Raylee Kerrie-HBO Films: Magic and Bird a Courtship of Rivals

Legend & Magic

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat

This film is about the two men who saved the National Basketball Association in the 1980s. And to know that, you have to be familiar with the NBA back in the late 1970s. The fact that the NBA finals were shown on tape-delay television means the game is played at one point. The network back then was CBS and CBS Sports, which recorded the game and broadcast it. The game was played at 8 or 9 pm, but then CBS Sports aired the game at midnight after the local TV news.

Regarding Earvin Magic Johnson’s and Larry Legend Bird’s second or third season, sports fans wanted to see the NBA again and their ratings were back up and all of their games are now being shown live. The reason for this is that both players were great to see, but why were they great to see: Because of what they were about, which wasn’t themselves but their teams and winning. All they were interested in was winning, and as the great NBA basketball head coach Pat Riley said, Magic and Legend were about team first and team last and everything else in between and nothing else.

The only thing that Magic and Legend cared about was winning and the fact that they were the two best. Players, at least of their generation playing for the two best teams of this era, and playing in opposite conferences, Larry Bird playing for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference, and Earvin Johnson playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference, and for either to win the NBA finals, most likely they would have to beat the Celtics or Lakers. It meant for the two best team players of all time to win the championship. They would have to beat each other to do that.

I am not sure whether Larry Bird and Earvin Johnson would have been as great as they were had they not played in the same era and were from the same generation. Had they been clearly the best players of their era without anyone to push them for the top and had the Celtics been the best team of this era without the Lakers to push them and vice-versa I am not sure they would have been as great as they were without the other player and team pushing them. Because part of Legend’s and Magic’s greatness was the other pushing them to make them as great as they were: the competition of the rivalry.

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Merkin Muffly: NBA 1983-ECQF-Game 3- Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics: Highlights

Source:Merkin Muffly– the Hawks & Celtics at the start of their NBA playoff rivalry in the 1980s.

Source:The New Democrat 

“Deciding Game 3 of 1983 Celtic/Hawks, Ainge gets bit by Tree Rollins. Bird holds Dominique to 1 of 6 shooting.”

From Merkin Muffly

The Hawks and Celtics had a pretty good rivalry with each other in the 1980s, especially in the late 80s where they seemed to meet in the Eastern Conference Playoffs every year. The Celtics won every series including 83, but 85, 86 and 88 as well, but the Hawks played them very well even at the Boston Garden and even won some games there.

The Hawks probably should’ve won the 88 series and I believe had a better team. They were up 3-2 in that series, with the opportunity to close out that series at home. But lost both games.

The Hawks in the late 80s always looked like they were going to make a real run at the NBA Finals in the regular season, but always failed to even get to the Eastern Conference Finals.

A difference between a good team and a very good team: the good team has potential, the very good team consistently moves on in the playoffs. And at least plays for conference championships.

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CBS Sports: NBA 1984-ECSF Game 1- New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics: Highlights

Source:CBS Sports– the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics from 1984.

“Opening game of the legendary 1984 ECSF series between Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Game 1 was all about the best frontline in basketball history; Bird, McHale and Parish dominated in the first encounter of 7-game war.

Larry Bird: 23 points, 12 assists (amazing passes by prime Bird), 9 rebounds, 10/16 FG.

Kevin McHale: 25 points, 11/14 FG.

Robert Parish: 19 points, 12 rebounds, 9/16 FG.

Celtics won this one 110:92”

From Larry Legend

The Celtics-Knicks, a rivalry with a great history. This was a classic series in one of the best rivalries and two of the best franchises in the NBA, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, where you have four Hall of Famers in it in Bernard King for the Knicks and Larry Bid, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Dennis Johnson for the Celtics, should also be in the Hall of Fame, but thats a different story.

The Celtics actually had four Hall of Famers if you include their head coach K.C. Jones. And that is really the difference in this series. The Knicks were so dependent on one player in Bernard King, whereas the Celtics had several great players and great role players. People like Cedric Maxwell, Danny Ainge, Scott Wedman.

The Knicks, similar to the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls of the mid and late 1980s, were very dependent on one great scorer to lead the way. And when that one player was having a good game that would free up scoring opportunities for other players. The Hawks, had Dominique Wilkins and the Bulls of course had Michael Jordan. But neither team had another great scorer they could go to when their best player had an off game.

All great scorers in the NBA have off games, but if they’re playing on very good teams, those teams have other scorers and generally multiple scorers that can pick up the slack when their best scorer has that off game. With the Knicks, it really was Bernard King. And sometimes Bill Cartwright and Ray Williams. But they needed King at his best for most games.

