Magic Johnson's last-second showdown with Larry Bird needs a deep rewind

- It's June 9, 1987. We're at the Boston Garden for Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead the Los Angeles Lakers by one point. And if they stop here, they will even the series. This is Magic Johnson, hoping to find a chance for Los Angeles, steal a road win and give the Lakers a commanding 3-1 series lead. Before we see how this plays out, we must reflect on this historic rivalry, examine how the powerful participants have changed, and enjoy the twists and turns of this wild, rowdy game. Let's go back. (upbeat music) So, first of all, this is a very familiar final

showdown

, but the stakes and odds of this skirmish don't exactly match the precedent. (upbeat music) The Minneapolis Lakers were one of the NBA's first powerhouses.

When they reached the final, they won five titles in five attempts. I mean, just look at them. They are terrifying. But in 1959, the finalist Lakers faced Red Auerbach's excellent Boston Celtics for the first time. Boston swept the Lakers in the '59 final, their

second

title. And then, they owned it outright in the 1960s. Boston claimed nine of the next 10 NBA championships, perhaps the greatest dynastic streak in the history of professional sports. Six of the Celtics' final victories in that decade came at the expense of the Lakers, who had since moved to Los Angeles. In the 70s and early 80s.

Both teams prospered, but avoided each other in the finals. Wilt Chamberlain joined the Lakers and led them out of their championship drought, defeating the Knicks in 1972. At the time, the Celtics were still rebuilding after Bill Russell's notable tenure as player and head coach, but shortly after , Tom Heinsohn coached the Celtics. to the rings in '74 against the Bucks and in '76 against the Sons. And actually here's Tommy on the call tonight. So these rivals came out of the 1970s in great shape, but without direct contact in the postseason, despite Pat Riley's beautiful beard in the playoffs.

But if you look here and here you'll know why it seemed like the Lakers and Celtics were bound to cross paths again soon. Magic and Larry, it all started in college, Larry Bird's scoring and his remarkable all-court genius turned small Indiana State University into a force, devouring the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference. Magic Johnson was the dazzling six-foot-nine point guard leading the powerful Michigan State Spartans. And his long-awaited meeting in the 1979 NCAA finals became a blockbuster event, never mind that the game itself was a flop. An individual rivalry was born, and that rivalry presented a potential NBA savior.

At least for fans and journalists who had become disillusioned by the game in the late '70s, Bird's rights already belonged to Boston. The Celtics drafted him in 1978 before his senior season. Meanwhile, thanks to free agent compensation, the misfortune of the New Orleans Jazz, and a lucky coin toss, Los Angeles earned the No. 1 pick in the 1979 draft. The same spring that Boston gave in to the demands of the contract Larry Bird's rookie, the Lakers managed to select Magic Johnson No. 1 overall. Each star quickly found its place. Magic made setting the table an art. His

magic

al passing energized Los Angeles' older stars, with the notable exception of the 1980 Finals against the Sixers, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured in Game 6 and Magic took control to win it all.

He is the only rookie to win NBA Finals MVP. Bird also joined a team of veterans, guys like Dave Cowens and Tiny Archibald, but Larry became Boston's preferred scorer from the start. Bird won his first title the year after the Magic, 1981, as the centerpiece of a fledgling big-three frontcourt alongside Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, who was a rookie at the time, then Magic led the Lakers to beat the Sixers again in the finals 82. . The rivalry was on the rise, but still at a distance. These guys raved about the regular season matchups every year. The other 80 games were just games.

NBA fans still dreamed of high-stakes head-to-head competition. And that dream came true in the 1984 NBA Finals. The Celtics had only gotten better under coach KC Jones. Bird was on his way to winning his first league MVP trophy. The big three were All-Stars, including Six Men of the Year Kevin McHale. New acquisition, Dennis Johnson assumed the role of Boston's defensive stopper. Pat Riley's Lakers were transitioning into their 70s. Kareem remained the centerpiece when he was in his early 30s, but Jamaal Wilkes began passing the baton to a younger forward, James Worthy, whom Los Angeles had acquired through another draft rights grab.

This time from the horrible Cleveland Cavaliers. This group took on the task of beating Boston in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. They failed and wasted many leads. Collapses in games two and four ruined Los Angeles' momentum. Boston would win a seven-game duel characterized by violence on the court, the stifling heat here in Boston Garden and, of course, the mastery of Larry Bird. Bird and Boston held the advantage in these joint rivalries until the 85th minute. Once again, the 1985 final included as many shoves, elbows and punches as baskets, but this time the Lakers came out on top.

Los Angeles finally took the ring from the Celtics, their first in nine attempts, in an impressive six-game victory at Boston Garden. Doubly impressive when you look at Boston's home record since that game. In '85, it helped a lot when Worthy broke out as one of the Lakers' best scorers, dazzled and grabbed like hell, the character known as Big Game James was born. Magic had his youngest, most viable co-pilot by the time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finally stepped away from the game. It is true that Kareem was named MVP of the '85 final at age 38. So you know, there's no rush. (upbeat music) That was two years ago.

Let's take a look at the Lakers now. Big Game James certainly succeeded. The 26-year-old is now a two-time All-Star. Worthy produced the highest scoring game of this series, 33 points in Los Angeles' Game 1 home win, where they had a rough first half tonight, but found their rhythm in the

second

. He dropped this huge isolation cube less than a minute ago to keep this game close. And Magic has acquired even more young assistants, new starters like AC Green and Byron Scott. The latter of which had a great performance in the game. Los Angeles went ahead to zero, thanks to a couple of routes at home (upbeat music), that is, Magic and the Lakers achieved two victories without facing this type of situation.

There are seconds left, we have to add two points. Who will it be? This is the obvious move: Kareem's single covered in the post features one of the most useful tools basketball has ever seen, the sky hook. Kareem isn't the first great Laker to thrive off the hook. The towering George Mikan loved to turn his hips toward the rim and arc the ball over his head, where the defender could do nothing about it. Young Lew Alcindor practiced the ambidexterity exercise named after Mikan and also watched some Cliff Hagan. Hagan was only 6'4" but used a prodigious hook shot to create separation between would-be shot blockers in college and the pros.

Before Alcindor outgrew his teammates in New York, he adopted the same shot for the same reason. And Even as the biggest player on the court in college, Alcindor faced limitations. The NCAA banned dunks, thrown from so high that its trajectory almost approximated a dunk, was the next best option. into an NBA star, he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was Bucks announcer Eddie Doucette who gave Abdul-Jabbar's indefensible weapon his lofty nickname, "the sky hook." of his career and now a Laker, Kareem got a new excellent point guard, Magic Johnson and Magic loved the "sky hook." Swen Nater, 6'11, looked like a shrimp, and made Magic lose his mind.

In the eight years since then, Magic, ever the distributor, has maintained that enthusiasm for "the sky hook." He's happy to pick up the ball, raise his fist to point at the post, then just throw the ball in and let the tall guy do his thing. Magic is still largely a point guard, but he's also inherited some of Kareem's finishing load, not just for a game here and there, but continuously throughout this season. He even has a decent hook of his own. Magic has received fame and acclaim for a while now. But this season is the one in which the NBA's best assistant also became one of its leading scorers.

A couple of weeks ago, Magic won the league MVP, breaking the multi-year streak of its main rival. On the one hand, it's totally reasonable for a center in his 18th season to ease off the accelerator a bit and let his younger co-star take the reins. On the other hand, Kareem still has it when he

needs

it. He had classic scoring performances in each previous series win. The West was destroyed by a guy who had just turned 40. In the original hand, Kareem needed it tonight and he hasn't always had it. It was a little tough in the first quarter, seeing such a deadly weapon go noise, noise, noise, on the first three attempts.

Kareem just handing the ball off to little Jerry Sichting or throwing an "air hook," that wasn't fun. That helped the Celtics come out and make the transition, and stem the tide of a double-digit Lakers comeback. Down seven with just a couple minutes left, the Lakers desperately needed a bucket and Kareem went on a trip, but Magic trusts his vet. Magic brought the ball up with a chance to take the lead in the final minute, Los Angeles hadn't been ahead since the opening minutes and called on Michael Cooper, who had just hit a huge three-pointer to get on the strong side.

Then, a screen by Cooper released Kareem to hit a perfect law. Of course, on the next possession, just moments ago, Kareem fouled and missed the second free throw that would have tied the game. I have no idea what Magic thinks about these recent events. This postoperative here is the traditional first option. Kareem in perfect position for his signature "sky hook." But this guy is 40 years old, 5 of 17 from the field, and he literally missed the mark. The

magic

has been excellent from the field. He is LA leading the score tonight. Also, if we go back to the starter, we'll see that Magic already created a switch for himself by setting up a screen for Worthy.

