When the Game Was Ours - Larry Bird [97]
Ten minutes later, after most of the crowd had dispersed, a nondescript white van pulled out of the hotel with the legendary band of brothers and a future Hall of Fame basketball star inside.
Had Riley been aware that Magic was touring with Motown stars, he most certainly would have objected. Jerry Buss, meanwhile, thought Johnson's travels with the Jackson Five was a terrific opportunity.
"Nobody balanced loving the game and loving life better than Earvin," said Jerry Buss.
It was a juggling act his coach could not understand. Riley was not capable of doing anything in season except immersing himself in the Lakers. He often lectured Magic that there were two states of mind in competition: winning and misery.
Misery, it seemed, was always lurking. Even though the Lakers broke out of the 1985–86 season with a 27–3 mark, there were subtle warning signs that their team structure needed tweaking. Abdul-Jabbar was still the focal point of the Lakers, yet Magic could see evidence of fatigue, particularly after long road trips or back-to-back games. Kareem—finally—was showing his age.
The addition of Walton enabled the Celtics to tag-team Abdul-Jabbar with both Parish and the big redhead. It also afforded them the opportunity to play both big men side by side, a lineup that coach K. C. Jones implemented on occasion.
Boston breezed to the Finals, but not before the emerging Jordan provided them with a glimpse of the NBA's future in the first round. "His Airness" was spectacular in defeat, dropping 63 points on the Celtics in Game 2 of a three-game sweep. His otherworldly performance prompted Bird to remark, "That was God disguised as Michael Jordan."
Knowing he had witnessed the next marquee star, Bird felt even more urgency to seize another title while the Celtics were young and healthy. Jordan didn't yet have the complementary pieces he needed to contend for a championship, but it was clear to Bird that it was only a matter of time before he would.
"Early on, people were saying Michael didn't have a team mentality," Bird said. "That was because he didn't have a team."
Magic and Bird weren't the only ones checking each other's box scores in the eighties. Young Jordan took note every time Johnson recorded another triple-double or Bird submitted another 16-rebound effort. The two superstars became his standard of measurement.
"They had what I wanted—the respect of the entire league," Jordan explained.
The anticipated LA-Boston Final in the spring of 1986 did not materialize. LA was derailed by a Houston Rockets team that featured twin towers Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, the object of Auerbach's desire five years earlier. It was Sampson who drove the final stake through LA when he nailed a 12-foot, blind, turnaround corkscrew jumper at the buzzer to eliminate Los Angeles in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
Again, Bird felt cheated. His 1986 team was one for the ages, and he was certain they could have beaten LA.
"I would have rather played the Lakers," Bird said. "I would have rather played the best."
The Rockets proved to be a suitable consolation prize. The series held extra meaning for Bird because he would be playing against his former coach and mentor, Bill Fitch, whom he still revered. It was paramount for him to perform admirably in front of his first NBA coach.
Very quickly, Ralph Sampson became the lightning rod of the series. The 7-foot-4 forward shot 1 of 13 from the floor in Game 1 and appeared to be genuinely spooked by Boston's formidable front line. No wonder. Bird, Parish, and McHale combined for 65 points in the Celtics win.
Coming into the Finals, national pundits were trumpeting Houston forward Rodney McCray as a potential Bird stopper, similar to how Robert Reid was portrayed three years earlier. Bird, who never felt anyone except Cooper had successfully stymied him, took offense and torched McCray by scorching him for 31 points on 12197 of-19 shooting in Game 2. It wasn't until Game 3 that Sampson