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"'Larry Bird couldn't jump over this (microphone) cord,' said Magic Johnson 
during a speech at Bridgewater State College earlier this year.  'But Larry 
Bird could play basketball.  There was nobody in the league as fundamentally 
sound as Larry Bird.  Pump-fake, step and fall away.  He got tired of
shooting 
and said, "Let me pass a little bit, rebound, start the fast break."

"'I feel Larry Bird is one of the smartest, if not the smartest ever to play 
this game.  He is definitely the hardest worker to ever play this game and
get 
the most out of his talent.... Larry would be talking trash and he'd back (it)
up totally... It'd be like, "Magic, I'm going to get 30 tonight.  Sure
enough, 
he'd get 38.

"'One time, he gets a pass and I run him down and he was like, "Magic, why
are 
you running out there?  You know you're going to be too late."  Then it's all 
net... I'm hoping another Larry Bird and Magic come along for my kids to see 
them go at each other the way we went at each other but still respected each 
other... Larry and I has a special (rivalry), one that will probably never be 
matched.

"'This guy was the best I've ever seen in my whole life.  The thing about
Larry 
Bird and Michael Jordan is they could raise the level of play of everybody 
around them.

"'He had a special talent.  I say Michael is the greatest to play in the air 
and larry is the greatest to play on the ground.'"

Johnson is saddened that he won't be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the
same 
time as Bird: "'Of course, I think it's a sadness for both of us... I pray
that 
I'm able to go and see that special moment of him going into the Hall of Fame.
We support each other.  It's a special relationship.'"
WC