How Magic Johnson destroyed teams without volume scoring | Greatest Peaks Ep. 5
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- čas přidán 20. 12. 2020
- Support at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball - How good was Magic Johnson at his peak? Was he the best passer in NBA history? How much did his defense hold him back? And could he be the best offensive player ever, despite only scoring around 20 points per game?
This is the 5th episode in a series on the greatest peaks in NBA history (focusing on 1977-2020), featuring detailed scouting reports and film breakdown on the best players in NBA history at their best, along with analysis of their impact using historical data & stats to size up the highest peaking players ever.
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Book: www.amazon.com/Thinking-Baske...
Podcast: player.fm/series/thinking-bas... or at www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-...
Website: www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
For more, see the Thinking Basketball stats series: • NBA Stats 101 Series
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Series music:
csus (instrumental)
Hair (fairlight)
Imperfect Place
Lost by Alter Ego
Restless Knight
#ThinkingBasketball #GreatestPeaks #NBAGoat - Sport
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"I'm not a doctor but double-teaming Magic Johnson in the post is not something I'd recommend" you can hear him laugh as he makes this joke about Doc Rivers and Jokic in the Clippers series
Maybe Jordan could score on a triple team. But, magic triple teamed knows he has 2 free teammates.
Phil Jackson said that the reason the Bulls won the 1991 Finals was that the Lakers couldn't keep the lead when Magic Johnson went to the bench. That's one of the greatest compliments I've ever heard a player receive. For the guy who had Michael Jordan to say the only reason they could beat your team was that you couldn't be on the floor 100% of the time.
EDIT: Somehow the comments turned into a fight about Lebron and Marc Gasol. LOL.
Literally pulled a Lebron, Hakeem, Tim Duncan type of carry (and vs a team that had SCOTTIE PIPPEN on defense) but people only look at his Showtime teams or when Big Game was still healthy.
Dusk TheHunter MJ was better than Pippen at defense
Everett01 thats revisionist history. The truth is MJ guarded Magic for most of the 91 Finals and he held him to 0-0-0 in OT of Game 3 after MJ already hit the shot to send the game into OT. MJ also played good defense on him in Game 5.
@@veracity5977 HELL NO
@@veracity5977 In 1991 Magic was broken down already and dealt with the combo of Pippen and Jordan (and with no Showtime), that doesn't help Jordan's case over the cloner and greatest perimeter defender ever Pippen, nor over The Glove GP already.
The most underrated part of Magic's game was his jump shot. The fact that the average 90% from the free throw line shows that he had the stroke to be a shooter. But he played in an era where post-play was more encouraged
This is my main gripe when people compare Ben Simmons to him, people legit don't understand how aggressive Magic could get they just know about the flashy passes
To be fair, his shooting motion made shooting off the dribble difficult. But in terms of pure shooting touch he is up there with virtually anyone.
And he can score like a center too if he needed
Lamelo Ball better 😀👌
I was just talking today about how great and proper of a scorer players like Magic and Lebron are, people don't know how much of an impact on scoring and on offense these guys have, and especially they don't know how all around Msgic is and how he wasn't popping do-it-all stats and games with just passing.
I giggled at 'the oversized Johnson' :)
When he said “drive it down your throat” I was like pause
@@tshimologokgosi7340 nbs
Sturdy johnson
U like that do u?
Ben’s got jokes
I swear this series is what I'm most hyped about from week to week. Just high quality basketball content right here.
No they r really bad.. he honestly doesn’t understand what he’s watching
Totally agree! Good Analysis!!!
Magic's 1987 Finals remains to me the gold standard. 26/13/8 doesn't seem like much in today's easy offense era. But to do that on 54/50/96 shooting, that's ridiculous. But the kicker for me was this...78 assists to just 13 turnovers. For the entire series. A 6:1 assist to turnover ratio against the champion Celtics in the Finals. No one has ever come CLOSE to that in a 6 or 7 game Finals series handling the ball at the volume he did. Magic did it while being the main scorer and setting his teammates up to where they shot a 51.5% shooting percentage as a team! Over six games in the Finals. Efficiency > athleticism. Magic at his best was better than anyone that ever lived at this.
