Larry Bird was one of the best players to ever play in the Eastern Conference – only right the newly formed trophy be named after him.
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For years people have been clamoring about having a separate award for the best regular playoffs games. The finals MVP does not consider all the hard work players put in to get to the finals – it only takes into consideration the final 7 games. This gives no incentives to the big athletes to push hard during the playoff run.
Big-name players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have put in herculean efforts to single-handedly drag their team to the finals, only to lose a super team. Their valiant efforts were given no recognition because they did not end in a championship.
The NBA has finally realized that and has announced two new trophies, one for each conference, recognizing the playoff performances up until the conference finals. They announced that these trophies would be called Larry Bird and Magic Johnson trophies for the conferences they represented their whole careers.
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Magic Johnson and Larry Bird – two rivals now cemented in legacy for eternity with their conference trophies
Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers are synonymous with Magic Johnson v Larry Bird. The purple and gold may be tied with the leprechaun greens in the banner count, but the Cs have the best chance to one-up them this season. A tit that may not be tatted for a long time, given the sorry state of the Lakers.
Magic and Bird ruled the roost in the 80s, and there is no better rivalry in the history of this sport. Two behemoths of the game going head to head on several occasions. Kind of like Godzilla and King Kong, only from the 80s and 90s.
One could argue about the trophy being named after Michael Jordan, but in a lot of people’s minds, Larry Legend just deserves that Eastern conference icon. Not only did he represent a historically big team, he only ever played for the Celtics. For that, and that alone, he was the right choice.
