Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: The NBA’s Revolutionary Rivalry.
This passage is taken from The Crossover: A Brief History of Basketball and Race, by James Naismith and LeBron James, an electronic book.
NBA commissioner David Stern and the executives at ABC and ESPN will undoubtedly offer some incense to the basketball marketing gods if the Miami Heat advance to the Finals. The drama of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh vying for the championship in their first season together is probably going to garner the highest numbers.
They also can’t help but feel let down by the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant’s easy cashiery against the Dallas Mavericks, which left the Western Conference contenders with a dearth of star power.
The golden standard for the Finals since 1984, when Stern took over as league president, has been to have teams with major names and personalities to generate drama and attract viewers; this is not all that dissimilar from how pro wrestling purposefully creates rivalries between its stars.
The ratings are appalling when the games don’t excite people—consider the 2003 San Antonio Spurs vs. New Jersey Nets showdown. Sadly, it’s unlikely that Tim Duncan has ever kept viewers glued to the television despite his dependability and steady performance.
Of all, it was Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson who brought basketball to the masses through their models. They did more than just adapt the game for contemporary television.
By doing this, they put an end to a phase in the history of basketball and left their mark on a decade. The game had quickly progressed from where they had brought it by the time they had finished.
When they first came to prominence three decades ago, pro basketball and the nation were inextricably linked to each other. They served as a bridge connecting the past and the present.
The NBA changed from being all-white to mostly black between 1950 and 1980. It also went from being a stolid half-court game to one that was played full court, on the run, and above the rim. There weren’t many white superstars that could play this style, such Pete Maravich, John Havlicek, and Jerry West.