You can argue that the 6:1 assist ratio is actually underselling it, because assists are only counted when shots go in. Given that this was the 80’s and Magic’s spamming of the “A” button, in a perfect world he could have more than 50% of what you said.
@@alexjiang6806 well this _really_ just points out why assist:turnover ratio isn't nearly as important of a stat as some people make it out to be, especially when looking at guys like LeBron, Harden, Trae, Luka, who are all passing wizards _and_ volume scorers-players turn the ball over while trying to score, too. Turnovers are only very bad outcomes when they lead to easy transition points for the opposition, whereas, if a pass goes out of bounds, it's no worse than a missed shot and defensive rebound.
@@BlueGrovyle a defensive rebound can also lead to easy transition points anyway if its a long rebound that leads to a fast break
I am an old-school basketball guy, but in my mind, the 1987 Lakers were the single best team in NBA history.
@@bluegregory6239it’s ok we all have our opinions but 96 bulls 14 spurs and 17 warriors >
This guy was unbelievable!!
My favorite NBA player of ALL TIME!
16:01 How have I never seen this highlight before?
That might be the most insane pass I ever seen
Exactly what I thought! I’ve watched literally dozens of 10+ minutes videos of his highlights and this is the first time seeing that ridiculous pass
@@nicolaterzaghi3542 you're right. Allthought I have seen that monster pass before in a few other videos, it is not included in most highlights videos about Magic. He was like dancing ... insane, crazy pass, it might well be the best pass ever by anyone.
Magic, Bird and MJ made the game so beautiful.
All I knew that he was the greatest PG of all time but I never actually got to see or analyze the greatness of Magic until this video
magic led a team with terry teagle as his 7th best player a.c. green as a 6th man with starting center young vlade divac and starting big sam perkins to the finals with no bench shooting and little depth at center pg sg or the wing...lol..thats a miracle job
@@razkable I always hear about this 1991 Finals run, I still find it impressive that he won one game against the Bulls
This video shows how advanced Magic’s ball skills are. That half spin into the righty finish on the left side was crazy
This is what people dont understand... He was as good ball handler as Kyrie for example in todays modern game. His ability to protect the ball and change directions and speed in the way he does it has never been seen before or after.
You'll never understand Magic's game unless you watched in real time. He could score if he wanted, Magic but understood team work leading to high production. He was Euro stepping before it was called such a thing.
This is great content, because it shows the all around game of his. Also Magic wasn't old in 1991 contrary to popular belief. He was the winner of the 1989-1990 MVP awards.
Not too far off his prime in 1991, but his legs were noticeably slower and his stamina started to dwindle in 88. Prior to 88, Riley would just allow Magic to handle full court press on his own and it wouldn’t affect his stamina. The Sonics used to send 3 defenders to rotate pressing him and it had almost no effect.
Sharp contrast to 88 where they often had AC Green brining up the ball. And we all know the effect Pippen had in 1991z
Yes. Watched game 3 of the finals and game 4 of the wcf that year live at the old gw forum. Noticed right away he lost lots of his speed already. Yet, Phil Jackson was right, the bulls knew they could beat the lakers because magic couldn't play 48 minutes. When he was on the court you could see the lakers was competitive. When he sat down, the bulls were feasting. Anyway saw him in 88 live in the reg season, he was much faster and more nimble back then.
yup 30 a game would have been no problem I've even heard it himself say something like that.
He was still in his prime lol he was 31@@eddieG667
If Magic played in this era, he'd easily lead the league in assists by a WIDE margin. The fact he was getting these types of looks in a clogged lane is insane. With how much the floor has opened up now and shooters are much better at making their shots - Magic would be feasting.
Pass off the spin at 16:01 is incredible.
yeah, I said the same thing too, I never saw that before and I was watching these games in the 80s.
You put it perfectly, magic was a better on ball passer and bird was the best off ball passer. I would have loved to see both of them play together. It would have been basketball genius at its highest level. Both of them were so unique
Olympics and they played in the college all star together. Magic said it was fun playing with him.
@@BurritoKingdom yeah I saw that clip. It's unreal watching that. Their IQ was just off the chart. And they flow so perfectly together.
They’d never lose
What's an off ball passer? Only thing that didn't make sense to me
@@lorrancelewis7120 at touch passing. Basically larry bird is better at passing right after the pass.
That Hakeem video gonna hit
Hakeem is probably the best two way player ever.
Hakeem is ridiculously underrated.
@@ReidoFutebol98 I’m all for new basketball fans because I love the sport but the new guys will never understand just how dominant Hakeem was
@@ReidoFutebol98 Nah. He's the best defender out of the best two way players, but I would consider LeBron and Jordan both as legitimate two way top ten guys and both rank ahead of Hakeem overall.
GaiusJuly I neither are top 10 defenders. Hakeem is 2 after Bill.
Man this is one of the best series ever uploaded to this platform
Nbs💯
Damn I would pay to see this on Netflix I love it so much
It makes me want to give to the patreon.
@@Peter-hx3im bad bot
@@lukeramer7702 what?
Rightttt
Dude please don’t get fooled by this guy.. he’s not to bright.. go watch detail.. it’s really good and it really shows you what’s really going on..
I love the way you presented his case for best offensive player of all time, supercharging his playmaking through his scoring, putting up 20ppg while in double digit assists is incredible.
It's something I've never seen put into words before and it's fantastic analysis.
A lot of people only focus on scoring, which is sad, really.
@@MasterAppels 100%, and if you can score while mainly being a playmaker (magic, cp, bron, etc) then its even more impressive
Mo Shashoug Bron was only mainly a play maker this year, not in years past.
@@yd856 bron has always been a playmaker, his vision and iq were his best attributes out of highschool other than this athleticism
@@MasterAppels Its more like people forget that for some very skilled passers, they possess various high level skills and physical gifts to easily rack up 20 in a game. That is considering they are highlighted as a first option on offense but ideally (and to the core of their passer play style) are 2nd options at best. People forget that context in scoring and lump what legends/super stars could do to some players in the regular season having hot shooting stretches in the regular season.
Ben Taylor's commentary in space is his greatest weapon, with witty quips and references that leave viewers guessing, but his ability to commentate on clips in transition really unlocks the watchers understanding, and that has tremendous value. That combination of different looks in addition to the level of energy he brings to every video makes thinking basketball, in my book, the best analysis channel on the platform today ;)
Great commentating and analysis by your part as well ahhahah.
And his Bird and Magic videos are instant classics.
I read this in Ben's voice 🤣🤣🤣
@@willhooke yeah, i thought it sounded awfully familiar!
This channel's sense of humor is so unique and honestly just as brilliant as the analysis.
I hope you do one of these on Charles Barkley, people only see him getting teased and stuff on TNT and don’t remember how good he was when he was playing
He was an absolute beast. And yup...ppl forget :(
I agree, but I'm fairly certain chuck won't make this series primarily because of his high volume shooting. In his greatest offensive players podcast, he did not rate chuck too high, mostly because Barkley was perhaps the worst high volume shooter of all time.
@@kennyboy6817 thanks for letting me know I didn’t hear the podcast
@@kennyboy6817 how was he high volume??? He was crazy efficient in his prime averaging like 55-60% field goal
@@ipwaihei2414 you could count his 3pt shooting. Worst 3pt shooter by percentage of anyone with at least 1000 attempts and most attempts of anyone under 30% 3pt FG%
Crazy to see the differences in offenses back then- where literally no one is outside the 3pt line
3 pt line was a new addition then and players simply didnt understand its value for like... 30 more years lol
I’ve never seen much footage of magic. As incredible as this video, the editing and the analysis are, I could’ve enjoyed just watching the footage of him cut together with no audio. What a mesmerising and amazing player he was. I’ve always considered him one of the goats and I still think I’ve been underrating him...😦
look up "the magic man" on youtube. It's exactly what you need.
his passing ability and being able to play every position 1 - 5 is legendary
I have been watching NBA ball since the early 70's. Magic is the only guy I've seen who could dominate a game while scoring 2points. I didn't see Russell in his prime but I understand he also could dominate while scoring very little.
