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Magic Johnson Disapproves of Lebron’s Decision; Shows Himself to be Out of Touch Too
Magic Johnson didn’t want to be outdone by Michael Jordan on the court – nor off. Following Jordan’s lead, he too decided to rip Lebron’s move to Miami. He stated that he would never have partnered with rivals to try and win a championship.
“We didn’t think about it cause that’s not what we were about…From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.” Johnson stated. Really? That’s it? Just trying to beat Larry Bird? Well, that would explain why he may not have had as hard of a time walking away from basketball when Bird retired in 1992. Of course, Magic had contracted HIV and that was a more serious reason to retire but maybe it made it easier for him because Bird retired.
The problem is, is Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh rivals to Lebron James? One never gets that feeling. Magic and Bird squared off against one another in the 1979 NCAA Finals. In fact, Magic’s Michigan State team beat Bird’s Indiana State team for the championship. Forward it to their NBA years and both players appeared on rival NBA teams the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics. So, there was a rivalry in place that went back to college and one, in fact, that favored Magic as his Lakers won more championships than Bird’s Celtics.
Look, we already talked about this old-school-horn-blowing. Michael Jordan showed that he doesn’t understand it and of course, is overlooking the help he had with his championships. Magic Johnson may have been trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird, but he didn’t do it alone. We already showed he has three hall of famers on his teams – as did Bird.
So, what can we take from yet another outburst by some old has-been? They are competitive guys and are sipping too heavily from the kool-aid they brewed themselves. Sure, they are all great players but they played on great teams, too. Palm Beach Post writer Chris Perkins (following our lead here at MiamiHeatwave.com?) outlined this very principle going year by year with each championship team. If you look, the teams that have won it all and have consistently won (forming dynasties) have always had a core of at least 2-3 hall of famers.
Magic, you can see your Laker teams there as well as Bird’s. Oh, and Michael’s too. Thanks for making the point for us.
Again, Lebron if you are reading this, the hell with the old guys. I won’t even give Barkley a voice here (even though he is one of my favorite players) because he never won a title. This shows that for James winning is more important than winning on your own. It seems to me it takes a lot to look in the mirror and admit, if I want to win I have got to pay the ultimate price – I have to sacrifice my ego and admit I need help. James gets to do that and do it his way with friends Wade and Bosh. Hate on it all you want, but this team is a dynasty in the making and could be the best of them all.
Jordan Rules: There is a Reason it’s Old School
Michael Jordan was casually asked what he thought about Lebron James’ move to Miami, and he politically, questioned Lebron James’ competitiveness.
“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team. But … things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”
Let’s really break that down. When Jordan entered the league in the ‘84-’85 season, he was 21 years old. Magic? Already had been in the league for 5 years and was 25 years of age. Larry Bird? 28 years of age and in the league for 5 years, too.
Now, what about championships? Well, Bird won in 1981, 1984, and 1986 with his Celtics while Magic won in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Jordan of course won in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Now, remember, Jordan said, “In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.” That was in reference to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
So, did Jordan really beat “those guys”?
Shockingly, the answer is no, not even close.
Larry Bird retired after the 1992 season. He was 36 years old and still had some game left, but retired mostly because he was physically broken down. Magic Johnson retired in 1991 because he announced he had contracted the HIV virus and needed to look into his health at age 32. He inspired many to do the same and take HIV more seriously. He did come back for the 1995-1996 season for one last season helping his Lakers get to the playoffs at age 37.
Jordan won his titles after the Larry Bird era and after the Magic Johnson era. Sure, he won one in 1991, but Larry Bird was already 36 and on his way out of the game at that time and Magic, although a bit younger than Bird and clearly with more game still left, was forced out of the game arguably in his prime.
The Houston Rockets, lead by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 titles. Most critics say it was only because Jordan had retired at that time to get away from the game. Yet those same critics don’t cite the fact that Bird was retired and Magic was forced out with the HIV virus. It would have been great to see how those Olajuwon-lead Rocket teams would fare against the Jordan-lead Bulls teams.
Still, all of this fantasy hindsight is overlooking one critical thing – those teams didn’t win championships because of Bird, Magic, or Jordan alone. They were very, very good teams.
Quick – why do Celtic fans refer to the current team as being based on the Big Three? Well, that is because they had their original big three in the 80’s when they were winning titles and fighting with the Lakers every season to do battle for the hardware. They had Bird and Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish (and an excellent bench that saw the likes of Bill Walton riding pine and Danny Ainge playing a key role). The Lakers? Sure, they had Magic, but they also had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabaar.
Now Jordan would like you to think it was because of he alone they won those 6 titles, but anyone who is observant of history will point out that he had lots of help. Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant formed those early championship cores then later it was Pippen again with Dennis Rodman – a guy, mind you Jordan, that came over from those Piston teams you couldn’t beat.
