Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

[spaceman]

hunting down some youtube vids to bring me back to my childhood.
they have some great bird vs magic vids.
this was a very big deal in the 80s as some of you are aware.
i hated magic back then(being a MA resident),but boy its nice to see old highlight reels.
these guys were playing on a whole other level, the on court awareness was literally out of this world.
in short, magic and larry were playing in bullet time.

 

[spaceman]

i mean i know people go gaga over dunks, but the some of the assists these guys had were incredible..double/treble quad teamed and they could find the open man on a rope.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i like the clip where they run back down the court and do that congratulatory fist hitting thing (bird puts out his fist vertically and magic hits the top of it with his fist then bird reciprocates).

you don't see that kind of sportsmanship and respect anymore.

 

[fredhe12]

The Golden Age of the NBA for sure. As a little kid growing up in LA, Magic's Showtime Lakers provided my best sports memories. Today's players and teams don't even compare.

 

[Jhill]

I still remember this one. I creamed my jeans when he made it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYjsFUUnvw8

 

[umbrella39]

Anyone remember watching the 1979 NCAA Finals, what a great game that was...

 

[Red Dawn]

The Larry Bird Celtics vs the Majic Johnson Lakers in the Playoffs was the NBA at it's finest!

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: fredhe12
The Golden Age of the NBA for sure. As a little kid growing up in LA, Magic's Showtime Lakers provided my best sports memories. Today's players and teams don't even compare.

Yeah, it's strange. Those days seemed to have so many great players, not just the Lakers and Celtics. The game seemed to have so much character then. And I sure miss Chick.

 

[Capt Caveman]

When I wear Converse, I'm on fire!!!

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
i like the clip where they run back down the court and do that congratulatory fist hitting thing (bird puts out his fist vertically and magic hits the top of it with his fist then bird reciprocates).

you don't see that kind of sportsmanship and respect anymore.

link?

 

[fredhe12]

Originally posted by: jjones

Originally posted by: fredhe12
The Golden Age of the NBA for sure. As a little kid growing up in LA, Magic's Showtime Lakers provided my best sports memories. Today's players and teams don't even compare.

Yeah, it's strange. Those days seemed to have so many great players, not just the Lakers and Celtics. The game seemed to have so much character then. And I sure miss Chick.

Chick was classic! He's missed definitely.

You're right, that whole era had some ballers! Much different game back then - much better.

 

[Homerboy]

You're right, that whole era had some ballers! Much different game back then - much better.

No. Today they are "ballers". Back then they were basketball players and teammates.
Can't stand "Ballers"

 

[fredhe12]

Originally posted by: Jhill
I still remember this one. I creamed my jeans when he made it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYjsFUUnvw8

Same here, one the best Magic highlights ever!!

Sports Illustrated ran a cover of that shot with a photo catching the moment the ball left his fingertips. It was an unbelievable piece of photography; every player on the floor, every coach on the sideline, every person in the stands was just fixated on that basketball. It was up on my wall in my room for years!

 

[fredhe12]

Good point!

The game was definitely more technically sound; better passing, better shooting, better playmaking. Defense was stronger too, despite the higher scoring.

But players from that era were just as capable athletically to take games over and win it for their teams. From Magic and Larry on down.

 

[Kwaipie]

As spectacular as His Airness is, he brought the end of team ball. Certainly not his fault, he's the human highlight reel. How I long for the days of Magic, Jabbar, Worthy, Scott and A.C. now we have Kobe. Just Kobe. Barf.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: fredhe12
Good point!

The game was definitely more technically sound; better passing, better shooting, better playmaking. Defense was stronger too, despite the higher scoring.

But players from that era were just as capable athletically to take games over and win it for their teams. From Magic and Larry on down.

to me, i still think Magic is the greatest player to play NBA ball.

that's how highly i think of 80's bball.

90's was nothing compared to the 80's. and obviously this era of cheating referees just can't compare to the other two decades.

 

[jackace]

The rules of the game. (at least the way they are called in games) is not like it was in the 80's and even the 90's. Today they allow way to many "grunt" moves and the design of the game seems to encourage that type of play. The game is no longer about team work and finesse, it's about dunks, 1v1 match-ups, and overpowering your opponent.

 

[mobobuff]

The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

 

[TheSiege]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

the great thing about that highlight reel is that half, if not more, were assists.
wish i would have caught more or "lakers vs. celtics" action when i was a kid

 

[fredhe12]

to me, i still think Magic is the greatest player to play NBA ball.

I argue this point all the time w/ friends that are all Jordan guys. I'll go with the original MJ.

 

[sciencewhiz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...M&mode=related&search=

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

they showed some clips from the Bird vs Nique matchup. Nique won the scoring battle but the celtics won the game.

not that nique is in Birds class, But clearly bird had better teammates than Nique did.

 

[magomago]

zomg i wish i was older to appreciate basketball when those guys were playing....I was a kid in the 90s so I was still lucky enough to be graced by Jordan (Although the team work definitely seems to be a level higher back then!) - but today's basketball is worthless. Too much hollywood in it and acting like thugs.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: jjones

Originally posted by: fredhe12
The Golden Age of the NBA for sure. As a little kid growing up in LA, Magic's Showtime Lakers provided my best sports memories. Today's players and teams don't even compare.

Yeah, it's strange. Those days seemed to have so many great players, not just the Lakers and Celtics. The game seemed to have so much character then. And I sure miss Chick.

I miss Chick, but in a way I'm glad he passed when he did. He was the best ever, but he loved the Lakers with all his heart and soul. And the team they've became since he passed, would have him so devastated it wouldn't be funny. The Lakers have turned into a crap team, I grew up watching and loving them. Now I can't even stand to see the name.

RIP chick, and RIP the Lakers Dynasty when Magic & squad was playing. Greatest team ever

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: TheSiege

Originally posted by: mobobuff
The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

the great thing about that highlight reel is that half, if not more, were assists.
wish i would have caught more or "lakers vs. celtics" action when i was a kid

Amazing assists at that. Bird had a way of mapping out the court at any given time.

You'll also notice that on every shot he misses, not an instant after the ball leaves his hands he knows two things; the shot is a miss, and the exact path the rebound will take. I've seen Bird grab his own rebound and shoot a second time so many times. It's the mark of a good player. And the mark of a good defenseman is to not stop guarding the shooter just because he took his shot, because the shooter knows best where the ball will go.

Bird was great not just because of his talent, but also because of his understanding of the logistics involved.