Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the gold standard in the NBA during the 1980s. They were college adversaries who brought their competition to the big league and turned it into the rivalry that became the theme of the decade.
Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics won eight out of the ten championships during the '80s, including three where they faced each other. They also combined to win half of the Finals MVP awards during that decade.
Back then, if someone wanted to start a franchise, there would be no better two players to do it with than Johnson and Bird. Picking between Magic and Bird is just like their Converse shoe advertisement—" Choose your weapon " because each brought a different skill set to the game.
For 11-time NBA champion head coach Phil Jackson , though, Larry Legend is better than the Magic Man.
"Magic had a post-up game," said Jackson when asked who was better between the two. "Larry had a good post-up game too. But Larry was an outside step-back shooter. He had a great shot, you know. And I think I'll probably go with Larry. He's probably the better one."
Bird was the better shooter
Comparing Magic and Bird individually isn't easy because both played different positions. Magic was a point guard, while Larry was a small forward. As a point guard, Magic was the better passer than Larry, but Bird was the supreme rebounder between the two. Both averaged double-double in their careers, with Magic doing it with points and assists while Larry did it via points and rebounds.
Offensively, Bird averaged 24.3 PPG for his career while Magic put up 19.5 PPG, but Larry took 6.1 shots per game at 19.3 to 13.2. Johnson was slightly more efficient at 52.0% to 49.6% from the field, but Larry was a little better from the foul line at 88.6% to 84.8%. Bird also made 37.6% of his three-point attempts, while Magic was a mere 30.3% career three-point shooter.
By looking at the numbers, you can say that assists were Magic's biggest edge over Larry while rebounding was Bird's upper hand. But as Phil reasoned, Bird also had a great outside shot and he ended up making twice as many three-pointers as Magic did, with a better accuracy.
Larry conceded Magic was better because of his accolades
But while Larry trumps Magic in many individual statistical categories, Johnson beat Bird in championships won at 5 versus 3. Johnson also won their career head-to-head matchups at 11-7 in the regular season and 11-8 in the playoffs. Because of more success, Bird always considered Magic better than him .
"Actually, I've always said that I go by success, and he's won more championships, so I give him the nod," Bird said on "Late Night with David Letterman" in 2012.
In the same interview, however, Magic acknowledged that Larry could do more, mainly because he could shoot the three-ball better. Johnson's statement supports Phil's reasoning for picking Larry over Magic. But while everyone has an opinion on who is better, you could argue that one can't go wrong whichever way he picks between the two.
Related: "It's sickening" - Larry Bird accused Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas of softening the NBA by 'hugging and kissing'
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