And finally, if not for Magic and Bird there would be no modern NBA. Their rivalry revived a sport that was literally on life support. They didn't even bother to televise NBA games live (including playoffs). It was tape delayed and replayed at obscure times. That alone makes them relevant in any era because they saved the sport.
ARE YOU INSANE KID😮, MAGIC WOULD DESTROYYYYY TODAYS GAME JUST UP AT THE HIGH POST ALONE! 😊AND MAGIC SHOT BETTER THAN YOU THINK, 9 FINALS IN 12 YEARS, GODDDD! I 'LL STOP CAUSE YOUR YOUNG AND DON'T KNOW MUCH!😊
i dont know much but i know enough and ive seen enough you and me know that he wasnt that great of a shooter compared to todays game,he is literally going to be a more valuable ben simmons,and thats not a diss at all,because i have him top 5 in my goat list and number 1 on my goat point guard list
Magic didn't score as much as he could have because his job as point guard was to get the ball to the scorers. In that finals in his rookie season he started as CENTER and played all five spots in the game scored over 40 points, I think.
The biggest part of Magic's game was making everyone else better.....and that would still work, today! Magic was not a great 1 on 1 defender, although he had his moments when he had to....but he was a very good "team defender". Norm Nixon is who you're thinking of.....and he was traded to the Clippers for the rights to Byron Scott. Other players on that team, in the first part of the eighties, were Jamaal Wilks, Bob Macadoo....and for a few more years, Kurt Rambis...... If it goes in, it's not a "terrible shot", haha!
@@itzkhiiii We’ll never know…different eras….but since Magic had a high basketball IQ and an intangible/immeasurable level of desire to win, he would have made adjustments to his game in the modern era…that’s why he would succeed! To the level of greatness that he had? Again…we’ll never know!
i can respect that answer,i don’t know man like thats beauty of these conversations when we compare eras,you will never know the answer to it,would jordan average 50 in todays era? we wont know,would lebron average 50 in the 80s? we can have a strong argument about that but we would never really know the answer to that question
well then you can use the logic in a lot of point guards,kyrie,Isaiah thomas(celtics)kemba walker,James harden these are scores first when they were in there prime
6:20 when you say as a rookie you can't forget he did it out of his main position on the court too hard to find a center to fill Kareems shoes and he pulled it off what a great savant he was
Technically speaking while he was LABELED center, he still played like his normal self. It’s not like he was out there trynna play like Kareem. He was still playing pg.
Magic became a good shooter midway in his career. You shouldn't say this if you haven't seen him play live. Secondly,This Era do not play defense anyway. Magic was a skilled big man who happened to play PG.
U forget that there’s still a bunch of guys left like Rubio, rondo, Ben Simmons, etc who are in the league today that can’t really shoot at all. Magic was atleast serviceable as a shooter. Especially when he was in his prime in the late 80s to early 90s. Not To mention his ability to slash, and his post game his issue would be his defense because he wasn’t super quick laterally nor was he a guy who jumped very high, but just like any of these pgs that don’t defend today like trae young and lamelo ball, magic would be fine. He would have to change his game slightly but not much.
none of those guys are or were on magic’s level,not even close.i get where your coming from but i just cant see magic being as dominant and winning as much as he did back then now
I do not follow sports much anymore, so I looked up Fg% for Stephan Curry 47.5 and Magic Johnson 52 %. It is all about getting the ball into the hoop. One thing that I think most of you younger guys do not realize is , there was no such thing as a 3point line the whole time Magic or any of us were learning the game. Best shooter of all time, Pistol Pete Maravich.
