Other Sports Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals - Page 4

Deberg_1990 · 03-18-2010, 12:41 PM

Watched this last night on HBO. Great stuff.

These two really did save the NBA.

Doubtful there will ever be another rivalry as great as this one was. The Lakers and Celtics hated each other back in those days.

Check it out this month if you can.

http://www.nesn.com/2010/03/hbo-docu...asketball.html

Magic and Bird. Bird and Magic. They were the two iconic figures of the NBA in the 1980s, the two men who saved the game and the two men who kept it alive for a generation of fans.

On the floor, they were similarly great players -- team-oriented guys who made everyone around them better and would stop at nothing to win. Off the floor, they could not have been more different. They were the yin and yang of the NBA, the gregarious black superstar in Hollywood and the quiet, introspective white guy dubbed the "Hick from French Lick."

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two subjects of Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, a made-for-TV documentary that premieres March 6 on HBO. The film, directed by Ezra Edelman and produced by HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, goes inside the lives of the two NBA legends, examining both the players and the men who epitomized basketball in the 1980s.

The story of Magic and Bird begins in 1979. That's when Magic's Michigan State Spartans and Bird's Indiana State Sycamores, the nation's two best teams led by the nation's two biggest stars, met in the NCAA Tournament final. It was the highest-rated college basketball game in history and it was a game that would forever alter the landscape of basketball in America.

The game catapulted Magic and Bird to even more attention on the national stage. Magic reveled in that attention; Bird shied away from it. But both went on to become immediate superstars in the NBA, as Magic went No. 1 overall to the L.A. Lakers, and Bird went to the Celtics, who drafted him the previous year.

Magic became caught up in fame and stardom in Hollywood -- he went to countless parties, met countless women and became a superstar in every sense of the word. Bird was the complete opposite. He was gritty, hardworking and relentless. He dove into scorers' tables for loose balls. He was quick to fight with opposing players. He went about his business -- he showed up, he won and he went home. He would rather be seen mowing his lawn outside his rural Indiana home than partying on the town.

But it was their difference in race that was magnified by the political climate in America in the '80s. Bird shied away from the issue; he hated being called the "Great White Hope" of the NBA. To all outward appearances, he was the only man in America who really just didn't see race.

The film captures all of these psychological and cultural contrasts between Magic and Bird in living color, but more importantly, it chronicles their historic rivalry on the court. Between 1980 and 1989, every NBA Finals featured either Magic or Bird. Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met head-to-head three times, in 1984, '85 and '87. You see all the key moments, from Bird's heroic performance in '84 to Magic's famous "baby sky hook" that sank the Celtics three years later.

For all the great moments on the floor, there were traumatic moments off it. Bird endured a childhood of poverty, with fighting parents and an alcoholic father dealing with post-traumatic stress after a tour in Korea. His parents eventually split up and his father committed suicide.

Magic's lust for life caught up to him. His diagnosis with HIV in 1991 brought his career to a halt and made the world realize his mortality. Magic was 32, and his reign as one of the greatest players of all time had been tragically cut short.

But his legacy lived on, as did Bird's, despite a multitude of nagging injuries that kept him from playing on into his late 30s. Both men are remembered as saviors of a game that had lost its place in America's hearts.

There's a great moment toward the end of A Courtship of Rivals where Bryant Gumbel, one of the media figures featured prominently in the film, violently dismisses the idea that Michael Jordan saved the game of basketball. Magic and Larry saved the NBA, he argues. Magic and Larry.

After you've seen this documentary, it's hard to disagree. That's what the film is about: Two players who saved the game, and two men that a generation of fans will never forget.

RJ · 03-19-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan

I still remember the older Lakers/Celtics rivalry too.

I remember watching the old Laker teams that featured Jerry West, Connie Hawkins (the former Globetrotter with the incredibly huge hands), Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich.

Still remember the backcourt of JoJo White and John Havlichek for the Celtics too.

Hawkins was an amazing athlete. I don't remember him as a Laker. Was it late in his career?

Speaking of Hawkins, anyone remember the SNL bit with Paul Simon and Hawkins playing one on one to "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"?

Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan · 03-19-2010, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ

Hawkins was an amazing athlete. I don't remember him as a Laker. Was it late in his career?

Speaking of Hawkins, anyone remember the SNL bit with Paul Simon and Hawkins playing one on one to "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"?

I want to say early 70s.

He was there during the transition from Wilt to Kareem.

Amnorix · 03-19-2010, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ

I remember a playoff game between the Celtics and Hawks. Bird and Dominique were both completely on fire. It was like there were only two players on the court. What a show.

The entire 4th quarter of that game is on YouTube. At least the shots they made. Ridiculous. And I remember the game also. Those two were out of control. 2 guys trying to win a game, and 8 others wondering how they could try to help, or if they should just pull up a seat and watch...

RJ · 03-19-2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

The entire 4th quarter of that game is on YouTube. At least the shots they made. Ridiculous. And I remember the game also. Those two were out of control. 2 guys trying to win a game, and 8 others wondering how they could try to help, or if they should just pull up a seat and watch...

Yes, a really amazing performance by two great players. I just remember being glued to the television while they matched each other basket for basket. There was never any doubt who was getting the ball.

Thanks for the YouTube tip, I'm gonna look that up.

L.A. Chieffan · 03-19-2010, 02:33 PM

Kevin Mchale can die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.

L.A. Chieffan · 03-19-2010, 03:03 PM

**** YOU MCHALE

Amnorix · 03-19-2010, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Chieffan

Kevin Mchale can die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.

Special hate for this one Celtic, or just a general hate for all Celtics? I assume it stems from the Rambis clothesline?

**RNR** · 03-19-2010, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Special hate for this one Celtic, or just a general hate for all Celtics? I assume it stems from the Rambis clothesline?

He is one of my alltime favorites~

Amnorix · 03-19-2010, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedNeckRaider

He is one of my alltime favorites~

I just watched a YouTube film on McHale and it reminded me of one thing -- I swear to God nobody ever shot as many shots with his defender's BACK to him. With all his spin moves he could get a guy so fouled up he was literally turned and facing the basket before Kevin had even made his shot.

He was really just a hell of a lot of fun to watch. McHale in the post was like Michelangelo with a paintbrush

penchief · 03-19-2010, 09:29 PM

I grew up a Knicks fan but for a decade I loved watching the celtics more. One of the things my ex-wife and I loved doing together was watching the celtics play during that run. Those celtics-lakers contests really captured our attention.

Bird's court awareness was uncanny. It literally made watching basketball exciting waiting for the his next unlikely play. He had eyes in the back of his head. I loved his passing. And I loved how he would go up for an offensive rebound and turn it into a one-handed tip pass to a teammate for an easy bucket.

ragedogg69 · 03-19-2010, 09:31 PM

I loved this doc. Watching the highlights, I couldnt help but to think "are there any players today that are this complete?" I had Suns season tickets for the previous 4 years and have seen maybe 2 or 3 plays that were Magic or Bird-esc. Lebron is great but does he make his team mates better or can score regularly with his back to the basket? No. Can Kobe create shots for his teammates like Bird or Magic did? no.

Its kinda sad that this entire generation of basketball has that 70's ABA "me first" attitude that they mention in the documentary. Not a black/white problem. Just a quality of play problem. I think we will have to wait a long time to see a player that could even compare to Bird or Magic.

Sadly i didnt get into the NBA(or sports in general) until '93 when Barkley arrived at the Suns. So I missed these glory days.

FAX · 03-19-2010, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

I just watched a YouTube film on McHale and it reminded me of one thing -- I swear to God nobody ever shot as many shots with his defender's BACK to him. With all his spin moves he could get a guy so fouled up he was literally turned and facing the basket before Kevin had even made his shot.

He was really just a hell of a lot of fun to watch. McHale in the post was like Michelangelo with a paintbrush

No question. I wonder if there's a McHale highlight reel on Youtube or somewhere. People who weren't able to watch him play have probably never seen post play like that ... at least I've never seen anybody with his combination of moves.

To me, he just looked like a big, gangly kid. Watching him live, though, I was amazed at how physical he was. I think other teams thought they could out-muscle him ... you know, that that would be the way to take away his game. Didn't work, though.

I also think that, back in those days, the Celtics were amazingly competitive. I don't watch a lot of NBA now (I'm not crazy about the run & dunk game), so I don't know if they play with the same attitude. But, the Celtics - to a man - were a very competitive bunch. They wanted to win every night. Of course, when you're in the Garden and you see all those pennants hanging from the ceiling, it probably makes a player want to rise to the occasion ... but still.

I loved the old Garden. It reminded me of a small high school court, to be honest. The ancient, old ushers in the red coats. The goals sort of hauled out from the sides and sandbagged. The parquet had holes in it. But the seats were completely full of raging, insane fans. Awesome place.

FAX

RJ · 03-19-2010, 10:23 PM

The other teams used to call McHale "Herman Munster". There was a resemblance.

L.A. Chieffan · 03-20-2010, 02:05 AM

rambis clothesline was bad. blatant piss poor celtic favortism while gm of another team is even worse
Posted via Mobile Device

Amnorix · 03-20-2010, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Chieffan

rambis clothesline was bad. blatant piss poor celtic favortism while gm of another team is even worse
Posted via Mobile Device

In all seriousness, the beneficiary of the Kobe "I won't play for anyone else" and the Gasol trade is in absolutely NO position to bitch about anything when it comes to player recruitment/trades. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

03-18-2010, 12:41 PM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3464454	Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals Watched this last night on HBO. Great stuff. These two really did save the NBA. Doubtful there will ever be another rivalry as great as this one was. The Lakers and Celtics hated each other back in those days. Check it out this month if you can. http://www.nesn.com/2010/03/hbo-docu...asketball.html Magic and Bird. Bird and Magic. They were the two iconic figures of the NBA in the 1980s, the two men who saved the game and the two men who kept it alive for a generation of fans. On the floor, they were similarly great players -- team-oriented guys who made everyone around them better and would stop at nothing to win. Off the floor, they could not have been more different. They were the yin and yang of the NBA, the gregarious black superstar in Hollywood and the quiet, introspective white guy dubbed the "Hick from French Lick." Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are the two subjects of Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, a made-for-TV documentary that premieres March 6 on HBO. The film, directed by Ezra Edelman and produced by HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, goes inside the lives of the two NBA legends, examining both the players and the men who epitomized basketball in the 1980s. The story of Magic and Bird begins in 1979. That's when Magic's Michigan State Spartans and Bird's Indiana State Sycamores, the nation's two best teams led by the nation's two biggest stars, met in the NCAA Tournament final. It was the highest-rated college basketball game in history and it was a game that would forever alter the landscape of basketball in America. The game catapulted Magic and Bird to even more attention on the national stage. Magic reveled in that attention; Bird shied away from it. But both went on to become immediate superstars in the NBA, as Magic went No. 1 overall to the L.A. Lakers, and Bird went to the Celtics, who drafted him the previous year. Magic became caught up in fame and stardom in Hollywood -- he went to countless parties, met countless women and became a superstar in every sense of the word. Bird was the complete opposite. He was gritty, hardworking and relentless. He dove into scorers' tables for loose balls. He was quick to fight with opposing players. He went about his business -- he showed up, he won and he went home. He would rather be seen mowing his lawn outside his rural Indiana home than partying on the town. But it was their difference in race that was magnified by the political climate in America in the '80s. Bird shied away from the issue; he hated being called the "Great White Hope" of the NBA. To all outward appearances, he was the only man in America who really just didn't see race. The film captures all of these psychological and cultural contrasts between Magic and Bird in living color, but more importantly, it chronicles their historic rivalry on the court. Between 1980 and 1989, every NBA Finals featured either Magic or Bird. Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met head-to-head three times, in 1984, '85 and '87. You see all the key moments, from Bird's heroic performance in '84 to Magic's famous "baby sky hook" that sank the Celtics three years later. For all the great moments on the floor, there were traumatic moments off it. Bird endured a childhood of poverty, with fighting parents and an alcoholic father dealing with post-traumatic stress after a tour in Korea. His parents eventually split up and his father committed suicide. Magic's lust for life caught up to him. His diagnosis with HIV in 1991 brought his career to a halt and made the world realize his mortality. Magic was 32, and his reign as one of the greatest players of all time had been tragically cut short. But his legacy lived on, as did Bird's, despite a multitude of nagging injuries that kept him from playing on into his late 30s. Both men are remembered as saviors of a game that had lost its place in America's hearts. There's a great moment toward the end of A Courtship of Rivals where Bryant Gumbel, one of the media figures featured prominently in the film, violently dismisses the idea that Michael Jordan saved the game of basketball. Magic and Larry saved the NBA, he argues. Magic and Larry. After you've seen this documentary, it's hard to disagree. That's what the film is about: Two players who saved the game, and two men that a generation of fans will never forget.
Posts: 66,914

03-19-2010, 02:33 PM	#50
L.A. Chieffan PLAY GOOD FOOTBALL Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: American Gardens Building Casino cash: $3918654	Kevin Mchale can die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.
Posts: 17,368

03-19-2010, 03:03 PM	#51
L.A. Chieffan PLAY GOOD FOOTBALL Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: American Gardens Building Casino cash: $3918654	**** YOU MCHALE
Posts: 17,368

03-19-2010, 09:29 PM	#55
penchief MVP Join Date: Feb 2003 Casino cash: $6315286	I grew up a Knicks fan but for a decade I loved watching the celtics more. One of the things my ex-wife and I loved doing together was watching the celtics play during that run. Those celtics-lakers contests really captured our attention. Bird's court awareness was uncanny. It literally made watching basketball exciting waiting for the his next unlikely play. He had eyes in the back of his head. I loved his passing. And I loved how he would go up for an offensive rebound and turn it into a one-handed tip pass to a teammate for an easy bucket.
Posts: 17,035

03-19-2010, 09:31 PM	#56
ragedogg69 Oh yeah..... you like that Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Casino cash: $10014832	I loved this doc. Watching the highlights, I couldnt help but to think "are there any players today that are this complete?" I had Suns season tickets for the previous 4 years and have seen maybe 2 or 3 plays that were Magic or Bird-esc. Lebron is great but does he make his team mates better or can score regularly with his back to the basket? No. Can Kobe create shots for his teammates like Bird or Magic did? no. Its kinda sad that this entire generation of basketball has that 70's ABA "me first" attitude that they mention in the documentary. Not a black/white problem. Just a quality of play problem. I think we will have to wait a long time to see a player that could even compare to Bird or Magic. Sadly i didnt get into the NBA(or sports in general) until '93 when Barkley arrived at the Suns. So I missed these glory days. __________________ “You think Denver has the greatest fans? Well, they aren’t.” -- Jake Plummer Don't believe me? http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl/plummer-asks-the-world-who-wants-some-131609.php
Posts: 1,811

03-19-2010, 10:23 PM	#58
RJ Supporter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: In a shotgun shack Casino cash: $9955202	The other teams used to call McHale "Herman Munster". There was a resemblance.
Posts: 14,931

03-20-2010, 02:05 AM	#59
L.A. Chieffan PLAY GOOD FOOTBALL Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: American Gardens Building Casino cash: $3918654	rambis clothesline was bad. blatant piss poor celtic favortism while gm of another team is even worse Posted via Mobile Device
Posts: 17,368