Michael Cooper is from my home town of Albuquerque. I've never met him per se - but I've seen him out and about. You know those celebrities who are always loud and obnoxious in real life - the sort of person a waiter or waitress hopes they don't get, and you never want to be next to on an airplane? Well Coop is the opposite of that. Polite, respectful - almost humble. He wasn't just a great basketball player - he's a good man.
You'll also hear stories of him being nice to fans. He played at New Mexico. When I was a little kid, I ran into him at grocery store in Albuquerque, and he was really patient, kind, and gave me an autograph. Still remember that day, even though it was well over 40 years ago.
Huge Celtic fan here but I secretly loved Coop and wished he played for the Cs. The man had some serious hops too which is often overlooked. Thanks for posting, I could listen to Celtics vs Lakers stories all day.
This was great! As a Celtics fan I always had tons of respect for super Cooper! He guarded Larry extremely tenaciously, but always was respectful and classy. I'd always hoped the Celtics could have grabbed him as a role player at some point. I honestly believed he was the unceremonious difference-maker in a couple of the Celtics Lakers finals of the 80s.
As a Showtime fan I use to dislike the Celtics, but they were too good, now I got a lot of Respect for them because they were the perfect rivals, and I do believe LB has been the best Forward of all time, he was a really badass player.
@Sean Kennedy. You are correct. Coop was the difference maker. He would sub in for either Worthy, Scott, or Magic. Coop ran the PG when Magic came out. Byron Scott while SG was never really a good ball handler and facilitator. He was a drive to the basket or spot up shooter. Coop often guarded the opponent’s best scorer which was often a SG or SF at the time. The Lakers usually were a bit deeper than the Celtics and that was the difference maker. The 1984 Celtics had Cedric Maxwell still and McHale off the bench. That was the difference maker for them in that series plus getting the help from refs and playing thug ball. 😂
In absolutely hated the lakers and everything about them as a New Englander and a Celtics fan. I still don’t like them or that town but I have respect for their talent and how evenly matched both teams were.
Jon Dowling I hated the Celtics just as bad or even more don’t necessarily have the respect level for the Celtics or Boston fans. I don’t like what the Celtics reverted to in the 1984 series. The Celtics were clearly being beaten and the only thing they could do was play thug ball. The take down by McHale on Rambis couldn’t and wouldn’t even occur in today’s basketball. McHale would have been tossed out and even suspended for another game or even the entire series. In addition, Celtics fans used to find out which hotel the Lakers were staying at and set off the fire alarm all night. They even used to pay women to go up to the players room to entice them for some sex and fun. Anything to throw their game off. When I heard about these things I was like dang Boston fans sure as passionate. I know I shouldn’t blanket the entire Boston fan base but whoever did these things were carrying things a bit too far. In reality all this did was toughen up the Lakers even more. This is why they came back and won in 1985 and 1987 and repeated in 1988. That repeat was significant because no other NBA team repeated for 20 years. The last to repeat were the Celtics before this.
I remember ALL those Laker - Celtics series and regular season games back then. Coop's game was all about denying Larry, deny, deny, deny. But what gets lost in translation is how much energy it takes to play like that. What a personal rivalry between those two, what memories, and what an era of basketball!
Great memories watching celtics Lakers with my children. There will never be an era like that in the nba. Today they don't allow defense. Breathing fouls are even called. Players should not have garlic for pregame meal
a lot of the new generation don't know much of the players back in the day. here is another prime example with Michael Cooper, people forget how good he was defensively and his ability to shoot the 3 pointer. glad you gave Coop some recognition for his contribution to the game.
BTM thanks for putting respect on michael cooper's great name! 😁 cooper was highly underrated as a defensive presence. true fans knew for years that cooper was the toughest defender bird ever faced. also from time to time, the lakers ran a play dedicated for cooper, called the coop-a-loop. i appreciate cooper's hard work, doing the best he could, with enthusiasm and class for his opponent and teammates.