I would add Jason Kidd to that list. 2000- 2004 J-Kidd was on some other ish akin to Magic
the closest guy is ben wallace i would say..he could score 2 get 20 rebs 5 blocks 2 steals and 2 assists and it would feel like he really changed the game just by being out there 39 minutes or whatever despite shooting 2-3 shots getting 4 fouls 2 turnovers and going 0-2 from the ft line...hard to talk about..you just had to watch him play..he was unique..if he was on the court for about a 6 year stretch there from 2001-2006 he made his team better period......ben could score 0 and still control a game circa 2003...it was odd...a 6-9 245 lb. center who was undrafted and had no offense for years and lacking skills on that end most his career...ben could just have a 0 point 0 assist 1-2 steal 3 block night but just by grabbing 15 rebs he felt like he made a big impact...he made sure bigs worked and he kept smaller guys away from the rim because they were scarred of him...period..
Dennis Rodman too
Ben Wallace. When he would start kicking it into high gear the pistons would go on defensive runs that completely shut down teams. I've watched games where Ben Wallace was such a defensive force he took over games the way some of the offensive greats do only he did it with blocks, steals, shot changes, taking charges. He would just run off a huge cluster of making things happen defensively and suddenly the Pistons were dominating the game instead of being down.
Just noticed the post that Asmosis Jones put, so he beat me to it a month ago but I'm leaving this here.
@@SteelNight7 Same with guys like Dennis Rodman and Rudy Gobert
Greatest show on earth in the 80s. No higher form of entertainment than magic v bird. Never missed a gain. Wish i could still remember them.
You can find dozens of good NBA players, in Magic’s height range, that can score - but do nothing else. Those players are a dime a dozen. Magic put passing and team-play first, and that made everyone better. Pat Riley was an absolute Xs and Os genius who brought out the best in Magic. He challenged Magic to be a leader in all categories of the game. If Magic had wanted to, I have no doubt he could have had several years scoring 25+ a game. But that would not have helped the team.
Worth noting his career was cut short.
Remember when Kareem could not play game 6 in the 1980 Finals against the Sixers? Magic scored 42 and made it look easy. He could have averaged 30 if he wanted to but that was not his style.
People were too concerned about scoring but nothing else, but Magic changed that !
The best passer in basketball history.
Glad to see the mention of James Worthy. One of my favorite players
Love the way you explain Magics greatness,,he's my favorite player ever,it was funny watching Magic do magic on the court.
“oversized johnson” “drive it straight down your throat” ayo?
Biggest thing I learned from this video is how much magic loves a fist pump
GOAT fist pumper? 🤔
Not really. He just happened to be always winning😉
Then you need to learn to pay attention
I don't think I have clicked on a basketball video this fast since Game of Zones.
This is my favorite video in the series. I didn't realize how fun it was to watch Magic play. Literally laughing out loud at these plays
best basketball channel on youtube, keep it up man!
Your attention to details are one of the best that I have seen in a basketball analysis
I remember when I was a kid watching Magic. His name was fitting because it was the greatest show on earth game night. I still enjoy watching his highlights.
Love this series! Keep it up
Imagine if Magic played in today's league in his prime. He would be a perfect position less player, probably would average a triple double
probably? plzz, HE WOULD AND A HIGH ONE AT THAT.
he would be luka...
Only question would be his rebounding. Points and assists would be very easy for him to average a double double on in todays league. His lack of physicality and leaping ability would probably give him a rebounding average shy of 10.
