Let's Hope Magic is Right

[Amy Beauregard <amyeb88@yahoo.com>]

Read this and then look at the last paragraph. I hope
he knows something the rest of us don't:

"Magic and Bird foes again in NBA Finals 

          By KEN PETERS
          AP Sports Writer 
          June 5, 2000 

          LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Magic vs. Bird, again. 

          ``One more time,'' Los Angeles Lakers vice
president Magic Johnson said, relishing the reunion
coming up with former Boston Celtics great Larry Bird,
now the coach of the Indiana Pacers.``It'll be
great,'' Johnson said. ``I knew it was going to
happen, at     checkers or softball or something. I
didn't know it was going to be at basketball, but it's
one more time, head-to-head, us against each other.''
Bird said he doesn't see Johnson often, because ``He's
doing his    thing and I'm doing mine.'' 

``I've always been down on the Lakers,'' Bird said
Monday after the Pacers worked out in Indiana before
traveling to Los Angeles for Wednesday's Game 1 of the
NBA Finals. ``But I've always had the utmost respect
for the guy, and he's the best player I played
against.
We've had some good battles. It's been a lot of fun.''


Of course, Johnson won't be wearing the Lakers' purple
and gold and making no-look passes and tossing up
junior sky hooks, and Bird won't be clad in Celtics
green and popping in his feathery jumpers from all
over the court. But Johnson still relishes the renewed
competition between the two, which began when he led
Michigan State to the 1979 NCAA title with a victory
over Bird and Indiana State in the championship game. 
The Magic-Bird rivalry flourished in the NBA during
the 1980s, as they provided many memorable moments and
helped revive interest in the league. Bird and Boston
beat the Lakers in the 1984 championship series, and
Johnson led the Lakers to wins over the Celtics in the
1985 and 1987 Finals. Speaking with several reporters
Sunday near the Lakers' locker room in Staples Center,
Johnson preceded many of his remarks with an ``If we
make it.'' He spoke about an hour before Los Angeles
played Portland in Game 7 of the Western Conference
finals, but seemed confident the Lakers would win and
advance. The Lakers had to rally from a 15-point
fourth-quarter deficit for an 89-84 victory. 

While Johnson and Bird were taping a TV special, the
two talked about the possibility they would compete
again in some fashion, and Johnson said: ``We thought
that something was going to happen where we're going
to be against each other again. We laughed about it,
but here it is.'' Johnson seemed proud that Bird, who
drew some skepticism when he became the Pacers coach,
was
able to lead them to the Finals. ``Some guys said,
`Can he lead this team to a championship?' Well, he's
done it,'' Johnson said. ``He's proved a lot of people
wrong, and he's ready to try prove them wrong one more
time.'' Bird apparently would prefer he and Johnson
were rival coaches in the Finals. ``Somebody told me
Magic's been yapping again,'' Bird said. ``But what I
say is, let him take Phil (Jackson)'s place for about
two weeks and we'll see what happens.'' Johnson had a
brief and largely unsuccessful fling at coaching the
Lakers late in the 1993-94 season, going 5-11 during
his stint. Win or lose in the Finals, Bird apparently
intends to stick to his plan and make this, his third
year of coaching the Pacers, his last. ``It's the
right move. Larry's smart. This is his shot,'' Johnson
said. ``Everybody (on the Pacers) is getting old now.
Why wouldn't he walk away? ``They're going to have a
lot of free agents and unless they sign a lot of
people, it's going to be tough. He's right -- three,
maybe four to five years, that's about right for a
coach. 


He will be back in basketball; mark my words,'' the
Lakers' executive said. "

          

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