One of the NBA's top 50 players of all-time visited the Big Green last week to promote his former teammate, Bill Bradley, in the upcoming New Hampshire Primary. Yes, sports fans, Dave Debusschere was here!
Debusschere, who grew up Detroit but now lives in Long Island, N.Y., won two championships in 1970 and 1973 with the New York Knicks. He said he played on "the greatest passing team in the history of the game."
"We played with fundamentals," he said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "The game is not played as well today as it was then. The fundamentals have been lost. There is too much individual, one-on-one play."
Debusschere was a rugged, tenacious defender with a knack for hitting the open outside shot. He was a fierce rebounder and was the key fixture in putting the Knicks over the top in 1970. "I'd say I probably was the missing piece in the puzzle. That's what everyone was saying because I was traded right before that season."
In reminiscing about his playing days, Debusschere noted the time the Knicks beat the Celtics in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road: "It was the first time anyone had beaten the Celtics in the seventh game in the Boston Garden. We controlled the tempo of the game and got the win. We knew going in there we could beat them and we did it."
Debusschere noted that his memorable moment on the court was in winning the championship twice. He said, "that was a great achievement. It took many months of hard work to get to that point. It truly was an exhilarating feeling and a great accomplishment."
Debusschere was a two-sport athlete in college, a star power forward, obviously, on the court, and a fireball pitcher. He respected Michael Jordan's decision to leave the game of basketball at the top of his game. "I don't think it was a bad idea for him to try his hat at baseball, but basically it was a one-year suspension for gambling. He took a year off to let that all die down," he said.
The former Knicks forward is now in the commercial real estate business in New York, and has been following Bill Bradley.
"Bill's credibility speaks for itself. He is extremely qualified for the position of President of the United States. His greatest attribute, which he had as a player, is his about to deal and to communicate with people. He is very intelligent and a winner," he said.
"Years ago, Bill wanted to be accepted as a senator [of New Jersey] and not simply as a former Knick. To a certain extent, he didn't want to be associated with the Knicks. Now, however, he is more than accepting of his old team and willing to let people know he played for them. Why not?"
To this day, Debusschere is competing with his old teammate for a lofty prize, on an even greater scale than when he was playing ball. It's not the NBA Championship trophy that Debusschere and former Senator Bradley are in search of, but the United States Presidency.