Love watching you, David. The NBA was never better than during the 80's. Magic and Bird were a Godsend. When they joined the NBA Go Time was on. Now I would rather watch mice fornicating than today's NBA. A quote from Bobby Knight. Peace to you.
Coop is so under rated, without Him and Byron Magic would have been in problems in the defensive end. Great you can get in touch with Coop wish him the best😎
These 80's and 90's teams that you cover... this was a totally different NBA where coaching, player matchups, and offensive and defensive strategies where integral to the game. Today's NBA is either shoot the 3 or drive to the hoop. Not sure why Coaches or the foul line is even needed today. Love all your videos by the way. You do a nice job.
I've heard Larry Bird say that the game is better today because "they've cleaned it up", but to me, they've sterilized it. I think Larry & Magic would be bored out of their minds playing today's game. Just my perspective, with the disclaimer that I haven't watched in years.
Amen. I happened to be eating dinner at a restaurant two or three years ago and there was an NBA game on the tube. I think it was the Bucks and the Pacers. It was unwatchable. Either team would advance the ball up the floor, make a couple of perimeter passes and up would go a 25 footer. The guys in the post never got a touch unless it was on the rebound. Compare that to the Red Holzman coached Knicks teams in the 70s. They ran a pattern, everybody touched the ball, lots of screens and cuts and the result was a 10-12 foot bunny jumper or a layup. And everybody on those teams could shoot: Bradley, DeBusschere, Lucas, Frazier and Monroe and Willis Reed was an All-Star in the middle. Phil Jackson was hanging around as well.
This era is gone forever... The strategies, the role players, coaching, playmaking. I thank Michael Cooper for his perspective and his play. He epitomizes the team concept.
Mr David, you’re the man! Thank you for continuing to provide great content. Coop is one of my all-time favorite bench players. I love guys who can shut down the best offensive players in the league. Have you done a similar video about Joe Dumars yet? He was to Jordan what Michael Cooper was to Bird.
Michael Cooper was one of the best defenders you will ever see in any era. There are none like him. No flash, all hustle. Gritty, tough, and gets the job done. He would have a field day with players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Pound for pound he’s the best defender I’ve seen play, and I’ve been watching since 1960. He’s a guard matched up against a forward in Bird, should have been an easy mismatch for Bird, but wasn’t. He should be in the hof. Yes he would have been in Lebron’s head for however long it took him to mentally toughen up, and even then each possession would have been a hard battle. A tough clean player. One of my all time favorites. The fans are missing a lot in today’s game with no defense being allowed anymore. Great memories.
Cooper was the man. Tough as they come and humble. I don't really know how to put into words how much I appreciated him other than to say I take him and his legacy into my later life as a treasure.
The Coop-a-loop! I remember that commercial where Bird says he likes his steak well done and Cooper says he likes his steak rare. No question that Cooper did a great job defending Bird and for Bird to even say that Cooper was his best defender is really something. Interestingly though, even though Robert Parrish wasn't a great scorer, he was one hell of a defender on Kareem. Kareem was also limited when playing against Parrish, so Parrish knew how to defend Kareem just like Cooper knew how to defend Bird. After all these guys retired, I stopped watching the NBA. There was absolutely nothing better than that Celtics - Lakers rivalry.
If I remember correctly McHale did well these games too. So the Celts were players that took advantage of their increased touches. No doubt you’d want the ball in Birds hands as much as possible. But the Celts weren’t a one dimensional team either.
I honestly felt sorry for Michael,once those guys were gone it was just boring as hell to me. I'd be watching the draft every year waiting on him to get a nemesis on a good team. Never happened.
I so very much loved Coop! Grew up in Northern New Mexico and was so fortunate to see him play for UNM. Fab Lobo was he. Worked hard. Scrappy, hard and dedicated. Proud to be a fan and admirer!
That was a fun video to watch! I remember this stuff from my school days. I’m a big Larry Bird fan. The interview with Cooper was great!! I enjoyed listening to his perspective about that great rivalry.