So no, Jordan couldn’t beat a Bird-lead team because they were in the league in overlapping eras. Jordan never got the chance to go up against a Magic-lead team during his championship run because Magic was retired. And we all know about the Jordan rules the Pistons had implemented to stop him. The Pistons, of course, won titles and prevented Jordan from doing so.
What to make of Jordan’s comment about Lebron? Well, like Jordan admitted, things are different now. And he doesn’t think it is necessarily a bad thing – nor could he. He played in a different era and it can be argued that today’s NBA athletes are much better on the average than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Jordan today would not be any more athletic than most NBA players out there, certainly not more so than Wade or James. Jordan won his titles during a time in which the road to the Finals in the East was also arguably much easier – the Pistons were getting older and the Celtics were down, the Knicks couldn’t find a way to build around Patrick Ewing (until Pat Riley came in there, only to bolt for Miami a few years later).
Lebron, if you’re reading this pay no heed to Jordan’s comments. He is simply basking in the glory of his legacy, he can say what he wants because he won 6 titles. The perception is that he won them and not, say, Luc Longley or Tony Kukoc or Ron Harper. The fact is, if you win, none of this matters. It is all speculative at best and can be perceived as chest thumping and even Jordan (and Barkley, too) being old blow hards. (In fact, Wilt Chamberlain made derogatory comments about Jordan’s playing days saying in his day they didn’t have cameras recording their feats. So, it continues with every generation.) Which, they are. And how could you not expect them to be? They are competitive guys who will never relinquish a “you’re right” to anyone and certainly will not even entertain the notion that they just might be average NBA’ers in this current NBA world. So, let them have their fun but make sure you get the last life – hoisting trophies over your head at the end of each season.
Jordan, just like the rest of the media, doesn’t understand what is taking place here in Miami. That isn’t because I live here or because I am a Heat fan but if this took place in Chicago, or Cleveland, or New York, we on the outside would be “hating” this, of course! But we would still have to wrestle with the fact that all three players are doing this because the opportunity was there and they have a chance to win – and win big for the next 6 years. Jordan could never beat Bird or Magic because the cards never lined up. That doesn’t diminish Jordan’s accomplishments and it shouldn’t diminish what RUN DLC (Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris) do here in Miami. If Riley had traded for these players, would they have the same attitude?
Miami’s Changing: How the Heat Grabbed the Target Overnight
A lot of things have changed this past week in Miami. It is now the epicenter of the professional basketball world – something that hasn’t happened since the Shaq trade in 2004 and the subsequent championship in 2006. It isn’t just all the pundits doubting Miami’s immediate success citing the dubious nature of the roster, but everyone around the league has taken notice. Battlelines have been drawn. Armies are being created to aim for the new kingpins – and it isn’t the Lakers that are being focused upon.
(Thanks Winemiller for this amazing video! Check out his YouTube channel.)
Take a look at what Kevin Durant said via Twitter:
“Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!”
There was something that Dwyane Wade said a week ago at their press conference that should ring true to all basketball and NBA fans – this Heat team is expecting the challenge. They want it. They don’t want to have the rest of the teams lay down and hand them the trophy. They want to earn it. And they are committed to getting it.
So, Kevin Durant’s reaction, seemingly idle for the casual or (let’s be honest) bandwagon fan, is a true litmus test of the thinking going on in the NBA league wide. Execs feared this scenario, but didn’t truly expect it to happen. Now that it has, things have dramatically changed. Rod Thorn admitted that he would not be retiring if the Nets had landed Lebron James, for example.
Miami is changing. Changing the game, changing the league, changing its franchise. The Heat thought that they had reached the pinnacle when the acquired Shaq and paired him up with Wade on their way to a championship. This situation with Lebron James and Chris Bosh coming to town is very different. The stakes are raised. The expectations are not just one championship, but several. The challenge is immense, the pressure will be, too. But where will the pressure come? The players in that Heat locker room are serious about winning and have the mental fortitude to go about achieving their mission. The media? They will crawl behind doubting everything but will jump on board once this team gets it done. All of this has happened within the span of a week. One week ago, the Heat had a great offseason in keeping Wade and adding Bosh. Then James made his Decision, and all of a sudden a loud thud sounded within the minds of everyone watching Lebron’s interview. He was going to South Beach.
And so would the rest of the NBA universe.
Shameless Promotion: RUN DLC New Moniker for Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris
Ok, so I have been thinking of nicknames for the newly christened “Three kings” of Miami. I liked the Triumvirate, being a teacher myself and teaching Latin along with Roman history. I can tell you that the first triumvirate didn’t end well, and destroyed the Republic of Rome and sparked what would become an empire. The second triumvirate wasn’t really much of a triumvirate and it ended in civil war. Marc Antony died alongside his most famous mistress, Cleopatra. Of course, this lead to the rise of Octavianus from his adopted father Julius Caesar’s shadow to become Augustus, the first emperor of Rome (and arguably its greatest).
