<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>DeBusschere distinguished himself with stellar defense and reliable offense right up to his retirement at the end of the 1973-74 season. He was the top rebounder and second-leading scorer for the 1972-73 Knicks, who again won a championship. That year he scored 16.3 points per game and made key contributions in a dramatic playoff win in the conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. With the series knotted at three games apiece, New York traveled to Boston to face the Celtics, who were minus an injured John Havlicek. The Knicks rolled over the feisty Celtics as DeBusschere's defense thwarted Boston center and NBA MVP Dave Cowens.In his final three seasons, DeBusschere averaged at least 15 points and won selection each year to the All-Star Game and the NBA All-Defensive First Team, a spot seemingly reserved for him since the award's inception. Following his retirement, DeBusschere showed little interest in a coaching position. "My coaching experience at such a young age was one of the best things that happened for me, but I wouldn't want to go back to coaching," he said.He didn't leave basketball, however, as his leadership skills and coolheaded approach landed him various executive positions in the basketball world. In 1974, DeBusschere served as vice president and general manager of the American Basketball Association's New York Nets. The following year he was hired as commissioner of the ABA and he helped the league merge with the NBA after the 1975-76 season.</div>Giving credit to one of the best defenders in NBA history, He may also be one of the greatest rebounders under 6'8. He averaged 11 boards per game and he is only 6'6.
my boy david lee can be the 21st century version of big dave. he's a blue collar guy that does all the dirty work like crashin those boards.