what you just said was not true at all,the three point shot got introduced into the nba 1979,magic got drafted in 79.His career 3pt percentage is 30% magic had ample time to practice and get used to the 3 pt shot, I think one thing older people don’t realize is that 3s are more than 2s and when steph realized that he perfected it and LITERALLY changed basketball as a whole,now we have a lot of guys who shouldn’t be shooting threes,shooting threes, yes maybe the 3pt line was not that important back then but it was definitely there and there are players back then who either lived and died by the 3pt line or used it as a weapon (bird,reggie miller,toni kukoc,steve kerr,john paxton,charles oakley,etc)you are right tho it is all about getting the ball in the hoop and i think the only reason why magic has a higher field goal percentage is simply because of his size and his ability to get to the rim and score inside the 3pt easier than steph.Just like how jordans field goal is 49% while lebrons is 50%
@@itzkhiiii I have a question. If they eliminated the three point line Steph Curry should be able to adjust and maintain his stats. I have always been partial to the running game. We don't have players train from when they are kids to adjust to different rules when they get older. Yes Magic has bigger hands, so what. Every NBA player has great talent.I believe Michael Jordan has is able to palm the ball. Magic can not or barely maybe, so what. The rules are supposed to be the same for everyone and size can matter and usually does. This is why Steph Curry is about as short as you can get away with. You should also keep in to consideration that the NBA sanctions traveling by letting players take 3 steps and most of the cross-over dribbling is traveling. To me popping off three pointers is a little closer to devolution. It is certainly less interesting to watch. It reminds me a little, just a little bit of watching the wnba where they are just popping shots off. Of course NBA players are way more proficient. The players of today are incredibly talented. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I have immense respect for todays players. Thanks for being respectful.
yea no problem,and i do agree to the fact that the nba in a sense of the viewers standpoint could be uninteresting because of the 3point shot really popping off in recent times,but thats the way to score more points,during the cavs vs warriors finals series for example,if the cavs won more against that team the nba would not be how it is today at all, defense might of been more emphasized and players would still take mid range shots and driving to the hole as apposed to going to the three point line,in regards to steph, he has always been a great shooter,and always been labeled as a skinny light skinned kid than can shoot its just in the past 9 years he has gotten bigger stronger and perfected the 3 and is a threat LITERALLY EVERYWHERE including past HALF COURT i mean no disrespect to larry bird at all because i have him higher all time than steph but larry bird is not getting picked up 94 feet for him being such a great shooter.Also both have incredible off ball capabilities but i gotta give the edge to curry because he is moving LITERALLY ALL THE TIME,Mathew Dellavedova literally ALMOST DIED trying to guard him,on ball off ball it didn’t matter,he slowed him down but it didn’t do much at all because they still won the championship
young buck I watched. the games they went heads up and MAGIC BEAT BIRD 2-1 can say Larry is better but MAGIC got 5 to BIRDS 3 math good brotha..if he was so much better he woulda won more bro..Magic went to 8 finals in the 80s bro he only lost 3 times
Thats not the case brotha,as far as individual talent,he is better,but it takes more than individual talent to win games,you should know that since you watch basketball i assume,you cant fault a player simply because of the team he is around and there situation that they are in,you just play your best and do what you can to win,bird just didnt do that to an extent of magic but that dosent mean he is better for that alone on a individual standpoint
What you don't understand is both Magic and Larry shot 400 to 500 jump shots every day of all types. That's why those shots were snapping net that you were calling bad.
He we go again. Magic was the face and the man of the 80s. Bird was great, but his window of greatness was small from the championships to the injuries in the late 80s. Magic dominated then, he would've dominated in today's game. Stop trashing the man's shooting.... just look at his career fg% on a year to year basis.
its literally facts,magic was a career 30% shooter from 3(not terrible but below average in todays nba) and a 50% field goal shooter(very exceptional in todays nba) trust me i really dont know how the nba today would use him,he dominated mainly because he had a really good team back then,he just played the system very well,not taking anything away from his greatness but thats the facts
In an era when they packed the paint in the 80s.. if he wasnt a shooter, how was he that good if everyone was defending him in the paint?? 😂😂😂but he wont flourish today.. 😂😂 Worthy was a SF.. Thompson was their PF.
Its all about eras my brother,he would be good no doubt,but if he isnt that good of a shooter in todays game how is he going to flourish? And its not like magic was just getting his way in the paint every time either
Yeah Isiah Thomas reaction. Best true point guard had great handles and that killer instinct. He gave up a lot of stats to include all his teammates. The point difference from top to bottom of roster was less than Jordan vs Pippen. Had that ‘clutch’ gene.