But if that would happened we have to remember that nowadays players like magic can't be touched, he would have more liberty, in past years at least with hand check they slowed him down, even tho you don't notice.
@@SteelNight7 You don't get rebounds off of leaping ability, it is all about position...also that leaping to get rebound will get you called for "Over the back" real quick
Always nice to watch this for refresher and then go watch next week’s on Patreon
This breakdown is nothing short of incredible..To say appreciate it ,is a major understatement
I love your understanding, appreciation, and promotion of the understanding of the *nuances* of the game because the game is rife with it.
Magic may not have been a volume scorers but he scored nearly 20 a game, which is the unstated baseline for all great scorers. However, he *could* score and efficiently because he was virtually unstoppable on the break. In that regard he's like the inverse corollary to Bill Russell: a low volume but inefficient scorer relative to all time position and history.
All this without even watching the whole vid yet. Will pop in after to give my final thoughts.
Constantly refreshing youtube every Monday to see if the next episode is out...
This video is a year old and I’m still watching it again. Great content!
His editing is superb. Great script, great stats. Just awesome critiques.
Magic is my GOAT PG and my starter on my best team ever
I swear you are the GOAT basketball channel.
Your videos are a step above most other NBA channels. Amazing content.
His smile and visible joy to play makes him so positively unique among the best. His Rookie season with the hugging of Kareem after the first win and his MVP center performance in the 1980 NBA Finals make him my personal GOAT of heart even if MJ in sum is better.
His game 6 performance in the finals when he played center and scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, & dished out 7 assists is still awe inspiring!
I'd like to add for years after he entered the NBA teams still were looking for another 6'9" point guard with Magic's skills. We've yet to find one.
Played centre? You mean he did the jump ball at the beginning!
@@daredevil8179 Yes, he played the entire game at center from the opening tip on. He was only 20 years old. A legendary performance!
@@michaelulbricht9438 So he didnt bring up the ball he played in the low post and inbounded the ball etc ?
@@daredevil8179 Just look up game #6 1980 NBA finals and there are plenty of videos on the game. He played kind of a point center. He won the opening tip over a 7 foot Caldwell Jones, and also threw in a number of baby sky hooks while scoring 42 points. Truly one of the greatest individual championship performances ever!
The best series on CZcams
A guy who said off ball passer? 🤣 dude this shit is really really bad
This series blow my mind. Amazing analysis
Some people choose Jordan, some choose Lebron.... but Magic is my goat!!!! and has been since I was born "in 87"..... Thanks Pop!!!
Right on time while taking my break from work 👌
Please do one about D-Wade!
Love the series and the channel in general!
Excellent video family..... Real talk.Salute👊🏿
That transition play at 4:09 is one of the smartest basketball situational reads I've ever seen. I've never not seen magic listed as 6'9 FWIW
Not a word about "leadership"? This is the deep magic of Magic. He elevated everyone's game on the court. So often he didn't take shots that he could easily make in order to pass to a teammate and pump their confidence and get them into the game. He kept the energy high, encouraging players, chiding players in a positive way, stepping in and taking control when the game was slipping away. NOONE has taken command of a team the way the Magic man did.
it's a film study and stats channel, i wouldn't expect many discussions about leadership and other narrative-driven skills on here
Magic Johnson is the greatest point guard in nba history.
After seeing this it’s confirmed that Steph Curry is the greatest point guard of all time
@@NewEraaG cap still magic Steph can’t win without his bitchass super team and he’s not even a proper point he’s an undersized sg who was forced to play pg to get his draft stock up compared to the other greats at the pg position he’s pretty average at playmaking
@@NewEraaG nope you're wrong.
@@NewEraaG pfft that was funny. Steph nowhere near the best pg.
Steph can never pass like that. Magic control games WITHOUT volume scoring and the scary about it is. Magic if he wanted to. could avg 29-12-10 for his career.
Steph was a better scorer and that's about it
Magic much better passer, rebounder, blocker, and steals.
Magic was a better winner, better vision
and he has more titles at 5 for 9.
