LAC 26
8:32 left

I need to type more characters.......................................................................................... ........................

They play the Suns tonight in PHX (PHX leads the season series 2-1), Seattle on Sunday in LA (and Seattle somehow plays well against the Lakers), and Sac in Sac (they beat the Kings in OT at Sac).

If they do finish 0-3 (wishful thinking here), they'd go 40-42 for the season. Our Warriors could then finish 7th or 8th if we finish stronger than strong...

Poll

Can the Lakers go 0-3 in the final stretch?

8%

No way

3 votes

20%

I don't care! I just hate the Lucking Fakers!

7 votes

22%

Yes, so they can draft Marco Belinelli

8 votes

48%

Quite possibly

17 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (rapid heartbeat). Hope he recovers from this. I remember when Hank Gathers collapsed and died due to rapid heartbeat. He collapsed in the middle of the court.

The only good news out of this is, the Warriors won't have to face him in the last game of the season...which could very well be a true "must win" game!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2831364

The Nellie interview on the Murph and Mac show this morning was very refreshing. His voice did not sound like the usual stressed out, froggy one that we heard during the hard times.

He mentioned that with the new anti-Mureshan small ball lineup, he could point out the opposing team's slugs and try to exploit their weaknesses. Apparently it's working.

The interview audio should be on knbr.com later this morning...

In one of my posts or diaries a few weeks ago, I pointed out that the Warriors needed to change their attitude. I'm too lazy to get the link. At any rate, I mentioned that, during a recent losing streak, the Ws looked scared...that they lacked confidence...that they don't know how to just have fun and win.

But the past 15 or so games, with the healthy lineup, you could see they've changed for the better. Now, they're playing with swagger, they can play and have fun at the same time. You can see everyone (including the bench) having fun, being animated in front of the camera. I no longer see fear in their eyes (with the exception of JRich when he laid an egg against the Sperms last week at the Oracle). BTW, I'm the biggest JRich fan and supporter (I know this sounds too cliche and all but it's the truth).

So really, when Spree was throwing the lob to CWebb, who would spin and complete the one-handed alley-oop, we all witnessed the "fun" factor in their winning ways. We are finally starting to see "fun" again with this small ball lineup. The players are now starting to believe that they can beat ANY team right now.

Life is good for us Warriors fans!

I received an approval from Atma Brother 1 (thanks Atma and the GSoM crew!) to promote my Website, which launched on 4/1/07. The URL is www.TRACKjams.com.

It is a music site for musicians and music lovers. Musicians may collaborate with each other to perform a copyrighted song publicly and legally via multi-track recordings. I have the appropriate licenses from the performing rights organizations in the US (ASCAP and BMI) so as long as the song to be performed is in their repertory, it's legal.

The way this works is, Musican A (guitarist) would like to complete a song, say U2's "With or without you". He lays the foundation of the song by recording the guitar track. Musician B (a bassist) downloads that track and records his bass track with the existing track. This continues until all instruments and vocals have been recorded to complete the song.

For the music lover (audience) to listen to the song, he/she must also register. Membership for musicians and the audience is FREE.

So, here's what I ask of you beloved and dear GSoM brethrens...if you are a musician or love to hear music or know any musicians (regardless of skill level), you are more than welcome to join the site. I ask that you simply help spread the word. Thank you for taking your time to read this (even tho we're in the middle of a playoff push).

www.TRACKjams.com

Signed,

MANUTEs BOLs

Nice interview with the 20 year old Latvian. He seemed very relaxed and seems to be enjoying his life as a Warrior. The funny part of the interview came toward the end. Murph was asking him if Beans has been to a few Latvian restaurants in the Bay Area. Then there was a pause of 3-4 seconds and the hosts thought Beans' line was dropped. Then a couple seconds later, they heard him saying "Cuckoo".

Later I guess Dibley was thinking that's Latvian for "yoohoo" as if to get someone's attention. Funny stuff. Maybe "Cuckoo" should be Biedrins' nickname?

I haven't been this excited about our starting 5 since 1993-94 when we had CWebb, Owens, Spree, Avery Johnson and Mullin.

What I'm really excited about with our new starting 5 is the pressure defense we lay on the opposition, especially in the first quarter. It looks suffocating to the other team. Just ask Dirk. This results in more steals and productive early offense. Man this is a sweet starting 5. They just need to rebound better. They also need to maintain this type of pressure throughout the game, no matter who's on the court.