So if you say Magic wouldn't do well on this era, then your are essentially saying the "point-foreward" is not valued. Because make no mistake, he is who Lebron emulates. His decision making "at speed" surpasses anyone who plays today. And his versatility would very much make him a force. Not to mention the intangible of his winning mindset. Back then it was about competing vs today it's about business.
@@itzkhiiii Pippen was not a facilitator and he did not control the flow of the offense. Often times Lebron liked to bring the ball up court and set the offense, especially in those situations where his team lacked a dominant PG (e.g., 1st time Cavs, Heat, and early pre Rondo Lakers). In those cases, his game would more likely resemble Magic's as opposed to Pippen's.
James Worthy did not come off the bench. Michael Cooper did. Worthy was a starter until he retired. I know because I watched them real time ... not playbacks
Magic would dominate these dudes and not only would he play defense he would challenge all these sorry point guards today. Let's face it today's point guards are sorry af compared to magics days.
Magic struggled to guard quicker and faster guards,he barley could guard Isiah thomas,what makes you think he would be able to guard Russell westbrook? Or a derrick rose?
@@itzkhiiii Magic could easily guard today's points guards especially the ones you just named because today's point guards are horrible compared to point guards from the 90's and 80's and same for centers. Magic at 6"9 would just lay off into the lane daring rose who can barely shoot to shoot
ummm no he is not bro,he couldnt move laterally as fast to keep up with the guards at that time so what makes you think he gon guard these guards today? he couldnt shoot the three ball well,not even average at that time he would be a prime ben simmions in todays game fr fr
@@itzkhiiii yeah my original statement still stands. Magic in the second half of his career shot the 3 very well. He can still rebound and would still lead the league every year in assists. If your metrics is just the 3pt shot, your understanding of the game is very narrow. Today he would average 10rpg and 13 apg easy because the court is more spread and they also shrunk the 3pt line. Also he could be one if he greatest modern day power forward because he had a deadly inside game.
you didnt read my comment at all,he sounds like a prime ben simmons,the years that he had a better percentage,they moved the 3 pt line closer to the basket but if you think he would be as effective as he was back then,then thats your opinion and i respect that
Duncan has to be at the 4. There's no greater pf. The only debatable position in a top 5 is the center position, so many great Centers to pick from. Actually LeBron and Larry can be debatable, just your preference. Can't go bad either way
Last point today's Game has Bronny James in it lol. That says it all today's Game is whack and your stats are allowing a 40 y old LeBron to run it. You guys today don't know what basketball is
Magic would dominate in today's game.
He must have him confused with the Supersonics Ervin Johnson.
Magic wouldn't play in today's style. He would change the game if he played today.
Easily yes!
If you don't think Magic would dominate today, you don't know basketball.
And finally, if not for Magic and Bird there would be no modern NBA. Their rivalry revived a sport that was literally on life support. They didn't even bother to televise NBA games live (including playoffs). It was tape delayed and replayed at obscure times. That alone makes them relevant in any era because they saved the sport.
ARE YOU INSANE KID😮, MAGIC WOULD DESTROYYYYY TODAYS GAME JUST UP AT THE HIGH POST ALONE! 😊AND MAGIC SHOT BETTER THAN YOU THINK, 9 FINALS IN 12 YEARS, GODDDD! I 'LL STOP CAUSE YOUR YOUNG AND DON'T KNOW MUCH!😊
i dont know much but i know enough and ive seen enough you and me know that he wasnt that great of a shooter compared to todays game,he is literally going to be a more valuable ben simmons,and thats not a diss at all,because i have him top 5 in my goat list and number 1 on my goat point guard list
I couldn't watch after he said that. Sorry.
Magic didn't score as much as he could have because his job as point guard was to get the ball to the scorers. In that finals in his rookie season he started as CENTER and played all five spots in the game scored over 40 points, I think.
Sure did
The biggest part of Magic's game was making everyone else better.....and that would still work, today!
