Magic Johnson And Larry Birds Rivalry Analysis

When the game was ours was written by Jackie MacMullan and the book was based off of the fierce rivalry of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in there many face-offs for basketball glory. “When you think you have done enough, do a little more, because someone out there is working harder than you.” Jackie Macmullan really does a fantastic job telling the story on what it was like when the game was theirs.
Magic Johnson and Larry Birds rivalry was unmatched, even to this day there hasn’t been a rivalry between 2 players of this magnitude. The rivalry between basketball legends Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird first garnered national attention during the 1979 NCAA National Championship. Johnson led Michigan State to victory, defeating Bird and Indiana State in the highest rated college basketball game of all …show more content…
They were constantly compared to each other, and their success and failures were always measured against each other. Many sports broadcasters saw key similarities in their playing styles, which pushed both of them to fight harder to improve their own game and come out on top. The sports headlines about the pair practically wrote themselves: flashy Magic against country-boy Larry. Their rivalry was the biggest story in basketball, culminating in a Converse commercial shot in 1986. In the commercial, Larry Bird, known as the "Hick from French Lick," plays basketball at his country home while Magic Johnson pulls up in a limo and challenges him to a game. To further cement their rivalry, Converse released a line of shoes featuring the "Bird shoe" and the "Magic shoe." While shooting the Converse commercial, their rivalry turned friendly. They started hoping for the other's success so that each could measure himself against the other and continue to improve as a player. The early 1990s brought challenges for both Magic and Larry. Larry Bird