Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

Ahhh, so many memories. I want to post that 80's "Working for the Weekend" music video with Bird and Magic, but it appears to have been taken off of YouTube again.

Thanks for the heads up!

Poor Isiah, no respect! He was just as fiery a competitor as those guys, but he gets labeled the asshole. He didn't freeze out Jordan by himself!

I still geek out and watch the Lakers vs Celtics 87 & 88 series evey so often. But nothing compares to Pistons vs Celtics in 87. A war! (Celtics vs Sixers in 82 comes close) I miss when NBA TV used to marathon those games.

The Jordan freeze-out was the least of Isiah's trespasses. Just saying.

Let's not forget Isiah's handling of the CBA. As a former Quad City Thunder season ticketholder, I can tell you that tankjob was epic.

Let's not forget that if Larry Bird were black he'd be "just another good guy".

Hey now, at least he learned from his mistakes and did better with the Knicks organization afterward.

Okay, maybe not so much.

At the very least, we can say that the man wouldn't throw his daughter under the proverbial bus to save his own ass.

Oh, wait...

Fixed that for you.

He did draft T-Mac though!

I love Magic and Bird. They earned their legacy, It was the best rivalry in the history of the sport with only Russell vs. Chamberlain coming close. Always loved the story of how they hated each other until they finally sat down and talked while filming a Converse commercial. Thehy took over the most prestigious franchises in the league on downturns and immediately turned them around. Magic as a rookie filling in at center and getting a triple double is one of the great finals accomplishments.

But the fascinating thing about Isiah Thomas is that he built his legacy from a garbage franchise. The Pistons were almost llike the Clippers-they never won anything. Through sheer force of will, he molded a team after his bad-boy image. They did whatever it took to win. They not only bent the rules, but they broke them. He was willing to be the most hated player-a star despised even among the other stars. For this he was denied his rightful place on the Dream Team.

(As a Hawks fan, I was caught in the middle. Sure we had Dominique, but we got our asses kicked by all those guys)

Unfortunately, because of him the league itself changed. Stern changed the rules so no Jordan-level superstar would ever have to endure the punishment the Bad Boys dished out ever again. Now Kobe and LeBron never have to worry about getting knocked down hard while taking flight. Naturally it is the intensity level that suffers.

Anyhoo, as for the doc, can't wait. It should be great. Hope we get a whole lotta Greg Kite!

Rodman said that. Isiah just agreed with him!

A favorite Larry Bird moment is his leading the Celtics to a game 7 triumph over the Sixers (after being down 3-1). After the buzzer sounds, the euphoric Boston crowd is swarming out of the stands (those were the days!) as celebration erupts. Fans rush up to hug and touch their hero. Surrounded, the camera catches Bird pissed off and punching his escape thru the mob. It used to crack up my friends and I to watch the slo-mo of this one giddy fan's expression change as he's cold-cocked.

You know, without Isiah, I don't think I would have loved Jordan as much as I do. The battles were epic. The Golden Boy was the underdog. It was like Ali vs. Sonny Liston--he needed the conflict.

The interesting thing about the series, thanks to the "Jordan Rules", Isiah and the boys actually shut him down. The only time I can remember that ever happening. But Jordan kept fighting. It took him four years, but he finally knocked out Goliath.

During the struggle, the seeds were sown for his becoming the ultimate modern winner. Sadly, after he never had a rival quite like Isiah. Nothing was as intense, even the '91 finals against Magic was anticlimaxic.

(I always hoped it would be Barkley--but Jordan was manipulative enough to buddy up with him during the finals; taking him out to dinner and such before the games. Not as much fun when hate isnt involved lol)

**That's a great one, Molt!

"What's the matter with these people!!!!!"

Would have been awesome if Mokeski ran into the stands to help out---then we really would have seen shit escalate!

I remember going to a Suns game against the Celtics when I was a kid, and the Suns were up by 1 or 2 at the end and the Celtics had the ball. Bird fired up a 3, kept his arm up in the air in his shooting position and just ran straight for the tunnel to the locker rooms since he already knew it was in.

I remember exactly where I was when both Magic and Bird retired. I'd just gotten home from school when Magic made the HIV announcement, and I remember being quite upset when Bird retired. My family went to a theme park in Rochester that day, and I wore my Dream Team shirt with pride.

My favorite Bird story remains 'Which one of you assholes is finishing second?' before the 1986 Three-Point Contest.

I looked up a couple of quotes as I was trying to find that golden article I remember reading in SI about a game between the Pacers and Celtics where they had shotgun mics on Bird and Chuck Person the whole game. I couldn't find the article, sadly, but there were some great ones:

During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck Person that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after releasing the ball, Bird said to Person, “Merry fuckin’ Christmas!”, and then the shot went in.

Reggie Miller recalled his encounter with Larry Bird’s legendary trash talking ability in his book “I Love Being The Enemy”. Reggie tried to disrupt Larry’s concentration when he was shooting free throws late in a game. Larry glared at him, made the first free throw and said, “Rook, I am the best fucking shooter in the league. In the league, understand? And you’re up here trying to fucking tell me something?” Then Larry buried the second free throw.

Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, exactly where he would hit the game winning shot. After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused, turned, and hit the shot in his face.

I used to listen to "Magic Johnson" by the RHCP to get pumped up before my home games in HS. I don't thing anybody ever sang about Bird. Advantage Magic.

Hmmm, then again Bird never had an embarrassing talk show failure. Advantage Bird.

For some reason, after the junior-junior sky-hook, the first play by Magic that comes to mind is i think against Portland in the '91 Western Conference Finals. Game 7 is going down to the wire, with LA holding a thin lead, when with seconds left Magic rebounds a Blazer missed shot and while still in the air, with one motion, flings the ball before the Blazers can foul. Nothing but stunned looks on the Portland faces as the ball bounces away and time expires.

I remember that Xavier McDanial anecdote. I think he shared that one on some NBA video. Bird was such a badass.

I liked the clips that showed how smooth Bird was on the mic.

Bird (at what I assume was a post-championship rally in Boston): "The only place I'd rather be is in FRENCH LICK!!"

Was this filmed before or after Bird and Dr. J tried to choke the life out of each other?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYo-cszbFc8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fRlMQTdSs

Check out this Bird/Magic commercial from 87 with them rapping. Priceless.

Oh, and great documentary.

That was a pretty great doc. The Magic vs Earvin Johnson split personality thing was a little forced, but i get where they were going with it.

You got the evolution of the relationship and their cultural significance. They hit the emotional beats well. I was tearing up at the end like a nerd during a Pixar movie.

As a total Jordan fanboy from 85 on, Gumball's comments were a direct shot. But he's right.

(Who knew Gumball could be such a hoot in the barbershop; i was also wrong about Bird not having his own song!)

Well, I felt Gumbel was right and wrong. He was correct that Magic and Bird saved the NBA. They did. But "Jordan" is what took the NBA to the next level (regarding popularity and corporate interest.

So he is correct that Jordan did not save the NBA. But he did take the baton from the guys who did and push it further into the stratosphere.

Great documentary on two fascinating men.

I've caught the Bird & Magic doc a couple of times now. The biggest aspect of the rivalry that is short-changed is the backlash against Magic by the media following his euphoric MVP performance in the 1980 Finals.

You would think that to go with his numbers, winning an NCAA title in 79 & 2 NBA championships all in a 4 yr. span would secure a reputation as an ultimate winner, if not overall best player. However, the same critics that needed the white & traditional Larry Bird to be the best, went beyond nit-picking to find holes in Magic's game. Bird single-handedly turned the Celtics around, but Magic was the fortunate son of a gimmicky system. Bird earned every Celtic victory, but Magic was just lucky to have Kareem. (In back issues of Basketball Digest and SI you'll read comments like "Isiah Thomas is the best pure point guard" , "If Bird played for the Lakers, they would be 75-7 [every year]."
and "Johnson is a freak at point guard, padding his assist totals by passing over players who are as much as six or seven inches shorter."--hey who cares that 'Johnson runs the best fast break in the NBA, which, for most 6'9" players would be like trying to control the ball while dribbling at top speed into a ditch.')

It was a very conservative time. In spite of his being fundamentally sound, it was necessary for some to lump Magic in with the mavericks of the post-ABA merger. (Just how conservative? In one old BD, an old school coach wonders aloud if his star rookie is a faggot because he showed up with an earring! Lol)

The fact Magic was a showman was held against him despite the victory totals.

At this time, Magic was attacked for his huge contract, called a "coach killer", and accused of behind the scenes maneuvering in trade of the popular Norm Nixon. Everything Bird did was water to wine, while Magic was lambasted for a potentially game-winning air ball in 81.

So when the stage was set for the Finals "Star Wars" showdown in 84, the match up had a lot going on. And like the 88 Superbowl, with black quarterback Doug Williams facing off against golden boy John Elway, due to racial politics and dynamics, the importance of the outcome transcended mere sport. You wanted to root for Magic, for him to prove these conservative voices wrong. And that when the best Black player met the best White, it could be something more than flash vs blue collar grit.

Revisiting the 84 Finals on YouTube was especially frustrating in this context. Because for this one brief moment Magic seemed to prove the suckers right. He chocked during crucial times---practically giving the series away in a gift basket to his heated rival. Game 2 was bad, after a shocking steal and score by the C's to tie the game, Magic dribbled out the clock, not even getting off a shot, only to lose in overtime.

For me personally though it's Game 4 that left the painful scars! I can still remember almost celebrating as the Lakers were cruising along early. After the blow out Game 3 win, they were about to put the hammer down.

Then the third quarter happened. Hard fouls were delivered, and it got rough.

The tide turned. It was not meant to be. (Insult to injury, Magic had a big turnover down the stretch)

Sweet payback didn't arrive til the next year. And by decade's end, there was no arguing over who was the best.

If ya don't have time to watch the whole doc, here's all you need:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HT96azPZHs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwOjXKFmIr4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2UcuvQUWu8

(Thanks, Glen Frey! The H is O!)