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The Dantley-led Fighting Irish ended the Walton-led Bruins' 88-game winning streak.

In the last 35 years, only Adrian Dantley and Michael Jordan have averaged over 30 points-per-game in 4 consecutive seasons in the NBA.

Jan 8, 2015 - "Why Is One of the NBA's All-Time Great Scorers Refereeing JV Games?" by Dave McKenna on deadspin.com

"From NBA to MoCo Rec League, Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley Won't Change His Stripes" by Dan Steinberg on washingtonpost.com

When I was growing up, there was Adrian Dantley, and everybody else. I suspect that, other than players like Elgin Baylor, maybe Dave Bing, he's the most legendary DC-area high-school player in history - there were articles about him in the Washington Post seemingly once a week. I was in awe of him at age 12, and I distinctly remember Tracy Jackson (whose brother is a pretty good friend of mine (*)) saying in an interview that his role model was Adrian Dantley.

(*) I will never forget the day Paint Branch played Springbrook, and Jackson windmill dunked it - he was about the only player on either team that could dunk in those days. He was joking after the game, and I remember him saying, "When we play Springbrook, we be playin' poker in the locker room and shit." And this guy didn't even curse (he also didn't talk like that; he was trying to be funny).

This article does not surprise me *at all* - such was the mentality of Montgomery County (including DeMatha) basketball in the 1970s - they were a tight group.

I'm thinking also about DaveO saying Dantley was a ball-hog, and I think the reason might be because he's viewing him as an NBA player; I'm viewing him as "hometown boy makes good." I also don't think he was any more of a ball-hog than Elvin Hayes, who averaged 1.8 assists-per-game over the course of his career (Dantley averaged 3.0). Hayes would get the ball, turn his back to the basket, start dribbling backwards, and then shoot his unstoppable left-handed, fade-away bank shot - he wouldn't even be looking at his teammates - as soon as he got the ball, you *knew* he was going to do this, and he did it quite effectively. All this said, I can see a statistical case made for either player being thought of as such - when you average over 20 points-per-game, and less than 3 assists-per-game, that's getting a little suspect; I wish I remembered Dantley's NBA game better than I do.

I had absolutely *no* idea that the Notre Dame - UCLA game had this type of finish: This is one of the most exciting endings I have ever seen in a basketball game (I was also incorrect up top when I said "Dantley-led Notre Dame" - John Shumate led them that season; it was the following two seasons when you could legitimately call Dantley the "leader." For the very first time, I now understand why Walton apologized to people for "letting them down" - even though he did absolutely nothing wrong, this is the type of game that will eat at an athlete's core for the rest of their life.):

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I enjoyed watching Dantley.  He was talented, very unique, a tremendously talented scorer and for me, at least, that which made him a ball hog also made him interesting to watch.   Dantley was probably shorter than every one who covered him.  He was also very sleek, very strong.  A physical piece of work.  His style was totally unique.  In fact I'd liken his scoring smarts to those of Larry Bird, in the following context.  He made better use of head and shoulder fakes than virtually anyone else of that time (save Bird or similar to Bird).  He had tremendous basketball IQ on the scoring side of things.  Dantley would get the ball sort of mid distance from the basket, use fakes, use his big strong basketball butt, and either get a defender off balance and shoot, or drive and shoot.  His shooting percentage was very high.  He was absolutely great at drawing fouls and converting.  

But all that took time.  He was a ball hog.  He'd get the ball and working that "method" took up time.  But, watching him was like watching a chess master.  I enjoyed watching him.  Would I have enjoyed playing with him and see the ball "die" in his hands?   Probably not.  But I definitely enjoyed watching his style, as opposed to say a Carmelo Anthony.  And his scoring effectiveness "rate" figuring for a high rate of baskets per shot, plus all those foul shots.  He was very very good at that.  

He was also controversial, strong minded, etc etc.  And he was a local lad.  And I enjoyed his game.  Dantley's skills and mind usually beating whichever lanky dude was covering him.

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