More MVPs
Name me one player who won in his first year a chip? don't worry we won't wait. Magic is the GOAT OF PG.
www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/stephen_curry_vs_magic_johnson.htm
@@NewEraaG Fuck off casual. Magic never had a losing season in his career. Even with an old Jabbar and an old team, he still won MVP's and led the Lakers to the playoffs and finals. Kobe couldnt do it. Steph definitely is a scrub right now without KD and Klay. But low key, Steph is the 3rd best pg behind the GOAT pg MAgic and the Big O.
as a 90s baby I missed this era by quite a bit. thank you for explaining his greatness over video while detailing his traits
good shit Ben, ur vids always on point sir.
These clips are great! Hopefully you do one on Isiah Thomas. Greatest small man/pure PG ever!
The TIMING of Magic’s passes is something very overlooked.
Worthy explained this on a Lakers roundtable show. It’s just as important to get the ball in stride or in rhythm. They used Kurt Rambis as an example when he’d receive the ball underneath. Split second too early or late, he’s going to travel or get it blocked.
He also got the ball to guys like Jamal Wilkes exactly where they wanted it.
Great piece that shows magics great flashy skill level at 6 9. Some of the in depth look highlights you present are staggering in that they show the inordinate skill Magic had at seeing the whole court including the opponents eyes. When he had the ball he could do everything at once. Players seem to not be able to count and dribble now days in terms of basketball.
The moral is you don’t have to be the most athletic just have to know how to maximize how well you use your body, there’s such an art to protecting the ball and drawing contact while also being aware of everything happening on the court. Great video!
The best thing to ever happen on mondays.
Edit: The Converse Weapon commercial killed me lmao
11:22 who turned a +2 regular season offence into +11 in the playoffs? That’s an insane jump
95 rockets possibly?
@@pursuer24 It's a 5 year stretch, not a single season, which makes it crazier.
Best Basketball channel by far. You give very good, and in depth analysis, and don't just come across as another commentator that just rehashes the same stuff over and over like everyone else.
Bro... this is incredible work
That pass at the 16:00 mark is pure Magic.
My favorite thing about his breakdowns is how he includes misses off elite finds. I hate that it’s not a highlight if there’s not a make like it’s stupid because the elite guys like bron harden luka cp and others have so many crazy passes and finds that end up misses but are still poetry in motion and should still be seen by millions in highlight form
I’m honestly obsessed with your channel
👍🏻
Very good.
You were able to cover in detail how magic was as a player.
Very helpful for teaching me how to use magic in NBA 2k games.😁
Magic could've scored 30 a game but chose to be the greatest passer of all time instead
He did everything well 👍
Even added a Jumper as time went by
No
@@MikeJones-lg4xn the guy once averaged 23.9 points on crazy 52% shooting while still leading the league in assists with 12.2 in 86-87. Of course he could of scored 6 more points per game that season if he shot more and passed less
Not 30, but it could’ve easily been like 25
@@niceasf7038 You put Magic in today’s era with today’s rules he’s averaging a TD and would be a wayyyy better version of Lebron. He would also be a wayyy better scorer then Lebron as well! Lebron is highly overrated!
This post unintentionally confirms that Magic is the creator of the "Euro" step.
There's also a rumor that he created the high five.
Stop it Elgin Baylor created the euro
Just discovered this channel today!!! WOW!! As a basketball junkie, I've been seriously missing out!!!
I know it’s been said many times but I’m officially going to concur: this is the best basketball analysis channel on CZcams
"Offense wins games.
Defense wins championships."
-Julius Caesar (circa 2002)
But in order to even reach the championship you first need to win a crap ton of games.
Offense > Defense
It doesn't hurt to have a top five ever player with the most unstoppable shot in history as your center.
And they had Jabbar too. Jokes aside, Worthy is in Jordan's starting 5, that has to account for something.
Take nothing away from Kareem but I believe Magic was the motor behind those teams. Their talents speak for themselves but Magic took those guys to another level. He really made folks better same as Bird/Zeke.
