From: ronnie@uts.amdahl.com (Ronnie Townsend)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: Bird, Jordan, Magic...
Date: 25 Aug 92 22:06:56 GMT
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <1992Aug25.204259.9291@das.harvard.edu> vreddy@das.harvard.edu (Venkatesh Reddy) writes:
>In article <5109@dove.nist.gov>, hira@cme.nist.gov (Ron Hira) writes:
>|> In article <1992Aug25.190046.3975@bmerh85.bnr.ca>, stu1d46@bnr.ca (Reg
>|> Domaratzki) writes:
>|> |>From: stu1d46@bnr.ca (Reg Domaratzki)
>|> |>Subject: Re: Bird, Jordan, Magic...
>|> 
>|> |>The Bird/Magic rivarly was awesome because the two players were so evenly
>|> |>matched with thier respected teams.  They were also UNDOUBTABLY the leaders
>|> |>on their team, and were UNDOUBTABLY the best two players in the league at
>|> |>the time.  KJ is the leader of the Suns, and Charles is not undoubtably the
>|> |>second best player in the league right now.
>|> |>
>|> |>FLAME BAIT:
>|> |>There never has and never will be another rivarly as fierce as that between
>|> |>Magic and Bird in professional sports.
>|> 
>|> Ok, you undoubtedly have a catch. First off, all of this talk about the 
>|> Bird/Magic rivalry doesn't seem to make too much sense to me, since they
>|> didn't play one another all that often. Could someone please post the 
>|> teams in the finals during the eighties. Now if you want to talk about a 
>|> rivalry, let's talk about the Sixers/Boston series in the early eighties.
>|> At least the teams met one another practically every year with some amazing
>|> series.
>|> 
>
>That's the point... you see, they met almost without wavering in the finals every 
>year, as well as twice a year during teh regular season, and the entire season
>to many fans was played BUILDING UP for this intense showdown between the two 
>greatest players of the 80's. Sure, the Sixers and the Celts had an intense
>rivalry, but the Lakers rivalry was the most memorable.

Well, it may have been memorable but they "only" met in the finals three times.
84,85 and 87. One or the other was *in* every final in the 80's (Magic in 8, 
Bird in 5) which has got to say something! Certainly both the Sixers and Lakers
rivalry were both intense and memorable. The Laker rivalry was simply moreso 
because it only happened when the spotlight was burning brightest. 

>
>|> Yes, Bird and Magic were some of the greatest players ever and seem to have 
>|> an era named after them, but where's all of the rivalry? Maybe you're 
>|> speaking of the MVP award that Bird won what three years in a row? Maybe 
>|> someone can post the MVPs for the eighties also.
>|> 
>|> Oh yeah, both Bird & Magic had some pretty good supporting staffs, like 
>|> Kareem, Worthy, Parrish, McHale, etc.
>|> 
>
>Do you think people would have given a shit about the rivalry if both teams had
>been in the cellar? I mean, no offense to anyone, but if Shaq and LAettner had
>some kind of rivalry, do you thin it would be as big? NO.. because the teams 
>aren't any good... it takes a good team as well to get to the big 7-game rivalry
>series everyone waited for.

Of course.. nobody cares about losers. That's a given. Why state the obvious? 
The rivalry was something the media created and both Magic *and* Bird admit 
being led to believe they had to hate each other at first and then as they 
matured and gained respect for one-another's abilities they became friends but
still fierce rivals...  It was fun to watch... given that there's no 
replacements on the horizon for the two of them... basketball could suffer. 
Clyde -vs- MJ is not as compelling... Maybe Sir Charles -vs- MJ could be though.
Nike could start a "Dan and Dave" like ad campaign if Chicago and Phoenix 
appear to be headed for a showdown. It has potential! 


-- 
Ronnie
-------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not cynical... I just don't believe in anything....


Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro