Which Boston Celtics or LA Lakers legend was more legendary, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird?

Which Boston Celtics or LA Lakers legend was more legendary, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird?

On the biggest stage of the NBA, two dominant dynasties coexisted: Magic Johnson’s Showtime Lakers and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics.

It’s exhilarating and frightening to consider how many more titles they may have each won if the other hadn’t been dominant at the same time. The Celtics would have had more than three, and the Lakers more than five.

In fact, throughout the 1980s, all three of these teams’ head-to-head matchups and every year of the 1980s saw them advance to the NBA Championship series—either individually or simultaneously.

And of those three titles, where hostilities escalated to a breaking point, the Lakers won two.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to develop a holodeck software modeled after the science fiction television series Star Trek so that we could see a live-action simulation of these two incredible franchises competing against one another in many fictitious scenarios?

Both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson have won multiple NBA titles and MVP awards. They have also shared the court with a number of exceptional players who have been honored with inductions into the NBA Hall of Fame.

Among the best of these names are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy for the Lakers, and Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson for the Celtics.

“Bird’s duels with Magic Johnson were legendary. The two turned the NBA from a minor pro sport in 1980 into the big-time business it is today. The two combined to change a scoring game into a team game.” said Larry Schwartz of ESPN. “Magic and Bird are two of the greatest all-time legends amongst dynasties and have become the unofficial measuring stick used by coaches, analysts, and fans alike to judge players at their small forward and point guard positions.”

The two most feared gladiators in the NBA history, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, existed before anyone began comparing King James to his Airness and even before Michael Jordan himself.

With that introduction, let me to welcome you to another Bleacher Report debate in which I will be debating Featured Columnist Ethan S.

This time, it’s Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers against the Hick form French Lick and his Boston Celtics.

Many people associate Magic Johnson with his dexterity in many areas. His 138 triple-doubles over his career are second only to 181 by Oscar Robertson. However, when discussing his greatest strength as a player, the one that stands out the most is his playmaking abilities.

Some players, like Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson, and John Stockton, have recorded more career assists. Yet, that doesn’t mean their numbers are more spectacular as each has played in many more games than Johnson. For instance, Mark Jackson had to play in nearly 400 more games in order to best Magic’s total by about 200.

Johnson now holds the record for the highest career assist average in the NBA (11.2), with Stockton being the only other player to average more than 10 assists per game (10.5). While Stockton’s averages decreased as he played into his mid-to late-30s, a few factors adversely affected Johnson’s numbers.

First of all, Johnson and Norm Nixon split point guard responsibilities for the first four seasons. Despite sharing these duties in 1983, Magic led the league in assists that year with a 10.5 average. But after Nixon left, Magic again led the league in assists the following season, this time with an average of 13.1. So here we have four seasons where his average may have been a couple assists higher had he.

These three elements reduce Magic’s assist average in a manner akin to how Stockton’s age affects his stats.

Nevertheless, statistics notwithstanding, Johnson’s actions would give the impression that he had eyes in the back of his skull. It’s true that at 6’9″ he had little trouble seeing above opponents to complete passes. However, he was able to thread the needle with the ball to perfection and create shots that didn’t appear to be there, and this even surprised the intended receivers at times.

Of course, Magic Johnson was the best at throwing out no-look passes of all time. It was one of his signature plays in the Showtime fast-break offense.

Both the NBA and the game of basketball were improved by Larry Bird. He was the best player on the team and the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics’ unbreakable chain in addition to being a fantastic individual player with incredible stats.

Bird didn’t have the explosively thrilling and vertical game of Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, or Julius Erving, nor was he the most athletically talented player to have ever graced the NBA floor.

But without a doubt, he was among the deadliest and most successful assassins the game has ever featured.