Magic ON Larry!

["Shawn Roth" <ufpdev!shawnr@uunet.uu.net>]

This off the AP wire today.

Shawn

MAGIC REMINISCES ABOUT RIVALRY WITH LARRY BIRD
(AP) - Magic Johnson relished the competition with Larry Bird when they were
playing with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. "He got me so up
to play," Johnson told the crowd at Oklahoma State. "It's not like today,
when you know the Bulls are going to win. What I miss are the playoffs. I
miss Michael Jordan. I miss Larry Bird. If I could play them for 82 games a
season, I'd still be out there." Johnson said he was bothered that he
couldn't be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame with Bird, who coaches
the Indiana Pacers. Bird was inducted last weekend. Because of Johnson's
comeback two years after his initial retirement, he is not eligible for
induction for another two years. "Larry is something special. I'll never
forget those battles-the trash-talking. That man is one of those guys who
actually scared me to death. He could beat you at any time and in so many
ways. It was scary."