Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers lead the Philadelphia 76ers in the series 3 - 2 but are entering the game without their injured star center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Nothing to fear: Rookie point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson steps up to the occasion, playing all five positions on the court and scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and giving out seven assists. When the buzzer sounded, Johnson had won the first of his five championships.
Johnson's Game 6 performance - like his career - became legendary. Unknown at the time was that Johnson had a special motivation. He had learned earlier that Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics had crushed him in the Rookie of the Year voting and wanted to prove that he, not Bird, deserved the honor. It wouldn't be the last time the Bird-Johnson rivalry would inspire one or both of them to a brilliant performance.
The 2010 documentary "Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals" lets the NBA legends tell the story of their intense professional competiveness and the surprising (at least to Bird) friendship that followed in their own candid words. It's a classic sports documentary, a must-see for any basketball fan and a Peabody Award winner.
Early Impressions
Bird and Johnson first met in 1978 playing for Team USA in the World Invitational Tournament. Johnson was initially skeptical about the Caucasian Bird's abilities, but watching the "Hick from French Link" play changed his mind.
A year later, Johnson's Michigan State Spartans faced Bird's Indiana State Sycamores in the NCAA championship game. The always outgoing Johnson tried to engage Bird prior to the game. Bird, uninterested, refused. It hardly mattered: Michigan State easily won the game, 75 - 64.
Revolution in the Pros
In 1979 Johnson and Bird joined the NBA. The Lakers and Celtics were two historic franchises that had fallen on hard times. So had the league as a whole. The NBA's image in the 1970s was that of a league dominated by selfish play and renegade behavior. It didn't help that the league was predominantly black. Teams were losing money and lacking sponsors. What could solve the problem?
Enter the two former college rivals. Despite their shared animosity at the time, Johnson and Bird were both brilliant individual talents and dedicated team players who cared most about winning. And win they did: Bird earned his first championship in 1981, Johnson his second the following year.
With continued low television ratings and even Finals games broadcast on tape delay, the CBS network needed a new marketing strategy. The answer: Sell the Bird-Johnson rivalry. The 1984 Finals must have seemed like a dream come true, as the Lakers and Celtics faced off in a seven-game classic. It was certainly a dream come true for Bird. Not only did his team finally defeat Johnson's for a championship, but Bird was named Finals Most Valuable Player. As icing on the cake, a series of Johnson errors resulted in newspapers dubbing him "Tragic" Johnson. He would have to wait a year to get his revenge, but he would when the Lakers beat the Celtics for the 1985 championship.
Turning Point
In 1985, the NBA's two biggest rivals appeared together - in a Converse commercial. Bird had refused to fly to Los Angeles for the shoot, so Johnson and the crew agreed to fly to Bird's mother's house in Indiana. Spending time together on the set, a bond between the superstars began to form. Bird was well aware of "Magic," Johnson's Hollywood star persona, but he finally met "Earvin," Johnson's everyday personality, and found he liked him better. Of course, Bird still wasn't ready to be friends with his competition.
Talking Frankly
Perhaps the most invaluable thing about "A Courtship of Rivals" is its frank discussions about difficult issues. One is the controversy over whether Bird was overrated because of his race. Isiah Thomas told reporters in 1987 that if "Bird were black, he'd be just another good guy." It was a sentiment many players had shared for years. A former teammate recalls being immediately skeptical when Bird arrived at his first training camp. Remarkably, the one seemingly least concerned about race is Bird himself.
More daring is the honesty about Johnson's personal lifestyle that led to him contracting him HIV. "What was Earvin Johnson's vice?" his friend Arsenio Hall asks at one point. A pause follows. "Now you know his publicist wants me to say winning, but. . . women loved Earvin."
Relationship Cemented
A Los Angeles Times reporter recalls Johnson's retirement press conference being the only news conference where reporters cried. They thought Johnson's positive attitude was simply denial about his seemingly inevitable suffering and death. They were wrong. Today, Johnson is not only still alive but a successful businessman with the same work ethic he brought to the court.
During this challenging time in Johnson's life, his friendship with Bird was established once and for all. In an archive interview, Bird describes learning of Johnson's diagnosis as inspiring the same feelings his father's suicide had nearly two decades earlier. Johnson tears up when discussing receiving Bird's call after his diagnosis. It's a truly touching moment.
Reflecting on their relationship today, some 20 years after either last played a game, Johnson says, "You know you got this tight bond with this cat and you don't have to see him for a year or two, but you're always going to be linked to him." Adds Bird: "We've got this connection that will never be broken, right to our graves. They're going to be talking about this a hundred years from now."
Sources
"Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals (HBO)." . Web. 4 Jan. 2012.
"The 60 Greatest Playoff Moments: Magic Fills in at Center."Web. 5 Jan. 2012
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