“He could’ve done anything with the ball” Larry Bird says he was never able to read Magic Johnson’s mind
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Magic Johnson with Rival and friend Larry Bird
NBA was braced with two of the best NBA players playing in the same era, forming one of the greatest rivalries in the league’s history. Players in conversation are Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who already had a bit of history even stepping onto the NBA floor. Ironically they played for rival franchises – Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics at that time and the Celtics were the dominant force in the league before the arrival of Magic. After retirement though both showered praises on each other, and Bird wrote about his relationship with Johnson in their book, “When the Game was Ours.” In his introduction, Bird wrote he was never able to read Magic.
While Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were inseparable competitors, they had huge mutual respect. Johnson famously added retiring Larry Bird to the famous “USA Dream Team” in the 1992 Olympics. Bird also never missed a chance to speak highly of Magic.
The Boston Celtics legend revealed that he was in awe of Johnson’s ability to control the game. He said, “I’d watch highlights of Magic after a game and I’d say, ‘How did he do that?’ He controlled the tempo of the game like nobody else I’ve ever seen. There were times when we played the Lakers, and I’d be the only guy back on one of their 3-on-1 breaks.”
Larry Bird was one of the best students of the game and was able to read opponents’ gameplay easily. His game IQ set him apart from others and made him great. But while talking about his fierce rival Magic Johnson he accepted the difficulty in reading his game. He said, “Even though I’m not that quick, I used to be able to read the point guard in those situations and have an idea of which way he was leaning. Not with Magic. I never had any idea what he was going to do with that ball.”
Naturally competitive Larry also mentioned, “We didn’t like each other that much. It was too hard. We were trying to beat each other year after year, and people kept comparing us. I wanted what he had, so I didn’t want to get to know him, because I knew I’d probably like him, and then I’d lose my edge.”
Their famous rivalry helped NBA to win over some fans and it became famous once again. After years of on-court rivalry, the two eventually became friends.
Legendary Rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were not even NBA players, but their rare skills made them household names through their collegiate days too. They first crossed paths after Johnson had completed his debut season in college, where his Michigan State team lost to eventual national champion Kentucky in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship. During the 1978-79 season, Michigan State once again qualified for the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the final to take on Bird’s Indiana State for the championship.
The game remains the most-watched college basketball game ever, with 35.1 million viewers tuning into NBC to watch Magic Johnson’s the Spartans emerge 75-64 winners while the star guard was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. But Bird, who led his team to an impressive 33-0 record before the finals also won many individual awards.
Ultimately, the title match foreshadowed the rivalry between the two Hall of Famers that defined the NBA for a decade. Larry Legend joined one of dominating franchises in the League – the Boston Celtics, While Magic Johnson turned Celtics rivals Los Angeles Lakers into “Showtime Lakers” with his game. They would contest the NBA Finals on three occasions as the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics captivated the nation in the 1980s.
While Johnson won the 3 finals matchup, it was Larry Bird and Boston Celtics who drew 1st blood in 1984, as they close out the 1984 Finals in 7 games. Johnson, being labeled ‘tragic’ after that loss, won the next two finals meeting between two and won a finals MVP award in the last 1987 finals.
Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP awards, and a whopping 24 All-Star appearances. But two megastars finally played together in 1992, as Larry Bird led Team USA to the Olympic Gold. It was Magic Johnson’s persistent efforts that assembled 3 of the superstar players including Michael Jordan in the 1992 USA Olympics team.
While talking to Larry Bird Magic Johnson spoke, “All you have to do is go stand in the corner or stand at the top of the key. You don’t have to do nothing else. I’m going to get you the ball, all you have to do is shoot it and make it. You can still do that, can’t you?”
While to persuade young Michael Jordan, Lakers’ own MJ said it was on his bucket list to play with him and Bird. He called Jordan and said, “Listen, man, it’s been on my bucket list to play with you and Larry – and we’re going to have fun being with each other because we had never really hung out like that.”
They went on to dominate the 1992 Olympics, winning the Gold with ease and the golden friendship between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was also revealed.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)