So glad for this video. I was a Laker's fan growing up and Michael Cooper was my favorite Laker (how many people outside of Coop's own family can say that?) As great as Kareem and Magic were I think Cooper forcing Bird to work so hard each and every game may have been the key difference between winning and losing each series. Really such great memories of this rivalry of teams. Ending the video with Cooper draining a 3 on Utah was great! As your video mentions, Michael could score the needed basket (and sometimes a bunch more if required). Lastly, after recently watching Kareem, Magic, Byron Scott and now Michael Cooper talk about Bird I definitely have a new appreciation for Larry. I guess I had fan bias against Bird and never really recognized or appreciated his own greatness. I've definitely matured on him and can appreciate how special he was. In fact, my love for Cooper is probably a direct correlation to how well he played against Bird (and Bird forced him to be at his best).
Thanks for the wonderful video and interview with Coop. I always loved to watch him in 1980s. He is still a true sportsman and a gentleman. I am happy to hear him again.
Woah, great that you got him for an interview! Nicely done. If there's more of it than you included here, maybe put it up in another segment? Well done.
The two times a year when Boston and LA would play in the regular season, once in Boston, once in LA, it was an event. You circled it on the calendar. I remember living in a studio and having 7 guys over watching. I was a Laker fan and almost put my fist through the TV when the Lakers were losing a game. Man those were great times, the best!
I remember liking the NBA. The world has moved on and so have I. Much respect to Michael Cooper and I remember being a kid watching those Celtic/Laker games. Bird is a legend. Good video
Michael Cooper, underappreciated--Great defender, GREAT PLAYER! Tough, gritty, intelligent! No one like him. Coop was a great compliment to the Laker dynasty!
I was a huge Celtic fan back then and NO one played Bird better. He was highly underrated on those great Laker teams. Coop could bust a 3 on you too! EVERY team needs a Cooper and this is coming from one of Birds biggest admirers.
The NBA needs an injection of Michael Cooper-esq defensive mindset. The game is entirely too offensive based now. Bring back the bad boys, the scrappers, the thugs. We need basketball to be played with a passion by everyone on the court. I'd like to feel like today's players respect the game and act as if they are privileged to be on the court. Watching the Lakers play defense was a thing of beauty. Hands up, cutting off the passing lanes, switching when needed and contesting EVERYTHING!! Love your videos man! I fall in love with old school ball all over again every time I watch one.
Coop may be the greatest wing defender of all-time. Michael was the best at denying the ball, had a high basketball IQ, and had the stamina to deny you all game long. He was cat quick, fast, and was as good, or better, than Lebron at the chase down block at the rim. Coop talks about Larry Bird being an all out hustle player but so was Michael. Michael Cooper was a great, under appreciated player and was the type of player every coach loves to have on their team.
I am in my mid-50s now, and in my youth I intently watched this rivalry. That era was the real NBA: tough, passionate, intense, hard, competitive, physical, nasty. This great video reminded me about how unsung Michael Cooper was. He deserves more respect and recognition for the Lakers’ success. Other Lakers (Johnson, Abdul-Jabber, Worthy, (even) Rambis) received more praise, but Cooper was a dominate defensive force that made the Lakers great.
I was a big Boston Celtics fan in the 80's. But I always loved watching Michael Cooper too. I would cringe the second he let a 3 pointer go, because I knew it was probably going in.
I think this channel is so freakin dope. I’ve discovered it trying to teach my son how to play basketball and it’s incredible how modern day media platforms like RU-vid allow the creation of something so specific, you would never think that people would want to watch it day in and day out, but I love coming on here. I used to go to church with Lionel Hollins and I would love to hear the stories. Do you know who you should do a story on is this old cat named John Drew. He was briefly living with my neighbors when I was a kid and I didn’t know who he was because he was a little bit before my time and he unfortunately burned out of the league on drugs. He was shooting hoops with me and telling me all the stories and did not miss, and I asked him why he left or something like that and from that moment on he was just “ghost”. In hindsight as an adult, with the understanding of what he was battling, I would’ve never asked to begin with but I certainly would have treated him with the upmost compassion and respect. I remember him telling me to Jamaal Wilkes beat him out for rookie of the year. You should do a segment on dudes that almost blew up. Like him, Bernard king, David Thompson, Andrew Toney, and who is that big white center for the Washington bullets? Charles Barkley talks about him in his biography about another dude that almost made it, as A premier Force to be reckon with, but either due to injury or something like that he didn’t get the chance. I think his name was Jeff. Maybe you include international guys to like sabonis or Oscar Schmidt? Do a segment on the best of the “He would’ve been”.... by the way, I can’t tell where you’re from? Is your accent New York or Jamaican?
Dude... You got Coop'!? What!? I didn't like him when he played, especially because his Lakers derailed that great run by my 1986-87 Supersonics... That season is the very first one I remember. I was 5 years old, and I loved Mac10, X-man, and Dale Ellis... Such great memories... I got so much respect for Coop', as well... His team straight dismissed the Supes' in 4 games... ✌️❤️
@@mandodelossantos2 hell yeah. If you couldn't catch the game on TV you could listen to the simulcast on AM radio. The way he described what was going on I could see it happening in my mind. Best broadcaster ever.
Dude! So very cool BTM. Thanks so much for highlighting a cool player I didn’t know about. Cooper, thank you for playing with heart and taking time to grace us with your stories and perspective.
Defense is always overlooked people like the guys who score Michael Cooper did his job stopping one of the greatest scorers in basketball history not an easy job and not a thankful one
"little bonus at the end"? Man I really appreciate that you got in touch with Coop and shared it with us but perhaps you could treat this legend with a bit more respect. I found what he shared about guarding another legend quite interesting but surely the interview could have been a bit longer. By all means upload a longer version, the people wants to hear the man speak!
Awsome Vid. Nice touch with a cameo from Coop. I am and always will be a Laker hater but I loved many of their players. My close friends who are Laker fans know this about me as I always gave credit to Magic, Jabbar, Kobe and many others. Fantastic players and enjoyable to watch. I always stated Cooper was highly underated as a defenisve specialist and all around player (could shoot 3's). I often spoke of his ability and I never knew that Bird gave him that compliment. Thank you for the vid as it will be something I get to rub my friend's noses in and will direct them to watch this. Great Job keep up the good work.
Watch Bird games against Cooper. His points were off the ball and getting open, and he had tons of assists. Going one on one with Cooper was near impossible
I met Michael in 1978 in Hawaii while he was playing basketball in the Aloha Classic college all-star game. My father was the assistant coach on Coops's team and therefore I was a ball boy and general gopher for the team. I cannot say enough about Coop. He was a hard worker and a very genuine person. He took time out to speak with me all the time and gave me his signature wrist bands after one of the games. I followed his career and loved watching his success. I agree with you Sean, his offensive ability was under appreciated by the press, but the Lakers clearly knew what they had in him. Glad to see a piece like this giving props to a great person and a great player.
He was the NBA version of a lockdown cornerback. It was so awesome to watch him especially against Bird. Coop always got the toughest guy to guard - he would take tapes of Bird on his vacations to study Larry. That’s how dedicated he was.
Very good video Sean! I started watching basketball in the 80s, and soon I was a fan of the Lakers. Used to hate LB because he was so great. MC was a great defender in the 80s.
Thanks so much for that. I vividly remember the Celtics Lakers rivalry in the 80s and there was nothing like it. Larry vs. "Coop" was a always a great battle to watch. Michael Cooper is a class act.
Coop!!! Miss those days. Being from Boston we wanted nothing but to beat those guys into the floor. Getting older now, it’s great to see him doing well and you realize how much you appreciate all those guys. Game ain’t the same today. Great video!
