Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIAL PRESENTATION

OF HBO's "SPORTS OF THE 20th CENTURY."

THEY TALK ABOUT IT EVERY DAY SOMEWHERE.

IF I GO TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY,

"MAGIC, MAGIC, WHERE'S MAGIC?"

I MEAN, IT'S THE SAME EVERYWHERE.

WE DON'T HAVE TO SEE EACH OTHER.

WE DON'T HAVE TO SAY HELLO. WE DON'T HAVE TO CALL EACH OTHER.

THAT'S MY MAIN COMPETITION.

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT.

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 GONNA BE LINKED TO HIM.

WE GOT THIS CONNECTION THAT'S NEVER GONNA BE BROKEN.

I MEAN, RIGHT TO OUR GRAVES.

THEY'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW.

IT ALL BEGAN HERE IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,

ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 26, 1979.

IT WAS THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP.

INDIANA STATE VERSUS MICHIGAN STATE--

A GAME THAT STILL RANKS AS THE HIGHEST-RATED COLLEGE FINAL

EVER ON TELEVISION.

A GAME THAT'S NOW REMEMBERED AS A PROLOGUE

TO A RIVALRY THAT TRANSFORMED A SPORT

AND INTERTWINED TWO LEGACIES.

BUT ON THAT NIGHT, MARCH 26, 1979,

THE FIRST TIME MAGIC JOHNSON AND LARRY BIRD

EVER WENT HEAD-TO-HEAD ON A BASKETBALL COURT,

THEY WERE SIMPLY TWO YOUNG MEN TRYING

TO WIN A VERY BIG BALLGAME.

THIS IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST GAME I'LL EVER PLAY IN MY LIFE.

I JUST FEEL LIKE I'M REPRESENTING NOT ONLY MYSELF, MY TEAM,

BUT WE'RE REPRESENTING OUR SCHOOL AND OUR TOWN TERRE HAUTE.

IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE REALLY FOR ME.

I WON THE STATE TITLE BACK IN MY HOME STATE.

THEN MY NEXT ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS GOING TO THE NCAA

AND PLAYING IN A GAME LIKE TONIGHT IN THE FINALS.

THEY WERE TWO STARS THROWN TOGETHER

BY THE COSMOS TO COMPETE,

BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM HAD BEEN GROOMED FOR THE SPOTLIGHT.

IN HIS CASE, IT SEEMED SINCE BIRTH.

I THINK HIS UPBRINGING IN EAST LANSING

REALLY PUT THAT SMILE ON HIS FACE IN THE BEGINNING, AND IT NEVER CAME OFF.

BORN AUGUST 14th, 1959,

EARVIN JOHNSON GREW UP IN LANSING,

THE GRITTY INDUSTRIAL CAPITAL CITY OF MICHIGAN.

RAISED UNDER THIS LITTLE ROOF,

HE WAS ONE OF CHRISTINE AND EARVIN JOHNSON SENIOR'S 10 KIDS.

CHRISTINE WAS A SCHOOL CUSTODIAN,

WHILE EARVIN SENIOR WORKED TWO JOBS

NEARLY AROUND THE CLOCK.

MY FATHER GOT UP EARLY EVERY MORNING, 6:00 OR SO,

AND HE WENT TO WORK ON HIS TRASH HAULING TRUCK

EVERY SINGLE DAY.

AROUND NOON HE WOULD COME HOME, CATCH A NAP,

AND THEN HE WORKED FOR GENERAL MOTORS FOR 30 YEARS.

AND HE WON AN AWARD FOR NEVER BEING LATE

AND NEVER MISSED A DAY.

AS A YOUNGSTER, EARVIN DISPLAYED

HIS OWN STRONG WORK ETHIC ON THE BLACKTOP.

I WAS OUT THERE ALL DAY LONG.

BEFORE WE WENT TO SCHOOL--

THE BUS LEAVES 00, 7:30.

00, 6:30 WORKING ON MY GAME.

MY MOTHER SOMETIMES HAD TO BRING ME FOOD,

OR SHE WOULD HAVE ONE OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS--

"GO GET THAT BOY SO HE COULD EAT SOMETHING."

FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, EARVIN KNEW WHAT HE WANTED TO DO.

HE HAD IT ALL PLANNED OUT.

MY DREAMS WERE TO PLAY IN THE NBA

AND BECOME A BUSINESSMAN.

THE FIRST STOP IN HIS JOURNEY--

NEIGHBORHOOD BASKETBALL POWERHOUSE SEXTON HIGH.

- I KNEW THE PLAYERS. - I KNEW THE TRADITION.

I WANTED TO BE A PART OF THAT,

AND IT WAS ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN,

WHICH WAS AT THAT TIME PREDOMINANTLY BLACK.

BUT WHEN LANSING, LIKE MANY CITIES IN THE MID '70s,

BEGAN BUSING TO DESEGREGATE ITS SCHOOL SYSTEM,

EARVIN'S JOURNEY TOOK AN UNEXPECTED DETOUR--

TO A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE SCHOOL ACROSS TOWN.

MY FIRST DAY AT EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL

WAS MY FIRST TIME I REALLY HAD TO UNDERSTAND

THERE WAS A RACE PROBLEM.

NOBODY WHITE

WOULD SPEAK TO ANYBODY BLACK

AND NOBODY BLACK WOULD SPEAK TO ANYBODY WHITE.

A LOT OF RACIAL TENSION. A LOT OF FIGHTS,

RIOTING.

THEY DIDN'T WANT MINORITIES THERE.

HE KIND OF SHRUGGED IT OFF,

AND BASICALLY HIS ATTITUDE WAS,

"OKAY, WELL, I'LL OVERCOME THIS."

WHENEVER THERE IS ANY RACIAL PROBLEMS,

THE PRINCIPAL WOULD GET EARVIN

AND GO TALK TO THESE KIDS.

I CAN JUST SEE HIM WITH HIS BIG HANDS--

"JUST CALM DOWN." HE'D BREAK UP FIGHTS.

TALK WITH HIS FRIENDS, TELL THEM, "LET IT GO.

WE CAN'T FIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.

LET'S JUST CHILL. LET'S PLAY BASKETBALL."

AND THERE WAS NO DISPUTE OVER EARVIN JOHNSON'S ABILITY

TO PLAY BALL.

HIS TALENT WAS SO GREAT

THAT SOON AFTER HIS VARSITY DEBUT,

A LOCAL REPORTER DAZZLED BY HIS EXPLOITS

GAVE THE BUDDING STAR A NICKNAME.

IN THE BEGINNING, I THOUGHT IT WAS FOOLISH AND DUMB.

I DIDN'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT A NICKNAME.

THEN WHAT HAPPENED WAS YOU START SAYING, "WAIT A MINUTE.

IT FITS MY GAME."

HANGING OUT WITH MY BOYS ON THE STREET CORNERS,

WE USED TO SING TEMPTATIONS SONGS.

THEY STARTED SAYING, "HEY, MAN, MAGIC, THAT'S COOL."

AND THEN PEOPLE ON THE STREET STARTED SAYING, "HEY, MAGIC."

AND I SAID, "HMM."

HE BOUGHT INTO IT, AND I THINK HE THOUGHT

HE HAD TO KIND OF LIVE UP TO THAT NAME.

AND I MUST SAY THAT HE DID.

HE LOVED IT, THE MORE ATTENTION HE GOT.

HE WANTED ATTENTION FROM ANYBODY HE COULD GET IT FROM.

YEAH, IT DOES. I REALLY LOVE THE GAME,

AND I JUST WANNA WIN.

- He jams it through-- - Earvin Johnson.

EARVIN LOVED TO DRESS--

NICE SANSABELT PANTS

AND OVERCOATS WITH THE FUR AROUND THE COLLAR.

ALWAYS HAD TO HAVE HIS AFRO BLOWN OUT.

HE HAD TO LOOK THE PART,

PLAY THE PART.

EARVIN WAS THE FIRST GUY TO HAVE A POSSE.

