Magic vs. Bird Revives the League
Three Finals meetings between the Lakers and Celtics turned a personal rivalry into a national television draw.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry began at the collegiate level in the 1979 NCAA championship game, and it followed both players directly into the NBA that same year.
Their teams, the Lakers and Celtics, met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987, splitting the three series and giving television networks a recurring, easily marketed storyline during a decade when the NBA was actively rebuilding its national audience.
By the end of the 1980s, both men were credited -- alongside a league-wide push toward live prime-time broadcasts -- with restoring mainstream interest in professional basketball after a period of declining TV ratings.
Connected moments
Where this story leads next, in the same era or a related thread.
Magic Johnson's Rookie Finals Heroics
As a 20-year-old rookie, Magic Johnson started at center in a title-clinching Finals game and won MVP.