Dennis Johnson vs. Bob Love Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bob Love and Dennis Johnson, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dennis Johnson played 14 years in the NBA, 3 more than Bob Love, who played 11. Dennis Johnson had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Bob Love had his rookie season in 1966-67. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dennis Johnson 14 13 1976-77 to 1989-90
Bob Love 11 6 1966-67 to 1976-77

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1976-771966-67
Team Seattle SupersonicsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 20.6 9.2 2.0 1.7 3.7 1.5 1.5 0.7 - 2.7 3.5 7.0 .504 - - - 2.2 3.5 .624
Bob Love 66 16.3 6.7 - - 3.9 0.7 - - - 2.3 2.6 6.1 .429 - - - 1.4 2.2 .633
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson ------- --- ----------
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1977-781967-68
Team Seattle SupersonicsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 27.3 12.7 1.9 1.8 3.6 2.8 1.5 0.6 2.0 2.6 4.5 10.9 .417 - - - 3.7 5.0 .732
Bob Love 72 14.8 6.4 - - 2.9 0.8 - - - 2.0 2.7 6.3 .424 - - - 1.1 1.6 .684
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 22 37.6 16.1 2.1 2.5 4.6 3.3 1.0 1.0 2.5 2.9 5.5 13.4 .412 - - - 5.1 7.2 .704
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1978-791968-69
Team Seattle SupersonicsMilwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 34.0 15.9 1.8 2.9 4.7 3.5 1.3 1.2 2.4 2.6 6.0 13.9 .434 - - - 3.8 4.9 .781
Bob Love 49 11.1 5.9 - - 3.1 0.3 - - - 1.2 2.2 5.6 .397 - - - 1.4 2.0 .740
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 17 40.1 20.9 2.6 3.5 6.1 4.1 1.6 1.5 3.0 3.7 8.0 17.8 .450 - - - 4.9 6.4 .771
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1979-801969-70
Team Seattle SupersonicsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf FinalsBulls Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 81 36.3 19.0 2.1 3.0 5.1 4.1 1.8 1.0 2.8 3.3 7.1 16.8 .422 0.1 0.7 .207 4.7 6.0 .780
Bob Love 82 38.1 21.0 - - 8.7 1.8 - - - 3.2 7.8 16.7 .466 - - - 5.4 6.4 .842
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 15 38.8 17.1 1.7 2.6 4.3 3.8 1.8 0.7 2.9 3.2 6.7 16.3 .410 0.3 1.0 .333 3.5 4.1 .839
Bob Love 5 34.4 11.8 - - 9.2 0.8 - - - 2.4 4.0 10.4 .385 - - - 3.8 4.8 .792

Season 5

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1980-811970-71
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisBulls Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 79 33.1 18.8 2.0 2.6 4.6 3.7 1.7 0.8 2.6 3.1 6.7 15.4 .436 0.1 0.6 .216 5.2 6.3 .820
Bob Love 81 43.0 25.2 - - 8.5 2.3 - - - 3.2 9.4 21.1 .447 - - - 6.3 7.6 .829
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 7 38.1 19.6 1.0 3.7 4.7 2.9 1.3 1.3 2.7 2.6 7.4 15.7 .473 0.1 0.7 .200 4.6 6.0 .762
Bob Love 7 47.1 26.7 - - 7.3 1.4 - - - 3.7 11.3 23.0 .491 - - - 4.1 5.1 .806

Season 6

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1981-821971-72
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisBulls Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 36.7 19.5 1.8 3.4 5.1 4.6 1.3 0.7 2.9 3.2 7.2 15.4 .470 0.1 0.5 .190 5.0 6.2 .806
Bob Love 79 39.3 25.8 - - 6.6 1.6 - - - 3.0 10.4 23.5 .442 - - - 5.1 6.4 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 7 38.7 22.3 1.9 2.6 4.4 4.6 2.1 0.6 3.6 4.0 9.0 18.9 .477 0.0 0.4 .000 4.3 5.6 .769
Bob Love 4 43.3 18.8 - - 6.8 1.8 - - - 4.3 8.0 22.3 .360 - - - 2.8 3.3 .846

