Edited sentence: As German sports journalist Günter Bork puts it, Johnson and Bird were two polar characters: on one side the black, smiling and highly spectacular "Showtime" playmaker Johnson, and on the other side the white, trash-talking blue-collar worker Bird.In addition, the Lakers and the Celtics were two of the biggest NBA franchises, shared a long historic rivalry, represented two different styles — the Lakers relied on their "Showtime" fastbreak basketball, while the Celtics defined themselves over their deliberate half-court play — and in time, one of basketball's biggest individual rivalries was born.In the last several years, another superstar had established himself, namely Boston Celtics forward and Johnson's old NCAA Finals rival Larry Bird, ex-NBA Rookie of the Year and winner of the 1981 NBA title