"IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE GOT CHEATED IN A LOT OF THEM GAMES IN THE PLAYOFFS" - LARRY BIRD'S HILARIOUS JOKE ABOUT HIS RIVALRY WITH MAGIC JOHNSON
Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird met Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals three times. Out of those three matchups, the Lakers came out on top twice.
It’s a difficult pill to swallow, but it’s forever forged in the history books. As such, it would be understandable if Bird holds ill feelings towards Magic. He’s the ultimate competitor after all, and losses like those will haunt him forever.
Cheated!
In an interview with David Letterman, Bird explained how the Detroit native pushed him to be the best basketball player he could be. Then, in classic Larry Legend fashion, the three-time league MVP dropped a hilarious joke about his playoff duels with Magic.
"You never let your guard down,” Bird said. “You know, he was so good. You know, I have this thing in my head in the summer, I go shoot 700 jump shots that day, and I get ready to leave, I go, 'God, I know he's shooting 800, and it draws me back out there.'"
"But I always respected him and his teammates,” he continued. “We had great teams and it's just unfortunate that we got cheated in a lot of them games in the playoffs."
Bird was joking, of course. All the greats are heralded as such, not just because of their victories but the way they handled defeats. Once the dust settled with Magic and the Lakers declared champions, Larry Legend gladly congratulated them.
Two of the greatest
According to Charles Barkley, while the two players focused on beating each other every time, their influence on the game was bigger than their rivalry. According to Chuck, the league was in a bad spot before the arrival of the two legends. Their dedication to their craft changed the NBA for the better.
“Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two most important people in NBA history,” Sir Chuck once said. “If it weren't for those guys, the NBA wouldn't be what it is today. Obviously, Michael Jordan took it to another level, but I'm old enough to remember, before Magic and Larry got into the NBA, the league was too black, too many drugs it wasn't making any money.”
Barkley said that when Larry and Magic arrived, the NBA became known for what it truly is: a professional sports league featuring the best athletes in the world. Sir Charles wasn’t exaggerating when he said the NBA wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for the two rivals, but also great friends.
2024-07-03T20:00:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd