Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: A Courtship of Rivals Basketball PART 3 (REACTION)

[@HenDawgTV]

Hope y’all enjoyed this video!! What should I react to next?!

[@aramhamparian9641]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/boWreYSodraWr6M

[@antonedecosta9822]

Have you covered what happened to his father. It is tragic but important to understand the heart of Larry Legend. He was blue collar and played the game harder than anyone in the league. I am blessed to have witness it.

[@hanklewis769]

You should check out Earl Manigault .... the original GOAT of Basketball

[@hanklewis769]

If you have not done so already, also check out Bill Russell ... more rings than fingers and he was also a player head coach of the Celtics

[@hookedonreactions7649]

Not a reaction request but if you really want to know more you should read the book they co-wrote “When The Game Was Ours”. It gives a lot more of the background, for example, Bird and Magic were almost teammates at IU. It also explains why they were on the bench when they played in the WIT tournament.

[@joshuasussman4020]

I’ve watched a LOT of reaction videos and this fella is my favorite. He digs deep into the meaning of the video, he understands the video and then asks great questions.

[@ebenclukey7293]

O.K. bro. Me and my friends would circle Larry's block for hours to see him mow his lawn. We were three for twenty something, but we felt like we won the lottery. Larry grew up so poor that he wouldn't hire someone to mow it for him. He was saving everything he could. The reason his career was shortened was because he injured his back shoveling gravel on the driveway of the house he bought for his mother. He was putting a new driveway in by himself. I was so lucky as a kid. My stepdad was the manager of a company called Eastern Canvas. That company would go on to become EastPak, the maker of backpacks. The owner had season tickets to the Celtics but never used them. He offered them to my stepdad who had no interest but gave them to my older brother who had a car. We went to every game we could. We still laugh about it today. We knew at the time we were witnessing somethin special. It was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters. Boston fans appreciated and dare I say loved Magic and the Lakers for being part of the saving of the NBA. These highlights you see....This was every night for Larry, Kevin, Chief, DJ, Danny and the rest. It was truly special.

[@HenDawgTV]

This is so 🔥🔥🔥🔥 you were definitely lucky lol

[@kevincarson7524]

I think I might have passed you when I was circling the block as well!

[@rduse4125]

The NBA had turned in to a 1 on 5 game, Bird and Magic were great passers who got their whole team involved. There are a lot of other things that made them an “attraction”, but I think people LOVED the unselfish nature of both players.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯 makes sense

[@thisguy8916]

Tells you how much of a pure competitor he was that he's still hurting from losing that game ~40 years ago, calling it '...the toughest loss I ever took', choking up, tears welling in his eyes....at 60....from a game 40 years ago...

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@kevincosta9228]

I think there's a couple reasons why Bird and Magic rejuvenated the league the way they did. First, because all they cared about was having their team win. In the years just before they hit the scene, players were mostly concerned with making themselves look good. Another, as the video noted, was that you had two people who couldn't be more different on the surface but who were obviously not only two of a kind, but the ONLY two of their kind. Their greatness and overall example changed the way the game was played. When Bird retired, a sports writer made the comment that, it was as if Bird and Magic stood on opposite sides of the continent, each grabbed a side of the NBA and lifted it onto their shoulders. That's exactly what they did and exactly why so many games from the era feature fierce competition. This might sound corny but, as a fan back then these guys helped inspire me to dig down deep and give everything in my life my best effort, because these guys never, ever quit.

[@HenDawgTV]

Good points

[@ryanmacrae6217]

It is so strange as a life long Celtics fan that I smile when I see Magic play, what other rivalry do you know that's like that? I can't honestly say why I and a lot of other's feel that way but it is so unique...🍀

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@felixmalcherek2919]

Also a thought which gets overlooked a lot when Bird's barfights get mentioned: they're talking about a 6'9", 225pounds unit of a man who grew up as the youngest sibling (a.k.a. mean-ass mo-fo). The idea of facing that in a barfight is terrifying! D:

[@HenDawgTV]

Lol facts

[@eidetecker]

It was one of those times when the hype matched what you got, and people desperately wanted to see what Magic and Bird were doing. That generated even more hype and results. That got other players and teams to up their games, and on it went. That's what those two cats brought to the table.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@tstumpf75]

It will say it in the documentary.. they had Celtic games in the noon games, and magic in the late after noon games.. every weekend, it was Bird in the early games, Magic in the late afternoon.. the whole country watched.. you chose sides.. then when they played each other! The nation tuned in!! Everyone had a side.. everyone was a magic or bird fan.. it was one or the other.

[@HenDawgTV]

That’s crazy

[@marknewell7509]

They changed the way the teams had to play to win. The documentary stated basketball at that time was all about the individual, not the team win or championships. Magic and Bird had the same mentality about basketball. To them it is a team sport. They each made their team mates better and got them all involved. They made passing an art and always found the open man. Made basketball a joy to watch again. Other teams had to start trying to play the same way to keep up.

[@HenDawgTV]

Dope makes sense 💯

[@alouie1484]

Magic and Bird were the stars responsible for reviving the popularity of the NBA, along with David Stern becoming commissioner. He knew how to market them. Then Jordan came along and took it up a few more notches

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@felixmalcherek2919]

So, a bit of info on that Bird-Dr. J fight: Throughout that game Bird kept telling Erving 2 numbers: their respective points. Once they got to something like 38-6 he told the Dr that it was time to retire, which led to the brawl. According to Barkley, the veterans on the team had taught him to always get into brawls for the team. However, he didn't want to actively punch someone, therefore he defaulted to grabbing and dragging people away. So he grabbed the first dude he got to, which was Larry. Malone joined in on the grabbing and the Dr didn't let the chance slip him by and proceeded to sock Larry XD Barkley swears to this day he did not mean to hold Larry for the punches, he just grabbed the first Boston jersey he found. :D

[@HenDawgTV]

Makes sense

[@meminustherandomgooglenumbers]

After the fight game, Julius and Larry talked on the phone and made up. They both promised each other to never autograph any photos of their fight, and so far they have both kept that promise.

[@nathanc30]

They saved the NBA from bankruptcy because they made competition the most important thing above individual success. They got their stats but never at the expense of the team or the win. I remember a game I was watching from '82, Bird and Ford on fast break all alone bird gets 2 ft from the basket,and Ford was 3ft away... bird passes to Ford so HE could get the 2 points. The Boston crowd went NUTS.

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@aramhamparian9641]

Enjoying this series bro!!🔥🔥

[@HenDawgTV]

Appreciate the support!!

[@marykuettner752]

David Stern knew what he had in terms of marketing too. The new basket ball commissioner had the Lakers and the Celtics play against each other a bunch in the preseason to get people hyped. He engineered a deal so the Celtics and the Lakers games were both on television once a week back to back because of the time difference. So no matter where you lived you kept up with both teams. They were both playing fast team ball.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@hanklewis769]

My opinion of how those two saved the NBA, was how "team" oriented their play was. They got all their team mates involved with great playmaking... both had that will to win, and a few years later Jordan took that to another level.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@1stltwife]

I really am glad I subscribed and you are a great narrator/commentator!! Really enjoying. I am a born and raised Boston girl in 70's during bussing..race relations were tough and we needed unity and basketball 🏀 did that!!

[@HenDawgTV]

Thanks for the support!! 💙

[@F1rstWorldNomaD]

They brought in the views, packed the stadiums. The league was on the verge of bankruptcy. When Larry and Magic came in, interest shot through the roof and money started flowing in. Its not just that they were great, they also made the game look great. You can be the most skilled player of all time, if you LOOK boring on the court, no one will watch it. They put on a show like never seen before. That alone might not have been enough... but when they both come into the league, on opposite sides and ofc the whole polar opposite, black/white, Outgoing/Shy etc. Thats a perfect setup with players that made the game entertaining, not just by scoring but making it beautiful. There is a reason why Magic and Larry are considered two of the greatest, possibly THE two greatest, passers of all time. Elegant, flowing, dynamic... almost like a dance routine. And they were no bxxches.

[@rickjend6667]

That's why it was so important for BOTH Larry and Magic to come into the league at the same time. Larry and Magic saved the league by BOTH playing team ball. It wasn't just Larry being white and enhancing his teammate's play, because Magic did the same thing with the Lakers. No more individual play. And it didn't matter so much if they were black or white, just that pure basketball was being played again.

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥💯💯

[@LadyShar]

They both came into the league already famous because college basketball was more watched than the NBA. They both came in playing better than the pros, making the game fun to watch and bringing in sponsors. That college rivalry and the black and white and every other comparison you could make was played up by the media and sponsors. They were so different yet so much the same and it was talked about everywhere.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@meminustherandomgooglenumbers]

They had reporters assigned to cover him and there was nothing for them to do since he stayed in so much, so the reporters would be out there when he mowed his lawn. Anybody else who came to town to see him, that was their best bet too.