Season 7

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1982-831972-73
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdBulls Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 77 33.1 14.2 1.2 3.2 4.4 5.0 1.3 0.5 2.6 2.6 5.2 11.2 .462 0.1 0.4 .161 3.8 4.8 .791
Bob Love 82 37.0 23.1 - - 6.5 1.5 - - - 2.9 9.4 21.9 .431 - - - 4.2 5.1 .824
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 3 36.0 18.0 2.0 5.7 7.7 5.7 1.7 0.7 2.7 3.0 7.3 16.0 .458 0.0 0.3 .000 3.3 4.0 .833
Bob Love 7 44.9 23.7 - - 9.6 3.3 - - - 2.9 9.7 21.1 .459 - - - 4.3 5.9 .732

Season 8

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1983-841973-74
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second TeamAchievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBulls Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 33.3 13.2 1.1 2.4 3.5 4.2 1.2 0.7 2.2 3.1 4.8 11.0 .437 0.1 0.4 .125 3.5 4.1 .852
Bob Love 82 40.1 21.8 2.2 3.8 6.0 1.6 1.0 0.3 - 2.7 8.9 21.4 .417 - - - 3.9 4.8 .818
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 22 36.7 16.6 1.4 2.2 3.6 4.4 1.1 0.3 2.4 3.4 5.9 14.5 .404 0.1 0.3 .429 4.7 5.5 .867
Bob Love 11 44.5 23.0 2.5 3.3 5.7 2.2 1.3 0.5 - 2.5 9.5 23.4 .405 - - - 4.1 5.4 .763

Season 9

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1984-851974-75
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second TeamAchievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 80 37.2 15.7 1.1 2.8 4.0 6.8 1.2 0.5 2.7 2.8 6.2 13.3 .462 0.1 0.3 .269 3.3 3.8 .853
Bob Love 61 39.4 22.0 1.6 4.7 6.3 1.7 1.0 0.2 - 3.4 8.8 20.6 .429 - - - 4.3 5.2 .830
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 21 40.4 17.3 1.1 2.9 4.0 7.3 1.5 0.4 3.4 3.1 6.8 15.2 .445 0.0 0.7 .000 3.8 4.4 .860
Bob Love 13 44.8 25.8 2.4 5.2 7.5 1.5 0.8 0.4 - 3.2 10.6 24.3 .437 - - - 4.6 5.9 .779

Season 10

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1985-861975-76
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 78 35.0 15.6 0.9 2.6 3.4 5.8 1.4 0.4 2.2 2.6 6.2 13.6 .455 0.1 0.5 .143 3.1 3.8 .818
Bob Love 76 37.1 19.1 2.5 4.2 6.7 1.9 0.8 0.1 - 3.1 7.1 18.3 .390 - - - 4.8 5.9 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 18 39.7 16.2 1.3 2.9 4.2 5.9 2.2 0.3 2.8 3.2 6.1 13.6 .445 0.3 0.9 .375 3.7 4.7 .798
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1986-871976-77
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls, New York Nets, Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 79 37.1 13.4 0.6 2.7 3.3 7.5 1.1 0.5 2.2 2.5 5.4 12.1 .444 0.1 0.8 .113 2.6 3.2 .833
Bob Love 59 19.9 7.3 1.3 2.0 3.4 0.8 0.4 0.1 - 2.0 2.7 7.3 .379 - - - 1.8 2.2 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 23 41.9 18.9 1.0 2.9 4.0 8.9 0.7 0.3 1.9 3.1 7.3 15.7 .465 0.1 1.1 .115 4.2 4.9 .850
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1987-88-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 77 34.7 12.6 0.8 2.3 3.1 7.8 1.2 0.4 2.5 2.6 4.6 10.4 .438 0.2 0.6 .261 3.3 3.9 .856
Bob Love ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 17 41.3 15.9 0.9 3.6 4.5 8.2 1.4 0.5 2.6 3.0 5.4 12.4 .433 0.4 0.9 .375 4.8 6.1 .796
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1988-89-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 72 32.1 10.0 0.4 2.2 2.6 6.6 1.3 0.3 2.4 2.9 3.8 8.9 .434 0.1 0.7 .140 2.2 2.7 .821
Bob Love ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 3 19.7 2.7 0.7 0.7 1.3 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 2.7 1.3 5.0 .267 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
Bob Love ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Dennis Johnson Bob Love
Season 1989-90-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 75 27.1 7.1 0.6 2.0 2.7 6.5 1.1 0.2 1.6 2.4 2.7 6.3 .434 0.0 0.3 .042 1.6 1.9 .843
Bob Love ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Johnson 5 32.4 13.8 0.4 2.4 2.8 5.6 0.4 0.4 2.0 3.4 6.0 12.4 .484 0.4 1.2 .333 1.4 1.4 1.000
Bob Love ------- --- ----------