Bucks
under the influence
NBA Central by Bill Nichols
CLEVELAND- There’s a little bit of Iowa, some more of the Boston Celtics and a lot of Don Nelson that goes into the makeup of the Milwaukee Bucks
Nelson, in his sixth year as the Bucks’ bench boss, spent four years at the University of Iowa and 11 with the Celtics before turning in his sneakers for a coach’s whistle. And, his stature as a coach grows with each passing season.
Currently, the 41-year-old Nelson has the Bucks comfortably out in front in the Central Division, and only an unexpected disaster can prevent them from winning the division.
Nelson’s philosophies sound simple. “Get good players who are unselfish, play solid defense and are aggressive at both ends of the court," he said.
The Bucks were without forward Marques Johnson for the first 18 games because of contractual problems, guard Brian Winters for 13 games because of injuries and forward Mickey Johnson for eight games, due to a knee injury. Still, the Bucks have not faltered.
“Most of these guys have been with me a few years.” Nelson said. “When you have a good team, you try to keep the players together.”
Except for forward Scott May, center Geff Crompton and rookie forward Alton Lister, the Bucks are the same team as last year when they won the division title, then lost to Philadelphia in an exciting seven-game playoff series.
Bob Lanier, playing more with his head than his legs, is in the pivot, the Johnsons, Pat Cummings, Lister and May are on the wings with Junior Bridgeman, Sidney Moncrief, Quinn Buckner, Winter and Mike Evans In the backcourt. And, Nelson substitutes his players regularly.
“Moncrief is a great player,” Nelson said, “Lanier is playing really well and Scott May has been a surprise. He has made a major contribution and has helped us keep winning.”
About the Celtics influence, Nelson said, “I guess there is a helluva lot—yes, get the rebound, kick it out, then play good defense.”
“My concept of coaching revolves around teamwork. Red Auerbach influenced me the most dating back to my younger days as a Celtic. Red always shared his ideas and concepts, was successful in what he did and was respected for what he did. Respect is most important. As a coach, I may not be liked, but respect from my players is important.
The Bucks are regarded as one of the four top teams In the NBA. With a little luck come spring, they may be the best of all.
* * *
Atlanta guard Eddie Johnson’s wife, Diana, gave birth to their first child, a girl, December 26. . . . The Hawks win when they run, as evidenced by a 7-5 mark in games in which they’ve scored more than 100 points. The Hawks have their top players, healthy for the first time since February 15 with the return of guard Wes Matthews. . . . Rookie Rudy Macklin saw his first duty as a big guard, in a victory over San Antonio December 26. Macklin scored 16 points while Spurs’ guard George Gervin was held to 25 points. . . . As forward Dan Roundfield goes, so go the Hawks. He leads the club in five categories: field goals, free throws, rebounds, blocked shots and points.
Cleveland veteran Don Ford made a rare start in Mike Mitchell’s quick forward spot, played 25 minutes and took just one shot from the field. . . . Scott Wedman, out with a broken foot, is expected to rejoin the Cavs by mid-January. . . . Newly acquired guard Ron Brewer received raves from Coach Chuck Daly and center Bill Laimbeer. “The guy can really cook. He’s an outstanding ballplayer,” Daly said. “Brewer is something else,” said Laimbeer, “he jumps like he’s on a pogo stick and he hits from distances without even winding up.”
Center Dwight Jones had to sit out a few games for Chicago because of problems with his right shou1der and elbow. . . . The Bulls have struggled because of turnovers. They have had more errors then their opposition in every game since November 6. Because of the turnovers, they are not winning the close games.
Indiana has six players scoring double figures. Guard Johnny
Davis leads the pack with 16.3 ppg. . . . Guard Ray Townsend
was released then signed again to a 10-day agreement.
This article by Bill Nichols
appeared in The Sporting News January 16, 1982
Reproduced with permission of the author.