Long before Michael Jordan claimed his throne as the best player in the world, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were fighting back-and-forth for that distinction. That was like that since their days in college and was only more evident when they took the league for assault.
The Bird-Magic johnson literally saved the NBA in the ’80s. It brought back the Lakers-Celtics rivalry and gave us two of the greatest talents to ever set foot on a basketball hardwood. We needed them as rivals, not as teammates, and they lived up to what was expected out of them.
In fact, Bird and Magic made an appearance in every single one of the NBA Finals throughout the decade. Larry Legend made it in 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987, winning in 81, 84, and 86. Magic, on the other hand, made it to the Finals in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1989, ending up as Champion in 80, 82, 85, 87, and 88.
As you can tell by now, that means they also faced off in basketball’s ultimate stage. Bird beat Magic and the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals but Magic got the last laugh by beating his Celtics in 1985 and 1987.
Bird and Magic played 37 games against each other in the NBA. 18 in the regular season and 19 in the playoffs. Magic holds the edge with 22 wins over Bird. He had a 20-points, 13-rebound, 10-assists triple-double, a game with 21 dimes, and handed him 39 points once. Larry also gave Bird the moves with 1 triple-double of his own, a 35-point piece, and a 22-18-7 game, so they always brought their A-game when they faced off.
They also combined for 5 of the 10 MVPs the league gave during the ’80s and, even though Magic ended up taking the edge in this rivalry, he acknowledged that there would never be a Magic Johnson if it wasn’t for Larry Bird.
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