Roland Lazenby Details Magic Johnson's Triumphs and Tribulations
Magic Johnson starred at Michigan State, leading the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA title in a famous showdown with Larry Bird's Indiana State Seminoles. Johnson then won five NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88) with the L.A. Lakers while earning three regular season MVPs (1987, 1989-90) and three NBA Finals MVPs (1980, 1982, 1987). Johnson broke Oscar Robertson's NBA record for career regular season assists, and Johnson currently ranks seventh on the all-time regular season assists list in addition to holding the record for career playoff assists. Johnson led the NBA in regular season assists four times (1983-84, 1986-87) while also leading the league in steals twice (1981-82) and free throw percentage once (1989).
Johnson suddenly retired from the NBA in November 1991 after being diagnosed as HIV positive, but Commissioner David Stern permitted Johnson to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, and Johnson won the 1992 All-Star Game MVP. Johnson coached the Lakers for the final 16 games of the 1994 season, but did not return to the bench after the Lakers went 5-11 with him at the helm. Johnson came back to the NBA as a player for 32 regular season games and four playoff games in 1996 before retiring for the final time. Johnson's lucrative endorsements and savvy business deals enabled him to amass a net worth of more than $1 billion.
Roland Lazenby's Magic: The Life of Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Celadon Books, 813 pages, $40.00) provides a detailed, engaging account of Johnson's ascension from high school phenomenon to NCAA champion to all-time NBA great. Lazenby has written biographies of several all-time great basketball players, including Jerry West, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. Lazenby's Magic Johnson biography is divided into three parts: Part I is titled "Lansing," Part II is titled "Hollywood," and Part III is titled "Across The Great Divide."
Lansing
Part I is the longest section of the book (338 pages), and some reviewers have criticized Lazenby for focusing so much attention not only on Johnson's early days but also on Johnson's family history dating back to the 1800s. Lazenby has stated that his intention was to not just tell the story of Johnson's basketball life but to place Johnson's entire life in the larger context of American history. Lazenby may not have written the book that some other people think that he should have written, but it is only fair to evaluate Lazenby's book based on what he wrote and what he tried to accomplish--not on what other people think that he should have written or tried to accomplish.
It is interesting to learn about Johnson's family history, and it is also interesting to consider the different ways that family history can be interpreted and understood. Some of Johnson's ancestors were slaves, so should we focus on the persecution they suffered, or should we focus on how in America it is possible for a descendant of slaves to become a world-famous sports legend who earned generational wealth? Acknowledging the opportunities that America provides does not in any way diminish the horrors of slavery and racism. Reading about Johnson's family history reminds us that America is a flawed country with a troubling past but also a great country that, in the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is striving to live up to its great, foundational principles: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal.'"
Read more »Labels: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Philadelphia 76ers, Wilt Chamberlain
posted by David Friedman @ 10:53 PM
Erving-Bird Photo from 2024 All-Star Weekend Sparks Memories of a Great Rivalry
After 2024 All-Star Weekend, Julius Erving posted this picture on his Instagram page:
For those of us who grew up watching the NBA in the 1980s, this picture of Erving standing next to Larry Bird sparks memories of that decade's first great rivalry: Erving's Philadelphia 76ers and Bird's Boston Celtics faced each other six times in each regular season from 1980-87 and they also squared off four times in the Eastern Conference Finals. The final head to head tally was 2-2 in playoff series, 12-12 in playoff games, and 23-21 in Bird's favor in regular season games (their teams split the four games during that era when Bird and/or Erving did not play). Keep in mind that Bird did not face Magic Johnson in a playoff series until the 1984 NBA Finals--by which time Bird had already played Erving in the Eastern Conference Finals three times (1980-82)--and that Bird and Johnson only played each other twice each regular season.
My favorite Erving-Bird photo depicts Erving skying over Bird in game seven of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers won 120-106 as Erving finished with 29 points, five assists, four rebounds, three
blocked shots and three steals, shooting 10-21 from the field and 9-9
from the free throw line. Erving's teammate Andrew Toney
led all scorers with 34 points on 14-23 field goal shooting, while
Robert Parish topped the Celtics with 23 points and 14 rebounds but shot
just 8-21 from the field; Bird had 20 points, 11 rebounds, nine
assists, two blocked shots and two steals but he shot just 7-18 from the
field and 6-8 from the free throw line.
In a 1983 "Sports Champions" video, Erving provided a voiceover narration of him driving against Bird that captures the essence of their rivalry while poetically describing the beauty of competition:
When I get the ball in my hands and when you turn and you face him,
when you take the initiative to aggressively face him, then he has to
react. He may not react physically but his heart jumps if you turn and
you really look at him like you mean business. His heart might even
stop for a second, especially if you are good. This is when you start
playing the game as you were when you were a kid, because this is when
you are playing basketball and you are not working. To me this has
always been a beautiful experience because I can look in a guy's eye and
I can also tell if he means business and I can also feel whether my
heart stops or
stands still or not. If I'm looking at him and he's looking at me and we
have got the same thing in mind--playing basketball and playing it the
way that nobody else in the world plays it--then I think we create
something beautiful.
There is something very special not only about the incomparable way that Erving played basketball but also about the way that he feels about the game. Erving and Bird brought the best out of each other, and that is the essence of competition at the highest level.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 3:31 PM
Bucks Overwhelm Undermanned 76ers, 119-98
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted game-high totals in points (30), rebounds (12), and assists (nine) while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 119-98 road win versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Damian Lillard added 24 points and seven rebounds while matching Antetokounmpo with nine assists, Malik Beasley contributed 20 points, and Bobby Portis chipped in 17 points off of the bench. The Bucks have won two in a row after beating the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves 112-107 on Friday. Tyrese Maxey topped the 76ers in scoring (24 points) and assists (seven), but he shot just 8-19 from the field as the 76ers shot 36-97 (.371) from the field overall. Joel Embiid missed his 11th straight game as he recovers from knee surgery, and his absence was felt at both ends of the court.
Hubie Brown did the ABC color commentary; he did the color commentary during Philadelphia's 104-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, so this weekend provided a treat for basketball fans who enjoy listening to Brown's insights. Prior to this game, Brown noted that Antetokounmpo ranks first in the league in paint ppg (20.5), first in free throw attempts per game (11.1), third in scoring (30.8 ppg), tied for third in double doubles (44), and sixth in rebounding (11.3 rpg). Antetokounmpo is having another MVP-caliber season, and Brown concluded, "Let’s hope that everything else will turn around here."
This game marked Doc Rivers' return to Philadelphia. Rivers, who improved to 5-7 as Milwaukee's coach, coached the 76ers for the previous three seasons before the team fired him last summer and hired Nick Nurse. Doc Rivers told the ABC crew that he is proud that he coached Embiid during Embiid's MVP season, and he is proud that the 76ers became a championship contender on his watch.
The Bucks blitzed the 76ers 35-21 in the first quarter and Maxey started the game slowly, but Brown reminded viewers about Maxey's great fourth quarter performance in the 76ers' Friday night win: "15 points under incredible pressure…outstanding foot quickness…you just love his competitiveness." Lillard scored the Bucks' first seven points on 3-3 field goal shooting, and he led both teams with 11 first quarter points. However, during the playoffs it will be interesting to track the impact of Lillard's questionable shot selection: after his hot start, he airballed a 27 foot three pointer with 15 seconds left on the 24 second shot clock. The Bucks have a size advantage against most teams--and a decided size advantage against the 76ers sans Embiid--so it makes no sense to jack up a long three pointer without first challenging the defense with a drive or a post entry pass. Such lapses may not matter in a regular season game against a depleted team like the 76ers, but they will likely be significant in a playoff series versus a strong defensive team.
The 76ers missed 11 straight shots during the first quarter, and this fueled an 11-0 Milwaukee run that flipped the score from 17-16 in Philadelphia's favor to 27-16 for the Bucks, who led the rest of the way. Brown made an excellent point when he mentioned that the biggest challenge for players is to figure out the officiating differences from game to game. He said that it is usually clear in the first eight minutes how loosely or tightly a game will be called, but entering the second quarter it was not clear how this game would be called.
A light-hearted moment happened during the second quarter after Portis drilled a corner three pointer; he ran by the broadcast table, looked at Brown, and said, "Talk about that, Hubie!" Later, Portis came over to the broadcast table and said to Brown with a smile, "I gave you a little shoutout." Brown likes Portis’ game and is happy that Portis has found a comfortable home with the Bucks after playing for the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and New York Knicks.
The Bucks have struggled defensively this season, and Rivers attributes this in part to the Bucks being "big, not fast." Rivers' solution is to employ more switching so that the Bucks keep size in front of opposing players.
After the Bucks led 69-48 at halftime, Brown said that one key for the Bucks was "Lillard broke the defense down and made the passes." Brown also liked that Antetokounmpo did not force the action. Antetokounmpo is the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 ppg while shooting at least .600 from the field prior to the All-Star break, and he is seeking to become the first player to reach both levels for an entire season. Although Antetokounmpo's scoring efficiency is unprecedented, Brown said that passing is "the most underrated part of his game this year."
The 76ers mounted a third quarter comeback, and Brown noted, "Going small has really helped them a lot." The 76ers shot 7-12 from three point range in the third quarter as they shaved the Bucks' lead to just 11 points before trailing 95-82 entering the fourth quarter. However, in the fourth quarter the Bucks' size and defensive focus took over, and the Bucks outscored the 76ers 24-16 while holding the 76ers to 6-23 (.261) field goal shooting.
Brown talked about the challenges facing Rivers after becoming the Bucks' coach during the middle of the season. Brown said that it takes time to define roles while implementing offensive and defensive systems, and he added that the Bucks' "biggest problem" is their subpar road record.
Labels: Bobby Portis, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey
posted by David Friedman @ 11:57 PM
