Magic Johnson and Larry Bird gave fans some of the best games between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, adding to one of the biggest rivalries in NBA history. But before the two battled it out in the NBA, Bird and Magic faced each other in college. And that was when Johnson admitted to being scared of a player for the first time.
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Magic Johnson faced off against Larry Bird in the 1979 NCAA Championship. However, before the game, Johnson confessed that he was scared of facing Bird on the court due to his skills and signature moves.
While Magic Johnson was sweating in his sneakers thinking of Bird, the same was happening to the Boston Celtics legend thinking about how to contain Magic Johnson and his ability to set up his teammates.
Larry Bird was nervous about Magic due to his size. Johnson was way bigger than the point guard on his team and too fast for any other player to guard him. He was also worried if they double-teamed him, he could just set up his teammates with an open easy shot.
Magic, on the other hand, knew what Bird could do with the ball in his hands. Larry had numerous ways of scoring the ball. He had many options in his arsenal that could hurt him and his team if Bird went all out. And that is when the Los Angeles Lakers legend admitted being scared of another player for the first time.
In the book, From When the Game Was Ours, the situation is aptly highlighted, “In the hours preceding the championship game, two college stars bunked down in the same city but in separate hotels, wrestling with their bed sheets and obsessing over the other one’s talent. Bird could not eliminate the image of Johnson prancing up the court and setting up Kelser for one of his thunderous acrobatic alley-oop slams.”
Furthermore, Johnson kept contemplating ways to outdo Bird’s skills,
“Most of the other top college players they faced had one particular signature move. The problem with Larry was he could score from anywhere. Magic said. ‘It was the first time in my life I was scared of another player'”
Magic had faced off against Larry Bird enough to know the threat he presented to his team. Bird was one of the most complete scorers even before making it in the league and Johnson was aware of that.
For his college career, Bird averaged 30.3 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 4.6 APG. He shot 53.3% from the field and was an 82.2% free throw shooter. So, fouling him was not an option as well. No wonder Johnson was scared of what Bird could do.
Why was Magic Johnson afraid of Larry Bird?
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson met in the 1979 NCAA Championship game. But despite Magic’s fears, Michigan State was able to fend off Larry Bird and the rest of Indiana State with a 75-64 final score to win the title.
Magic led his team in scoring with a 24-point performance. He also had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal for the game. As for Bird, he finished the night with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block of the game.
Magic got a good production from his teammates to defeat Bird and Indiana State. The same could not be said for Bird’s teammates as he handled most of the production on offense. And in the end, it was Magic and Co. who went home with the title.