[@LadyShar]

One won rookie of the year and the other won the championship, their rookie year they were talented and confident and hungry. I've heard MJ slip from plural to singular and back while talking about them. They are so connected in people's minds and in real life.

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@innosanto]

They saved the NBA because they played the best basketball. The passing basketball. And they cared and were invested in it.

[@felixmalcherek2919]

I'm not too sure how it went down back then, like you I only saw that era through documentaries and videos. But, from what I can tell, the NBA went through almost a decade without really good rivalries. Plus the biggest stars were pretty stoic and stone-faced. Kareem, Dr. J, while being great players did not have the enthusiasm and charisma of a Magic. And Larry had been under scrutiny from, at least the Boston area ever since he got drafted the year before, which is why that NCAA had such insane ratings. Plus, the shy, reclusive Larry was a great counterpart to the flashy, screen-time-loving Magic. Again, in a nice twist, both ended up in environments that suited them really well: Magic right next-door to Hollywood, Bird in the blue-collar Boston.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@seanmulligan3037]

Cable TV played a huge role as more and more people could watch the games across the nation. That played a big role as well to increase viewership.

[@bwink23]

When Magic "played all 5 positions". To do that back then, you were literally playing all 5. Back then each position was specific in duties on the court. Today, there is virtually no difference between the positions aside from size now.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@paulsullivan1650]

It's absolutely true!!! I went and watched him cut his grass a few Saturdays too. I'd get my Dunkin Donuts coffee, and go early to get a good parking spot. He had a nice house in Brookline. (nice suburb right next to Boston). I used to tell people to stop bothering him for autographs. That's not what he was out there for. I lived right across the Charles River in Cambridge at the time...

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@ryanmacrae6217]

Is it weird that I would have gone and seen him cut his grass if I would've been close enough. 🤣🤣

[@HenDawgTV]

Nope lol

[@LadyShar]

why do you think I asked for you to react to that game! Dr J and Bird fighting was just the highlight of the craziest game I ever saw.

[@HenDawgTV]

I got you!

[@maxbrazil3712]

I wake up without an alarm clock, but it took me 40 years of hard work to make it so.

[@kevincarson7524]

Oh the lawn mowing story is very true, I was there!

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@mikelogan3816]

Larry bird magic Johnson people with character

[@msw8966]

Watching what Moses Malone did coming from behind just dropped my respect for him big-time

[@shawnmcx482]

Love to see you representing the 419 man!

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯💯

[@mrho4speed]

The Lakers before Magic arrived won 47 games and were a playoff team, BUT you need a good team to win a championship. Magic was a perfect fit for LA and in his rookie season LA was a 60 win team. Kareem in Magics first season was still the best player in the world = his 6th MVP!! Boston before Bird was a 29 win team and with Bird became a 61 win team. Magic was good as a rookie but Bird was even better = the 32 game improvement was the biggest ever seen in NBA history. Bird won ROY and also finished 4th in MVP voting that first year. I think the reason these guys "saved" the NBA is because of their team first attitude and because of their passing abilities. They did not really care about stats, just about winning the game and getting their teammates involved. Both players could and did make amazing passes and fans everywhere could see and sense how they truly wanted to distribute the wealth and play an unselfish game.

[@HenDawgTV]

Good points! 💯

[@marykuettner752]

Larry was drafted his junior year. So the Celtics had to wait a year for him to play. The Celtics were terrible that season. So some of the Boston stations made sure that Larry's games were available to hype people up. That's why so many people were watching the finals year. Indiana State was such a Cinderella team. The first and only time they made the finals. Bird and Magic both were concerned about winning not about individual stats. Back then a lot of black players were rightfully concerned about getting paid for their individual performances. Because they knew they weren't going to be coaches or work in the front office after they retired unlike most the white players. I believe that Bill Russell was the first black player-coach in the NBA and K.C.Jones was the first black head coach.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@billyray6913]

Southern Indiana right here.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@ontrack16]

Thank you again HenDawgz! Kareem was traded to Lakers from Bucks, I believe, by Magic's rookie year when Magic won the title as a default center in the deciding game bc Kareem was hurt. Kareem had won a title in the 70s with Oscar Robertson.

[@HenDawgTV]

Thanks for watching!!

[@venetoaward]

Imaging watching out of the window and seeing Magic Johnson steal an orange from your front yard

[@HenDawgTV]

Lmao would be wild

[@rduse4125]

There’s the biggest Bird/Johnson stat to me: The year before they enter the league: Celtics record 29W 53L Lakers record 47W 35L Bird and Magic’s first year in the league: Celtics record 61W 21L Lakers record 60W 22L And that the year before adding Parish and McHale…that’ll get you rookie of the year!

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@robertnoe4410]

They were the best, period. They won early and often.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@felixmalcherek2919]

I mean, I wake up without an alarm clock, but that's mainly because I don't have fixed work hours, I just have to submit a quota of translated words. How I do that is up to me, as long as the deadline is fine :P Also, having the only window in the room be right next to the bed and pointing east helps in waking up at dawn XD

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@LadyShar]

#birdgang

[@HenDawgTV]

☘️☘️☘️☘️

[@lynnhoffman247]

Larry is 65. 👋🏼🏀🐦

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@thisguy8916]

And you know why Bird looks 'slow' on the court?....because he's in the fl0w; like Dr. J & so many other Legends said: He's a step ahead, plays the game like chess, better be on-point or you're gonna get embarrassed, rather guard Jordan than Bird, because you gotta get inside his head & figure out what he's thinking...he's already looked ahead with full-court vision & decided...DECIDED what the best play is & then does it....so sure of his conclusion that he can casually inform you, the whole team & the coach what play he's gonna run, where he's gonna get the ball to shoot a game winner...& there's 'little to nothing you could do about it'..... That's why he looks slow, he's relaxed, already knowing what he needs to do, what anyone is gonna try to do to stop it, & accounted for those possibilities; knowing he can make that happen. Black players giving him no respect....'well that just motivated me more.'....I mean, if he can tell you what & where & you can't stop it...actions speak louder than words; and that's what sets his style, game, demeanor apart from most-all of his contemporaries. His closest mirror in skill, vision, ability, play style & determination at that time being: Earvin Johnson! W00t. This concludes my TED talk; thank you for your time.

[@HenDawgTV]

Good points!! 💯💯

[@mikestevens917]

It was kobe, not Bron asking about guarding Bird.

[@HenDawgTV]

You right my bad

[@weslennon3425]

Kobe said that about Bird being slow...Not LeBron.

[@jjsdad4952]

Everyone’s comments are correct but at the core of your question, the answer is advertising dollars. When more people start tuning in, companies want those eyes on their product and then the NBA can charge more for each ad. This puts more money directly into the league. And it’s a snowball…it effects everything from salaries to the quality of the Jumbotron. Or maybe it was just Magic’s smile…we’ll never know.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯

[@feedmemoreh8458]

The NBA didn't have any rivalries and final were on tape delay. Bird and magic college game went into and they became rivals so the NBA started to get money back

[@HenDawgTV]

I see i see 💯

[@nathanc30]

Larry was a millionaire. Cuts his own grass

[@HenDawgTV]

🐐

[@atex6175]

What did they do they had epic battles when they played each other. They played off each other well Bird was the lunch pale type dude and Magic well he's magic. It helped they were team players and a huge influx of talent came into the league in the 80s

[@ontrack16]

I haven't used an alarm clock in some time. Going to bed earlier helps! :) I'm older now (49) but found some new energy and better health going Vegan. Check out The Gamechangers movie/doc (produced by Chris Paul and many other plant-based athletes and What The Health? on what digesting any form of animal product is harmful to our bodies and to the planet (global warming and dead spots -devoid of any life). Very informative and helpful for success and longevity! Thx again HenDawgz (big writer, sorry!). Bang-Bang Bird Gang! ;D

[@HenDawgTV]

Thanks for this 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@ontrack16]

@@HenDawgTV my pleasure. I'm really eager to spread the word. Once you see them, you'll see why. Thanks so much again for responding! Peace and Love You gotta get out to Cali! Either Bay or LA but I'm from Oakland and I like it most here!

[@joshuajugs4288]

People forget just how good bird was , in his prime he was the best ever , literally take anybody’s prime and compare it to Larry’s and Larry’s prime is better than anybody else’s prime Facts

[@philiipzimmer7054]

Magic and Bird saving the NBA had nothing to do with how well they played. When the ABA went bankrupt and joined the NBA, the NBA was following suit. The NBA too was going bankrupt. The rivalry between Magic and Bird came at just the right time and the NBA was reborn through ticket sales and distribution. The phrase "Magic and Bird saved the NBA" means the promotion of their rivalry gave Basketball new life. Without their rivalry there is no Jordon, Bryant, or James to come into our lives, because like the Major soccer league that disbanded in the 70's only to be reborn in the 90's it could have taken professional basketball 20 or 30 years to return had the NBA fell to bankruptcy.