Magic was not a great 1 on 1 defender, although he had his moments when he had to....but he was a very good "team defender".
Norm Nixon is who you're thinking of.....and he was traded to the Clippers for the rights to Byron Scott.
Other players on that team, in the first part of the eighties, were Jamaal Wilks, Bob Macadoo....and for a few more years, Kurt Rambis......
If it goes in, it's not a "terrible shot", haha!
that last part lol,i dont know to be honest,he would be good dont get me wrong,but would he be GREAT? like he was back then??
@@itzkhiiii
We’ll never know…different eras….but since Magic had a high basketball IQ and an intangible/immeasurable level of desire to win, he would have made adjustments to his game in the modern era…that’s why he would succeed! To the level of greatness that he had? Again…we’ll never know!
i can respect that answer,i don’t know man like thats beauty of these conversations when we compare eras,you will never know the answer to it,would jordan average 50 in todays era? we wont know,would lebron average 50 in the 80s? we can have a strong argument about that but we would never really know the answer to that question
Umm Steph isn't really a point guard bro! Not in the definition sense of the word. He's the greatest shooting point guard.
well then you can use the logic in a lot of point guards,kyrie,Isaiah thomas(celtics)kemba walker,James harden these are scores first when they were in there prime
6:20 when you say as a rookie you can't forget he did it out of his main position on the court too hard to find a center to fill Kareems shoes and he pulled it off what a great savant he was
exactly!!
Technically speaking while he was LABELED center, he still played like his normal self. It’s not like he was out there trynna play like Kareem. He was still playing pg.
This young dude parents must have been smoking dope when he was conceived talking s*** about magic wouldn't be thriving today's game
Uhhhhh James Worthy NEVER rode the bench. Better check your facts, son. One thing about Magic is that he made EVERY other player better.
hmmm,we should take a dive into that
Magic became a good shooter midway in his career. You shouldn't say this if you haven't seen him play live. Secondly,This Era do not play defense anyway. Magic was a skilled big man who happened to play PG.
U forget that there’s still a bunch of guys left like Rubio, rondo, Ben Simmons, etc who are in the league today that can’t really shoot at all. Magic was atleast serviceable as a shooter. Especially when he was in his prime in the late 80s to early 90s. Not
To mention his ability to slash, and his post game his issue would be his defense because he wasn’t super quick laterally nor was he a guy who jumped very high, but just like any of these pgs that don’t defend today like trae young and lamelo ball, magic would be fine. He would have to change his game slightly but not much.
none of those guys are or were on magic’s level,not even close.i get where your coming from but i just cant see magic being as dominant and winning as much as he did back then now
I do not follow sports much anymore, so I looked up Fg% for Stephan Curry 47.5 and Magic Johnson 52 %. It is all about getting the ball into the hoop. One thing that I think most of you younger guys do not realize is , there was no such thing as a 3point line the whole time Magic or any of us were learning the game. Best shooter of all time, Pistol Pete Maravich.
what you just said was not true at all,the three point shot got introduced into the nba 1979,magic got drafted in 79.His career 3pt percentage is 30% magic had ample time to practice and get used to the 3 pt shot, I think one thing older people don’t realize is that 3s are more than 2s and when steph realized that he perfected it and LITERALLY changed basketball as a whole,now we have a lot of guys who shouldn’t be shooting threes,shooting threes, yes maybe the 3pt line was not that important back then but it was definitely there and there are players back then who either lived and died by the 3pt line or used it as a weapon (bird,reggie miller,toni kukoc,steve kerr,john paxton,charles oakley,etc)you are right tho it is all about getting the ball in the hoop and i think the only reason why magic has a higher field goal percentage is simply because of his size and his ability to get to the rim and score inside the 3pt easier than steph.Just like how jordans field goal is 49% while lebrons is 50%
@@itzkhiiii I have a question. If they eliminated the three point line Steph Curry should be able to adjust and maintain his stats. I have always been partial to the running game. We don't have players train from when they are kids to adjust to different rules when they get older. Yes Magic has bigger hands, so what. Every NBA player has great talent.I believe Michael Jordan has is able to palm the ball. Magic can not or barely maybe, so what. The rules are supposed to be the same for everyone and size can matter and usually does. This is why Steph Curry is about as short as you can get away with. You should also keep in to consideration that the NBA sanctions traveling by letting players take 3 steps and most of the cross-over dribbling is traveling. To me popping off three pointers is a little closer to devolution. It is certainly less interesting to watch. It reminds me a little, just a little bit of watching the wnba where they are just popping shots off. Of course NBA players are way more proficient. The players of today are incredibly talented. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I have immense respect for todays players. Thanks for being respectful.