Magic Johnson is the most surprising passer in the league and it helps to target an all-time great finisher in Kareem and the "skyhook," but with a more scoring role this season and a favorable mismatch, could Magic take this himself? We'll see. Welcome to a moment in history. - Five seconds left, Magic with a hook shot scores for two. (screams) - Magic hit the "sky hook", kind of a baby "sky hook", but what an ending! Well, just one thing. The Lakers left time on the clock. (upbeat music) Boston gets the ball back after a timeout, down one, with two seconds left.

The historical moment of magic could disappear in what happens here. With a buzzer-beater, Boston could tie this series and perhaps go on to win another title. Considering the circumstances, it would be an incredible feat. Throughout history, the Celtics have thrived on depth. Legendary coach Red Auerbach is credited by some with inventing the concept of a sixth man. Kevin McHale filled that role beautifully until

last

season, when he graduated to a full-time starting role after Boston traded Cedric Maxwell. That trade brought in a new banking star, Bill Walton. The '70s Blazers hero had too many chronic foot problems to log more heavy minutes, but he made the most of his role as Boston's big man off the bench.

The 33-year-old former MVP inherited the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award from McHale and played a crucial role in Boston's exciting title run. It helped to have an experienced center pitching against Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson in the NBA Finals. And after winning it all

last

year, the Celtics had an incredible opportunity to go even

deep

er. Thanks to a Lakers-style trade a few years earlier, the NBA champions owned the second pick in the 1986 draft. They used it to select perhaps college basketball's top scorer, the electrifying Len Bias of Maryland. As Worthy, A.C. Green and Byron Scott were to Magic, Bias would be to Larry: the youngest star, the newco-leader for a future after some of these veterans moved forward.

But just days after Bias became a Celtic came shocking news of tragedy and heartbreak that may never go away. Less than a year ago, on June 19, 1986, 22-year-old Len Bias died after a cocaine overdose. He had just begun to realize his life's goal, not only to play in the NBA, but also for the vaunted Celtics, a group so willing to welcome the newcomer. Larry Bird, a grumpy veteran with extra practice days behind him, had planned to attend rookie camp with Bias. That's how excited he was to mentor the next generation. Bird called Bias's death the cruelest thing he had ever heard, too shocking for words.

That shock, the mantle of a teammate lost before being able to enjoy his company, has hung over this entire Celtic season. And it was hard work for the defending champions to reach this final. Two important veteran reserves, Walton and forward Scott Wedman, have been injured virtually all year. With that bench depleted and almost no influx of young talent, nearly all of Boston's starters have averaged the most minutes of their careers. Their collective exhaustion was only compounded in the grueling seven-game battles that were necessary to eliminate the Bucks in the second round and the Pistons in the Conference finals. that last series claimed the ankles of both Parish and McHale.

Danny Ainge's knee is broken. They have all performed with exceptional mettle until tonight with the important exception of this botched rebound a few moments ago, which set up the Magic's "sky hook." The bank took a step forward this week. Parish's foul trouble in Game 3 mobilized bench great Greg Kite, who nearly held his own against Kareem in Boston's crucial victory. Tonight the crowd welcomed Kite like a hero. Just listen to the reaction when he checked in- (incomprehensible)- Or when he caused a small fight by smashing Worthy in the air. (screams) - This scene, and the growing excitement in the home crowd, occurred just before the end of the first half that the Celtics dominated.

Bird saw all that coming. Sports Illustrated quotes Larry as saying that a loss in game three would have been fatal, but a simple 2-1 deficit made it easy to prepare for tonight's game. Spicy talk from Larry, especially when you consider the Celtics have blown the lead since then, but when he gets to the corner of the perimeter, you might remember how he's backed up big words before. This is the player who walked into the locker room before the first All Star Three-Point Contest last season, asked the assembled shooters who was going to come in second place, probably with a little more swearing than this quote, and then won it by hand. convincing way.

He repeated that title this season. This man has the utmost confidence in his ability to shoot. And though he's only 7 for 18 tonight, it was just moments ago that Bird, once slumped, broke free of Worthy's jersey grip to hit the 3-pointer that put Boston ahead against the Magic's baby "skyhook" . And now it seems that Larry will have the opportunity to erase the Magic's great moment from history. With a flick of the wrist, he could tie the series and sustain Boston's hopes of repeating as champions after a season of heartbreak and hard work. Let's see if Larry can do it.

Welcome to a moment in history. Bird shoots it. (screams) And the Lakers have won in (unintelligible) And the Lakers dance off the court. (shouts)