Offensively, I love Monta but whenever he subs in for Baron, the offense is not as productive. There's less flow. If Monta could duplicate this aspect of Baron's game, we'll be alright.

Is it too early to give our starters a nickname? If Nellie's last name is Jackson, we can call them Jackson's 5.

Or SonTonSonIsIns. First one to figure this out wins...

to make sure they don't face the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs:

They may tank their games against the teams battling for the final spot: NOK, SAC, LAC, Den, and even Minny.

I could be wrong but if the Mavs really fear the Warriors come playoff time, this may not be a bad idea for them.

Poll

Will Dallas tank their games vs. other 8th spot contenders?

19%

Yes, cuz they wanna advance to the Finals!

6 votes

80%

No, there's no such thing as fearing another team!

25 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

When the dubs get in "uh-oh" mode, they seem to keep digging a deeper hole. You can see it in their faces. The look of, "here we go again." Their lack of confidence is simply too noticeable. And the opposing team sees this. And the Warriors get eaten up. I don't now about you guys but this is what I have been seeing from them since the day CWebb left.

Do you remember those days? Do you remember CWebb, Owens, Spree, et al having fun while playing? Do you remember those 2-man plays where the post player does a spin move against their defender and gets the ball lobbed over? Nellie used CWebb a lot on this play where he simply did one-handed alley-oop dunks. Remember his one-handed alley-oop dunks? Heck, even Spree and Owens got the receiving end. One thing I remember seeing a lot was how their faces looked like. They were laughing, not at the opposing team; but they were laughing as they headed back to play defense on their end. They played with a lot of emotion and guys were just animated, even when complaining about a call made against them. It was a sign of confidence and having fun while playing.

Heck, we saw the same thing during the TMC days. Remember Timmy's swagger? Remember how he just seemed to enjoy playing the game? How he brought enthusiasm. Of course Mullin and Richmond were'nt as loud as Tim but he brought in a lot of excitement.

During Sacto's glory days, they too showed a lot of "having fun". I lived in the Sacto area for 4 years during their best seasons. I saw how CWebb would do simple behind the back passes from the high post to a shooter on the wing with that shooter (usually Peja, Christie, Bobby Jackson, etc) making the shot. I've seen this happen way too many times...as a matter of fact, in my mind, this was their identity. So may times, they even did 2 or more behind the back passes on the same half-court play. They played loose. They did fancy passes, pump fakes, behind the back passes, the cheap things that make you say "ooooh".

My point here is, the dubs need to play loose. They need to play like they're having fun. Playing loose and showing that they're having fun indicate confidence. This attitude gives the opposing team an unknown fear. The opposing team will be like "Oh crap...what's this all about?" I know behind the back passes are so old but the Warriors need to whatever they need to do to show us, the fans, and the opposing team that they are not playing scared. They need to show us they are friggin professionals. They need to run more back screen plays that result in a JRich, Kelenna, or Monta alley-oop. I wanna see more laughter. I wanna see more animation. I wanna see them flexing their biceps in front of the cheerleaders (with the exception of Monta). I wanna see them pointing in the stands (even on the road) as if to say "Hayyll Yeah! Unstoppable Baby!"

Anyway, I hope everyone's taking this loss not as hard as I'm taking it cuz it certainly ain't healthy.
 

http://www.nba.com/

He passed away today. Incredible.

Dennis Johnson, a three-time NBA Champion as a member of the Seattle Supersonics and Boston Celtics and the head coach of the D-League's Austin Toros, passed away today. He was 52 years old.

Also on http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2775430.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Former NBA star Dennis Johnson died Thursday, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office said. He was 52. Johnson, who was part of three NBA champions with the Boston Celtics and one with the Seattle SuperSonics, had been coaching the Austin Toros of the NBA Developmental League. "He is deceased and is in our building. He will be autopsied," said Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office. Johnson was the MVP of the 1979 NBA Finals, averaging 22.6 points as the Sonics beat the Washington Bullets in five games. After a brief stint with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson rejoined the Celtics, where he teamed with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish for a glorious run in the 1980s that saw Boston win the 1984 and 1986 NBA championships and a reach a third, losing the Lakers in 1987. Known throughout the league as "DJ," Johnson played in five NBA All-Star games and was named to the All-Defensive First Team six times. In 14 NBA seasons, he scored 15,535 points (a 14.1 points-per-game average) and averaged 17.3 points in 180 playoff games.