yea no problem,and i do agree to the fact that the nba in a sense of the viewers standpoint could be uninteresting because of the 3point shot really popping off in recent times,but thats the way to score more points,during the cavs vs warriors finals series for example,if the cavs won more against that team the nba would not be how it is today at all, defense might of been more emphasized and players would still take mid range shots and driving to the hole as apposed to going to the three point line,in regards to steph, he has always been a great shooter,and always been labeled as a skinny light skinned kid than can shoot its just in the past 9 years he has gotten bigger stronger and perfected the 3 and is a threat LITERALLY EVERYWHERE including past HALF COURT i mean no disrespect to larry bird at all because i have him higher all time than steph but larry bird is not getting picked up 94 feet for him being such a great shooter.Also both have incredible off ball capabilities but i gotta give the edge to curry because he is moving LITERALLY ALL THE TIME,Mathew Dellavedova literally ALMOST DIED trying to guard him,on ball off ball it didn’t matter,he slowed him down but it didn’t do much at all because they still won the championship
Groovy, I think I get it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. have a great day!@@itzkhiiii
thank you,have a great day and happy holidays to you as well
Bruh if Magic played today he would average 18-20 assists a game and would be getting tripple doubles nightly
are you serious?
6'9 athletic point guard that can shoot inside and out, pass and create would always flourish. Especially with his basketball IQ.
Good vid. You know some history
All Magic did was win..
12 years . 9 finals. 5 rings.
The greatest winner by % of games played in a NBA career.
🐐
Thank you
Good video. I like your knowledge of the game. it makes for a good reaction.
Thank you,i appreciate that
young buck I watched. the games they went heads up and MAGIC BEAT BIRD 2-1 can say Larry is better but MAGIC got 5 to BIRDS 3 math good brotha..if he was so much better he woulda won more bro..Magic went to 8 finals in the 80s bro he only lost 3 times
Thats not the case brotha,as far as individual talent,he is better,but it takes more than individual talent to win games,you should know that since you watch basketball i assume,you cant fault a player simply because of the team he is around and there situation that they are in,you just play your best and do what you can to win,bird just didnt do that to an extent of magic but that dosent mean he is better for that alone on a individual standpoint
What you don't understand is both Magic and Larry shot 400 to 500 jump shots every day of all types. That's why those shots were snapping net that you were calling bad.
He we go again. Magic was the face and the man of the 80s. Bird was great, but his window of greatness was small from the championships to the injuries in the late 80s. Magic dominated then, he would've dominated in today's game. Stop trashing the man's shooting.... just look at his career fg% on a year to year basis.
its literally facts,magic was a career 30% shooter from 3(not terrible but below average in todays nba) and a 50% field goal shooter(very exceptional in todays nba) trust me i really dont know how the nba today would use him,he dominated mainly because he had a really good team back then,he just played the system very well,not taking anything away from his greatness but thats the facts
Nba today is soft
and the crazy thing is,its not even the players fault
In an era when they packed the paint in the 80s.. if he wasnt a shooter, how was he that good if everyone was defending him in the paint?? 😂😂😂but he wont flourish today.. 😂😂
Worthy was a SF.. Thompson was their PF.