I believe that was the main difference in this series. The great team in the Celtics, vs the great player in Bernard King. If King has one of those great games and scored in the high thirties and forties, the Knicks could play with the Celtics, if they played good defense.

But the Celtics had Larry Bird who by himself was about as great of a scorer as the NBA has ever seen. The reason why he didn’t score as much as the other great scorers was because he didn’t have to. Teams would do a lot to stop him and Legend was such a great passer and playmaker and would free up his teammates for scores. As well as a great rebounder and team defender. He didn’t have to have a great scoring night to beat the Knicks. Because he had a lot of help and did so many other things for the Celtics.

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NBA-TV: NBA 1984-ECSF-Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks Game 6: Larry Bird vs Bernard King

Source:NBA-TV– the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in one of the best playoff series in NBA history.

“Larry Bird Vs Bernard King: 1984 ECSF Gm 6”

From Crunchy Man Sopa

One of the best NBA playoff games of all-time, in a simple one on one matchup between Larry Bird and Bernard King, it would be a classic shootout. Because Legend was too big for Bernard and Bernard was too quick for Legend.

Larry Bird was a power forward playing small forward (as far as physical size) And he only played small forward offensively. Kevin McHale, generally covered the other team’s really quick scoring small forward, if that team didn’t have great power forward who was an offensive force inside. With Bird in many games would cover the other team’s power forward. Legend covered Kurt Rambis in the first two NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. (To use as one example)

Bird was a huge small forward, who was better at playing passing lanes and picking off passes and even defending the post, then covering a swingman on the baseline and backcourt and preventing that player from driving to the lane.

Bernard King physically was a classic small forward. 6-7, maybe 210 pounds or so and solidly built, but might have been giving up twenty-pound of muscle and 2-3 inches to Larry Bird. King wasn’t accustomed to covering big man like Larry Bird or anyone else. So physically they weren’t matched up to defend each other. So you put them one on one and leave their teammates out of the picture and you get great shootouts like this.

But even if you beat Larry Bird in a shootout, means nothing if you lose to the Celtics. The Celtics, were clearly a better team than the Knicks. Who were a great home team at Madison Square Garden and had enough talent to play with the Celtics at home with their crowd.

Bernard King, was the Superman of New York in the NBA. Bernard was a guy who could average in he high twenties and low thirties in points every night because he was such a versatile scorer, who was too quick to be covered by big men and too strong to be covered by smaller swingmen. And could take players like that in the post. Who was also a good ball handler and could shoot outside. But the Knicks needed him to be Superman for them, because they didn’t have any other big scorer. Unlike the Celtics with Legend, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.

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Ginoong Kamote: Vintage NBA- Moses Malone: ‘The Chairman of The Boards’

Source:Ginoong Kamote– Moses Malone, when he was with the Houston Rockets, playing the Boston Celtics, perhaps in 1981.

Source:The Daily Press

“Moses Malone is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player who also played in the American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as on the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets. Malone played 21 seasons in the NBA. Before retiring from basketball, he was the last ABA participant to still be playing in the NBA. In 2001, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame”

From Ginoong Kamote

Just from looking at the background of this photo, I would say this game was played at the Atlanta Omni, with the Philadelphia 76ers playing the Atlanta Hawks. But that’s all I know about it.

Source:NBA-TV– one of the thing that made Moses Malone so effective as an NBA big man, was his ability not just to get to the free throw line, but make his free throws. He always shot around 75-80% from the foul line, which always made him one of the best free throw shooting big men in the NBA. Which put even more pressure on the other teams big men, because not only where they in foul trouble a lot, but they were also giving up a lot of free points to Moses and his team.

Moses Malone was simply a bull with a lot of skills who was almost impossible to box out with his brute strength, quickness and determination. Whose one of the top five centers of all-time because of what he could do in the paint both offensively and defensively. Who also might be the best offensive rebounder of all-time as well. Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell and maybe Hakeem and that would be the only centers I would take over Moses and I could easily have Moses over Hakeem, but that would be a tossup.

Imagine a man 6’9-6’10 260 pounds or so, of brute strength and muscle, but who was also very quick and athletic. The man was impossible to box out for the most part, I’m not sure Wilt Chamberlain could box out Moses in his prime. The man was simply a bull physically as a man, but with a heart bigger than that. And when he was finally put on a very good team, a great team, one of the best teams of all-time in the NBA, the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, you really got to see how great he was and how great he could make other players, including other great players.

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