Oct
12
A Day That Changed the NBA Forever
Twenty eight years ago today, the two players who would save basketball and issue in the greatest era in NBA history played in their first professional game. Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson each made their professional debuts on October 12, 1979.
In a precursor of things to come for the city of Houston, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics would beat the Rockets in the Hick from French Lick’s debut. The Celtics would knock off the Rockets in six games in both the 1981 NBA Finals and the 1986 NBA Finals.
Boston guard Chris Ford would hit the first three-point field goal in NBA history during the Celtics 114-106 victory in the 1979 season opener for both teams. Amazingly, Ford’s three came with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter. One assumes that the players weren’t too interested in shooting the three at that point as opposed to the three-happy league that is the NBA today.
As for Johnson, his debut would especially be memorable. The Lakers would beat the San Diego Clippers 103-102 on a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky-hook at the buzzer. Johnson would go crazy after the game-winning shot and jump all over the subdued Jabbar, who would later tell him to relax and that the Lakers had 81 games remaining in the season.
Johnson would quickly get the point and help lead the Lakers to the 1980 NBA Finals. With Jabbar out for Game Six of that series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson would start at center and control every facet of the game, scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing seven assists and notching three steals. Magic would be named the MVP of the 1980 NBA Finals; yet most of the country would not even see the game as it was aired on a tape delay!
Bird’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers would meet three times in the NBA Finals during their careers and carry on one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. Boston would prevail in seven games in the 1984 NBA Finals while the Lakers would get revenge on the parquet floor of the old Boston Garden in a series clinching Game Six victory of the 1985 NBA Finals. Magic would bury the Celtics in Game Four of the 1987 NBA Finals with his own game-winning sky hook, and the Lakers would win the series in six games.
Oh, the good old days of the NBA.
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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Twenty eight years ago today, the two players who would save basketball and issue in the greatest era in NBA history played in their first professional game. Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson each made their professional debuts on October 12, 1979.