Its all about eras my brother,he would be good no doubt,but if he isnt that good of a shooter in todays game how is he going to flourish? And its not like magic was just getting his way in the paint every time either
Yeah Isiah Thomas reaction. Best true point guard had great handles and that killer instinct. He gave up a lot of stats to include all his teammates. The point difference from top to bottom of roster was less than Jordan vs Pippen. Had that ‘clutch’ gene.
bett,maybe we can get into that once we finish with bird
So if you say Magic wouldn't do well on this era, then your are essentially saying the "point-foreward" is not valued. Because make no mistake, he is who Lebron emulates. His decision making "at speed" surpasses anyone who plays today. And his versatility would very much make him a force. Not to mention the intangible of his winning mindset. Back then it was about competing vs today it's about business.
Lebrons offensive game is more like a scottie pippen than a magic in my opinion
@@itzkhiiii Pippen was not a facilitator and he did not control the flow of the offense. Often times Lebron liked to bring the ball up court and set the offense, especially in those situations where his team lacked a dominant PG (e.g., 1st time Cavs, Heat, and early pre Rondo Lakers). In those cases, his game would more likely resemble Magic's as opposed to Pippen's.
Magic would have killed today.
Mmmm…..
James Worthy did not come off the bench. Michael Cooper did. Worthy was a starter until he retired. I know because I watched them real time ... not playbacks
Magic would dominate these dudes and not only would he play defense he would challenge all these sorry point guards today. Let's face it today's point guards are sorry af compared to magics days.
Magic struggled to guard quicker and faster guards,he barley could guard Isiah thomas,what makes you think he would be able to guard Russell westbrook? Or a derrick rose?
@@itzkhiiii Magic could easily guard today's points guards especially the ones you just named because today's point guards are horrible compared to point guards from the 90's and 80's and same for centers.
Magic at 6"9 would just lay off into the lane daring rose who can barely shoot to shoot
Ok I didn’t make it to the end because dude…. You don’t know basketball. Magic can’t play today? Lol just wow
anyone can play today bro,he jus not gon be as effective bro😂
@@itzkhiiii anyone can play but magic can't? he is a much better version of lebron except not nearly as athletic
ummm no he is not bro,he couldnt move laterally as fast to keep up with the guards at that time so what makes you think he gon guard these guards today? he couldnt shoot the three ball well,not even average at that time he would be a prime ben simmions in todays game fr fr
@@itzkhiiii yeah my original statement still stands. Magic in the second half of his career shot the 3 very well. He can still rebound and would still lead the league every year in assists. If your metrics is just the 3pt shot, your understanding of the game is very narrow. Today he would average 10rpg and 13 apg easy because the court is more spread and they also shrunk the 3pt line. Also he could be one if he greatest modern day power forward because he had a deadly inside game.
you didnt read my comment at all,he sounds like a prime ben simmons,the years that he had a better percentage,they moved the 3 pt line closer to the basket but if you think he would be as effective as he was back then,then thats your opinion and i respect that
Duncan has to be at the 4. There's no greater pf. The only debatable position in a top 5 is the center position, so many great Centers to pick from. Actually LeBron and Larry can be debatable, just your preference. Can't go bad either way
makes sense
@itzkhiiii watched a lot of your videos today. I like your ball knowledge a younger guy and your admiration for the game. Keep doing your thing man
thank you man i really appreciate it bro
Can’t guard 6’9 with passes like that.
Today's game is garbage! Free lane to the hoop, then pass out to the perimeter 🤦...just go back to any "Allstar Game" in the last 5 years...GARBAGE
James Worthy was a starter. You are getting him mixed up with someone else.
I dont think so,worthy was not always a starter
Last point today's Game has Bronny James in it lol. That says it all today's Game is whack and your stats are allowing a 40 y old LeBron to run it.
You guys today don't know what basketball is
Lol
Curry has to get by Stockton before Magic just saying
What does he have to do for that?
Are you trying to win games or look pretty making a basket!
Magic got 5 championships sir
I'm out get it straight LARRY BIRD AND MAGIC WOULD THRIVE GIT IT....LOOK AT KOBES TOP 5 LOOK AT LEBRONS TOP3...IM OUT
You're clueless Bro.
No sir I'm not watching
What??
what??
Magic is soft.
yup and went to 8 finals and won 5 you right while winning in the toughest ERA of basketball