[@rgreen1107]

Larry was mugged in the Dr J fight …. Malone and Barkley GRABBED Bird from behind !

[@HenDawgTV]

Facts

[@conradlaumauna5042]

They saved the NBA because Larry and magic with David Stern got a big contract out of CBS and had the Lakers and the Celtic playing every Sunday on TV and it was the Lakers and Celtics it was like the Lakers never beat the Celtics in eight tries before they finally beat them and that got everybody in the whole country interested in basketball again

[@yappers2011]

the saved the game by making everyone want to watch them and their teams put a ball in a cylinder. Very simple. its cause of who they were, where they were from and how they played the game.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@MoscoPortfolio]

Lakers were a first round elimination team basically until magic arrived

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@rashadwalker8218]

We need some Dr j reactions bra

[@HenDawgTV]

Say less

[@dogtrainerjen]

Larry Bird turned 66 last month…

[@adampennell7840]

Magic and Bird I feel both sacrificed to win. They were TEAM players. If needed they could bust you 1v1, but they were team centric players who played exciting basketball.

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@fidge54]

Both rookies. Instantly transformed their teams. Black vs White. East vs West. Showtime vs Old School. Flamboyant vs Workman-like. Man, it was drama. And even the idiot racists - black and white - could quickly see that that other guy you were hating gave it everything and played his ass off. You cared because they cared. Lazy players on the Celts and Lakers were quickly gone. They brought an infectious will to win back to the NBA

[@HenDawgTV]

🔥🔥🔥

[@chrisbera7952]

Lakers were 45-37 in 1977-78 season same the next year, so Magic definitely improved them

[@HenDawgTV]

💯

[@seths6012]

I think the Lakers had the #1 pick due to a trade and winning a coin flip. They had a decent team already.

[@irishgrl]

When it gets to the part that race played in bball….I think ppl miss, or maybe haven’t analyzed there really was a difference in how whites & blacks approached the game. Whites came from a background of being coached in school to play as a team, with fundamentals being stressed….blacks came from more of a playground atmosphere with the mindset of “look at what I can do” & acting like superstars & not thinking of the team. The two styles don’t mesh well, imo.

[@bwink23]

Maybe the biggest reason I don't consider Kareem the GOAT is he was the premier player of the 70's and the NBA nearly went bankrupt on his watch. If you can't put butts in the seats, you aren't the GOAT to me.

[@HenDawgTV]

I feel that

[@seanmulligan3037]

Lakers were good with Kareem and would make the playoffs, but never the Finals. Lakers got the Jazz's #1 pick from a previous seasons trade. Jazz had the worst record so Lakers had the #1 pick and took Magic. Bird was selected the year before by the Celtics, before they had the "Bird Rule" which kept you from drafting a player still in college.

[@snakeeyesss7326]

That was Kobe said that not lebron

[@HenDawgTV]

Damn you right

[@charlottewood8964]

Wasn't that Kobe that said that. Asking that Bird looked slow.

[@HenDawgTV]

Yup! My bad

[@ontrack16]

Why the NBA was crappy before Magic/Bird: The 1970s had two leagues going at the same time with the ABA starting late-60s and ending by mid-late 70s. Several big stars defected and the League ended up taking four ABA teams in the merger back to NBA. That is the stage where this intro begins. Attendance plummeted through the decade and it was the least relatable pro league of the time. To be honest, Larry Bird opened up the audience bc he was White (I'm sorry that's true as a Brown/White man) but allowed white kids to have someone to look up to. Magic was the perfect anti-thesis. The glory was the matchup similar to the days of Wilt and Big Russ. Modern day would be Lebron and Steph. The GOATS need a antagonist. MJ never had that "other" superstar (Penny/Shaq comes close). Tho Celts/Lakes were loaded, you knew who the Big Dogs were, Bird and Magic :)

[@richardbartley2584]

The Lakers were bottom 5 team

[@bruce7709]

Bird and Magic saved the NBA then MJ took it higher. Todays game is a shell of the old game it’s pretty boring to watch other than all the drama going on 😂😂😂😂

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@charlottewood8964]

That was kobe. About him looking slow

[@HenDawgTV]

💯💯💯

[@Zazu1776]

Kareem played until 1989, bird and magic played 10 yrs in the league with him

[@Zazu1776]

LeBron shouldn't even say Birds name, if LeBron James played in Birds day LeBron would have had him kicked off the court because of the Trash Talk bird would say. I can't stand that big baby LeBron..