I don't know how many of you are guilty of the same misconception, but it is only recently, with the clear vision afforded me by hindsight, that I have really begun to appreciate how special Magic Johnson was. During his career, I always had a vague impression of him being overrated, the product of great supporting players, lesser in individual value than (the hated) Larry Bird, more flash than substance... I took for granted the Showtime fastbreak, the (seemingly) unnecessary no-look passes, the clutch baby-hooks...I did acknowledge that he was a physical annomaly, a 6-9 point guard who could lead a team, or bang with the big boys when needed...but I saw that as merely a sign of things to come...I anticipated that by now there would be several 6-9 or above pg's, as ( I thought) the game was growing in leaps and bounds, the players with it, and the skill players most of all...Magic Johnson ( I reasoned) was just the advent of a coming trend, the 1st crest of a wave of bigger, more athletic players whose dominance was attributable mostly to his being the 1st... And I was wrong, on almost all counts. While Johnson's passes may have occassionally been flashy, the fact is they got there, which is more than you can say for most pg's today. He lead the break with skill and precision, and if the flash took anything away from the performance, you sure couldn't tell it by today's standards. When I watch old games now, it isn't Magic's flair that I notice, it's how often he put his teammates in a position to score easily, however glitzy the delivery...and it's something to behold. In terms of his teammates, I think I had a point, but I recently saw an interesting comment about Johnson by Pat Riley...he pointed out that, throughout his career, Johnson was always challenged as top man...1st it was Magic's Lakers vs. Dr. J's Sixers...then vs. Larry's Celts...then vs. Isiah's Pistons...then vs. Michael's Bulls...but the one constant was Magic...Kareem tailed off, Worthy got older, Scott came on...etc..but there was always Magic, and he always delivered...Pretty impressive. So, this is a bit of a confession...I took this guy for granted for years, and it's only upon further review that I realize that he was incredible...possibly the most physically distinct player ever, and time has shown that we have yet to produce even 1 reasonable facsimile, let alone the many I envisioned. I still hate the Lakers, and will never bring myself to LIKE Magic Johnson, but ohhh baby, do I have respect for him now.
What took you so long? If you're not impressed enough yet, have you ever watched Game 6 of the Finals back in 1980 (?) vs. the 76'ers? Kareem out with an injury, so who moves to center in his place? Why your point guard of course... ... Magic Johnson. Oh and he did alright... scored something like 40 points, had about 15 rebs, and dished out something like 7 or 8 assists. He was the only player I know that could dominate at EVERY position on the court. What's sick is that we never saw his full offensive potential. I think the guy could've averaged 30 a game if he wanted. Sorry for babbling. I started watching basektball the year he and Larry Bird came into the league and I can think of only one player I thought was better and that would be Jordan... ... but by a very very very very close margin.
