The first turning point in Magic Johnson 's NBA career occurred in 1984 when the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games of the NBA Finals. It was when the infamous moniker "Tragic Johnson" was born due to his miscues against his rival Larry Bird, who ended up winning the Finals MVP award. It was also the first time someone other than Johnson was being labeled as the NBA's best player.
" I had to get him back," Johnson famously said . "And also, you know, he was getting all that incredible publicity. And it always tore me up (to hear), 'Hey, Larry's so much better than Magic.' That just ate at me to hear people say that. "
How losing to Bird in 1984 shaped Magic's career
Johnson, who averaged 18.0 points, 13.6 assists, and 2.0 steals in seven games, admitted that he didn't take the loss to Larry and the Celtics lightly. For one, these two were already compared to each other as early as college, so they already had history. Second, Bird happened to win the Rookie of the Year award during their first year in the league, which Magic mentioned he's not happy about until today.
So, during the lead-up to the 1984 Finals, the narrative was about who would win between Johnson and Bird as they met for the first time on the biggest stage of basketball. Losing to Larry was not only embarrassing for the five-time champion but one that made him question how good he really is.
" What happened to us made me understand that I wasn't as good as I thought I was," Johnson said. "I had to improve. And I had to, also, mentally be stronger. And so, that was a great basketball lesson, probably the biggest lesson that I've ever learned in my life playing basketball. And it put me on a pathway to becoming better and becoming an MVP, because after that, I just took off from there."
Johnson mentioned that summer, after losing to the Celtics in seven games, caused him to hide away from most people he knew. After a couple of days of locking himself in his room, the point guard spent most of the offseason doing cardio in the morning, specifically running track and then playing basketball at night.
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The revenge year
After a quiet summer filled with early mornings and late nights, Johnson responded by improving his regular season numbers to 18.3 points a game, 12.6 assists in 57.7% shooting from the field. The best part was that Larry and Magic ended up seeing each other again in the Finals, and this time, it was Earvin who took home the trophy in six games.
Beating Bird in 1985 was what Johnson considers the proudest moment of his career — even better than his other four titles and three MVPS.
"We were able to finally get the monkey off not just our backs, but every Laker team's back that played the Celtics in the Finals," he said. "So yeah, it was the greatest feeling that I've ever had."
Sometimes, all it takes is one misfortune to either break or make a player. In Johnson's case, losing to Bird in 1984 made him not just a better complete player but also a legend in his own right.
Related: "Defeating that blonde hair guy" - Magic Johnson admits he still reflects on his college rivalry with Larry Bird
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