HE NOT ONLY HAD A POSSE OF A LOT OF BLACK KIDS,

HE HAD A LOT OF WHITE KIDS HANGING AROUND HIM.

SOME OF MY WHITE FRIENDS WAS LIKE,

"WE'RE HAVING A KEGGER TONIGHT. WHY DON'T YOU COME ON BY?"

AND I'M SAYING, "WHAT'S A KEGGER?"

SO HE SAID, "WELL, WHAT IT IS,

WE GET THIS BIG KEG OF BEER AND YOU JUST GO FOR IT."

"OKAY, WELL, WHAT TIME DOES THE KEGGER START?"

'CAUSE REGULAR PARTY TIME

IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD 00, 11:00.

"THE KEGGER STARTS 00."

I SAID, "THE PARTY 00?"

I SAID, "OKAY, MAN, I'M GONNA COME TO THE KEGGER."

WE HAD A GOOD TIME. THE MUSIC WAS KIND OF BAD,

BUT WE HAD A GOOD TIME, YOU KNOW?

HIS SENIOR YEAR, JOHNSON DID AT EVERETT

WHAT HE HAD PLANNED TO DO AT SEXTON--

WIN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

AND WHEN IT CAME TO CHOOSING A COLLEGE,

HE DECIDED TO STAY WHERE THE LOVE WOULD BE ASSURED--

HOME IN LANSING.

NEXT YEAR I WILL BE ATTENDING MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY.

AT M.S.U.,

MAGIC'S STAR QUICKLY WENT NATIONAL,

BUT ATOP THE COLLEGE GAME,

HE SOON DISCOVERED A CERTAIN PRESENCE BESIDE HIM.

THE FIRST TIME I SAW LARRY BIRD

WAS ACTUALLY IN A MAGAZINE,

SAW HIS STATS--

BLOWN AWAY BY HIS STATS.

BUT LET'S SEE IF HE CAN REALLY DO IT

AGAINST US.

AND THAT'S ALWAYS A MINDSET OF BLACK PLAYERS

IF HE'S A GREAT WHITE PLAYER.

IN 1978, AFTER HIS FRESHMAN YEAR,

MAGIC WOULD QUICKLY FIND OUT

WHEN BOTH HE AND BIRD WERE CHOSEN TO PLAY

FOR TEAM USA IN THE WORLD INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT.

THEY WOULD PUT LARRY BIRD AND I

ON THE SAME TEAM TOGETHER TO SCRIMMAGE, RIGHT?

IT WAS BLOWING MY MIND BECAUSE HE'S DOMINATING JACK GIVENS,

PLAYER OF THE YEAR IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL.

LARRY BIRD IS EATING HIM ALIVE.

I COULDN'T WAIT TO CALL HOME TO TELL MY BOYS

THIS DUDE NAMED LARRY BIRD IS FOR REAL.

THIS IS THE BADDEST WHITE DUDE

I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

I THOUGHT HE WAS VERY GOOD. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

ACTUALLY, I THOUGHT HE WAS PROBABLY THE BEST GUARD ON THE TEAM.

Earvin Johnson-- look at that!

What a play!

WE DIDN'T GET TO PLAY A LOT, BUT YOU COULD TELL.

I THINK OUR FIRST GAME WAS IN KENTUCKY.

WE GOT ABOUT A 10-, 12-POINT LEAD.

MAN, THEY PUT US IN.

WENT TO 25, 30 JUST THAT FAST.

Fast break again, three on two.

Griffith...

A steal by Larry Bird...

TAKE US OUT, THE LEAD GO BACK DOWN,

PUT US BACK IN, THE SHOW STARTED AGAIN.

WHEN YOU PLAY WITH MAGIC, THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

YOU WANNA MAKE THAT EXTRA PASS. YOU WANNA GET THAT REBOUND

AND START THE BREAK.

WE CAME DOWN A COUPLE TIMES, I GO BEHIND MY BACK,

NO LOOK TO HIM, HE NO LOOK BACK TO ME.

AND I'M LAYING IT UP. I'M SAYING, "OH, MAN!"

There's that last play. Magic Johnson going in, drops off to Bird.