Let’s hope this latest trifecta, ahem, triumvirate, doesn’t prove to be as dramatic. Well, at least not in a negative way. So, to kind of push things in a different direction, I am going to call these three RUN DLC. An homage to hip-hop legends RUN DMC, of course, and inspired by Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris – if we can go on a first name basis.
This, obviously, isn’t the first time that a basketball nickname referenced the legendary hip hop threesome. Back in the early 90’s, Tim Hardaway (Heat great), Mitch Richmond (South Florida resident), and Chris Mullin formed an exciting offense known as RUN TMC. Although those three were extremely fun to watch and talented, they never quite were able to win the ultimate prize – a championship. Hardaway’s knees had something to do with that, but off he went to Miami via a trade and the rest is Heat History.
So, to bring all of this together and have all these interesting references is an interesting way to watch this team build itself into a dynasty. We will be watching for the next 6 years at least as the trio builds on that special bond they have and the desire and focus to win championships. So, run on, Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris. RUN DLC. We are right there with you.
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It’s On: Surreal Night is About Family, the Process, and Winning
There are a lot of skeptics out there. They are piling up almost as fast as the bandwagon is taking on riders. In a spectacle that was about promoting the newly christened “three kings” of Miami, where lots of hardware was piled on before a basketball has even been dribbled, the hype built into a legitimate interview with great insight.
“It’s on”, was the response Lebron James said in regards to the questioning of his competitiveness by coaches, execs, and doubters in the press. There was a lot of talk about the Heat being a first class organization with a dedication to the culture of family. There was talk about going through the process and eventually leading to winning.
The brand of basketball that this team will play will be a show, to say the least. It was a surreal night seeing Lebron James and Chris Bosh in Heat uniforms, prancing around like kids on stage next to Dwyane Wade. One feels like there is a burden on James shoulders in particular and also that the season couldn’t come quick enough. He mentioned how he loved the game and would play for free still and his openness and candor seemed very genuine.
It seems like the player with the most potential growth here will actually be Lebron James. Listening to him speak, you can understand that he is a focused and intense player who is not just gifted to play the game, but keeps it in perspective and studies the game. You’ve got to wonder about the press conference, too. It is clear that the South Florida media is not ready for this kind of glitz and hype. They are still in shock – as they should be. If this was the New York media, there would have been a lot of dirt piled up here most likely to sift through, but because this is the hometown team the players are greeted and smiling. As it should be.
This team is not about money, or hype. These three players geniunely want to play with one another and are in shock themselves that this was pulled off. If you believe Erik Spoelstra, then Pat Riley had this vision in place for years and they have been exploring it and day dreaming about it for some time. And you should believe Erik Spoelstra because that is Riley’s trademark, think big.
Imagine Riley’s plight – he assembles arguably the greatest talent in one offseason ever and won’t be able to take over on the bench. It just wouldn’t work out well this time like it did with Stan Van Gundy. Riley would be vilified and ever bad thing about this team would be accepted as true. But Spoelstra is the right man for the job – he is a talented coach that can find ways to innovate and maximize the new trio’s play.
So the questioned churned, politely and the mega-stars smiled and had their say. Lebron showed himself not to be an ego maniac bent on selling himself and promoting his “brand” but instead sold himself as a humble teammate that is now playing with friends who just want to win championships. The goal is, indeed, to form a dynasty. You have to wonder how the three were feeling when they went up to the stage tonight. They had a frenzied audience in the wings while they wondered down championship hall from the locker room. They must have been talking about where their pictures would be mounted and what kinds of visions they would create.
The image they formed tonight was one of three friends coming together and willing to sacrifice in order to win. Sure, we can talk about how “real” their sacrifice is when they may be snipping off a million dollars against 15 more, but that is not the point. These three players are willing to take a hit on their stats, on their individual accomplishments for the sake of creating a dominant team. They are doing it for the Miami Heat organization, for the city. Most likely, and forever, they will all be mentioned together instead of individually.
So the process begins now. The hype will disperse like the dry ice used in tonight’s extravaganza. Soon, the ball will hit the court, there will be wind sprints, there will be weights lifted, there will be sore joints and bruises, and there will be sweat. But along with all of this will be smiles – that all of this is well worth it. Watching tonight and the nearly incomprehensible nature of this event, being a Heat fan since 1988, you have got the feeling that this is something historical. Something epic. Folks, you will truly never see anything like this in sports ever again. Not like the Wimbeldon match that lasted for 2 days plus. Not like no hitters in baseball. No, this is something different. This is a game changer, a paradigm shift. This is about great players upping the ante not by demanding more money, private lear jets, etc. (all of which they will get to be sure) but instead putting the message out there that all they want to do is win. And not just do it once and not just do it alone. They want to be a part of something greater. They want to be a part of a team.
And we have the privilege to be witnesses. All we have to do is watch.
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