When The Game Was Ours

Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson played each other in the 1979 NCAA Championship, and that game was the start of one of the greatest rivalries ever. In the book, When The Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird talk about the rivalry they had between each other both in college and the NBA. Playing for the two best teams in the NBA -- Magic for the Lakers, and Bird for the Celtics -- it only made the rivalry better. How would it make you feel to be on one of the best teams in the World and have a rivalry with the best player in the World?

Bird played 13 years in the NBA and, after that, was the coach of the Indiana Pacers for 3 years. In that time, he was a 3-time NBA MVP winner and a 3-time NBA Champion. I think Derrick Rose is the one current NBA player that I think is most like Larry. They both could have gone to big colleges, but chose to go to smaller colleges. At those smaller colleges, they both led their teams into the NCAA tournament as possible Champions. Although Larry has been a MVP, Derrick still has to prove he is a MVP-quality player, and he can prove that this year.

Magic also played 13 years in the NBA, and was also a coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. In that time, he was a 3-time NBA MVP winner and a 5-time NBA Champion. Kevin Durant and Magic Johnson are about the same size -- Magic is 6’8” and Kevin is 6’10”. While they are over-sized to play their positions (Magic as point guard; Kevin as forward/guard), they are both quick enough and use their height against their smaller opponents. The two of them were both named the best college players, and neither completed their 4 years in college. I think Kevin has proved he is a contender for the NBA MVP award.

The rivalries in the NBA now are only between the teams, as there are no rivalries between the players. The player rivalries were one of the main reasons for the NBA’s popularity back then. Now that there are no rivalries between the players, fans aren’t as excited to watch basketball currently.