And he whined like a baby at MSU just to get in the driver's seat as a rookie.
At least your hero Bird and some other greats were willing to go to less than favorable circumstances from the get go without hesitation.
Ye... and it doesnt hurt to have the best head coach ever as your head coach... everyone that is amongst the best had major help #stopthe excuses
to be fair, Kareem wasn't a top five player on the nba for most of magic career. I don't think jabbar was even the best center of the 80's, I consider moses malone to be the better center of the 80's.
Incredible incredible series.
💘 your video. Best assessment I've seen on my favorite player
Man I miss those bird vs Magic days. I felt bird was better overall by the slightest of margins but saying Magic wasn’t as good as Bird just doesn’t sound right. I still remember seeing that baby hook in the clutch in the 87 finals. Magic was a man on a mission and wouldn’t be denied. Straight boss. Love your analytics!!
Magic was slightly better than bird….in the intangibles, i mean….leadership (magic is a true 4-star general, bird is a 3-star), galvanizing the troops, & his playmaking (he made every1 better & involved)……sorry im an military veteran….lol
@@loo0oop hard to argue against your opinion. I feel bird was better mainly due to the clutch factor and his scoring ability while being a really good passer, rebounder and underrated defender. Magic was also really good and I can see how many people would take Magic over bird as he too was clutch AF and the best floor general of all time. Magics ability to keep everyone on that 87 lakers team fed and happy was amazing.
@@wc4201 bird & magic wer equally clutch….magic was just more “funky” with his game winning shots….lol…
bird was a better shooter, no doubt….better “scorer”….idk…..we havent had a big sample size for magic….but there was that one season magic lead the league in scoring….for a point guard! He won league mvp back to back for that….only steve nash matched that…in league history….only 2 point guards did that….winning b2b mvps….lol
At the end of the day, bird & magic’s rivalry MATCH jordan’s goat status…..these 2 on their own dont match jordan’s goat title….but “together” they match it & maybe exceed it….
bird & magic are the best to me….just magic slighly more to me….bird slightly more for u….👍
its all gud, brutha…nothing but respect for bird, larry legend….just dont 4get the respect for the magic man too lol…
Magic was really ahead of his time. The lack of spacing in '80s basketball often limited what he could do out of halfcourt sets. He'd put up monster numbers in a modern pace-and-space offense.
actually Spacing would hurt his game. Players like Magic need players constantly moving, setting and coming off picks to confuse the defense so he can make the pass for easy lay-ups
Spacing the floor is NOT good basketball and it turn great creative players into catch and shoot/ spot up shooter...
Look at Lebron offensive system, James Worthy would suck in that catch and shoot style
@@truthiscensored Disagree. It's easy to see how Nash, CP3, Trae, Luka and other great PGs of the modern era have benefited from superior spacing. Magic would have too.
Also, shooters don't have to be stationary. Guys like Steph, Klay, Hield, Duncan Robinson, etc. do a lot of damage moving off the ball and popping free thanks to back screens. And they can attack close-outs or cut to the rim occasionally too.
@@truthiscensored The constant movement and setting screens is still prevalent today. If not more so thanks to teams like the Warriors.
And while you’re right that floor spacing isn’t better basketball and does somewhat limit creativity and turn more guys into spot up shooters.
That isn’t exactly detrimental to Magics game as if anything he’d be the perfect guy that is capable to drawing attention and kicking out to those spot up shooters which just makes his assists worth even points.
You’re right that slashers like Worthy as well as post players like Kareem wouldn’t really be a good fit in today’s game.
But as long as Magic still had shooters around him like a Bryon Scott he’d be just fine.
Excellent Analysis.
As always, great!!!
Can’t wait for that kg episode
I'm guessing the order is going to be: Jordan, Barkley, Hakeem, Robinson, Malone, Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, LeBron, Paul, Durant, Curry, Westbrook, Harden.
@@kingcam0775 He's not going to do Russ and Paul, he already skipped Doctor J and Moses Malone and Westbrookisn't better than them, but he'll maybe do Nash, Dirk and Miller beacuse he always shows appreciation to this kind of players
This comment has been deleted because of my misunderstanding :)
@@bartkeller8994 As in the order of release
@@bartkeller8994 it's the release order.
After watching this video and the Larry Bird one, I don’t really get how almost everyone has Magic above Bird on their all time list.
Bird was all defense, the best shooter of his era, in the same league as Magic with his passing, lethal in the half court and transition, and an excellent rebounder. Even though he has fewer rings he was able to beat every other superstar of his era in the playoffs and won 3 straight MVPs.
I’m surprised it’s almost been unanimously decided that Magic was better. It seems like it should be way more even, and I personally would give the slightest edge to Bird.
I've felt that way forever. Bird's injuries and the injuries and deaths of his teammates decimated the Celtics after '87 while the Lakers just kept on rolling. That and the fact that Magic has two more rings and beat him 2-1 in the finals seems to be the reason. So it's mostly narrative. At the time most people had Bird over magic as it was pretty damned visible who the better player was when both were healthy.
Rings
I remember Magic was able to post up and score against legit 6'10" power forwards like Horace Grant and Cliff Robinson on switches. So, imagine Magic towering over guards in the post during his era, and he happens to be the greatest passer ever. It was always a huge mismatch when the opposing guards had to guard Magic and that's what made him such a unicorn during his day. Unless a team has a young in his prime Pippen without the playoff mileage, there was no one who could slow Magic down back in the day because he was too big and strong for guards/wings and too quick and crafty for bigs.
And Bird (who was a natural 4) was able to post up and muscle traditional wings. And bigs could never keep up with him when he started running around curls and routes for catch and shoot opportunities. And Bird was always moving around on defense since McHale and Parish were there to provide rim protection. And he was able to make plays accordingly.
So all in all, Bird had more all-around skills as a scorer and was better off ball, but Magic was a bigger mismatch at his position and was better on-ball. It's pretty much even all things considered.
@jaydexe if that's the case then I'd probably put Tim Duncan over Magic
@@rollotomasi4045 thanks for the explanation. I wasn't around back then so I unfortunately missed out on seeing the nuance
After the Jordan Doc and exempting vintage SB Rosenthal Beef History,, this is probably the best content on basketball out there. Bravo
Love this series 🔥🔥
My favorite player ever❤️
The thing you gotta appreciate about playing with magic was that the ball was always ontime
If I may be so bold to compliment an odd aspect of this brilliant series... the music. The NBA had become synonymous with the most vile specimen of prison music in the last 20 odd years, which I loathe with a passion. Your series sporting (no pun intended) fantastic Synthwave is a perfect complement to these brilliant videos. Thank you again!
Great vid about a truly great playmaker. Magic and Birds court
vision were the best. They made passing as exciting as scoring.
Bird has to be the all time assist leader, as far as making them from
the seat of his pants.
Bruh, imagine the '87 Lakers in today's game. They'd be dropping 150 every night.
hell yeah, and thats on avg. what about on a hot night..200!
and anybody who says they couldn't because they didn't shoot a lot of 3s is full of shit. We don't even know how many threes they would've made if they played today. They had shooters though.
Lol 150 every night? Lol💀
With today"s defense I have to agree.
With all the long 3 pt misses in today's game they would probably average 175. Those long misses, along with all the celebrating after a made shot plays right into Lakers Fastbreak and 4 second shot (Reason they took the ball out so quick after made baskets like in the video)
Magic's defense was just being taller than other guards. Worked fine enough his whole life until the late 80's when guards were getting taller. Probably why he never felt the need to work on it.
Defense did not seem to be prioritized in the 80s with the exception of a few teams.
It's funny because today's SGs are shorter on average than in the 80s and the 90s.
His defense was embarrassing vs the Suns in 1990. They tried to "hide" him on Jeff Hornacek rather than facing the blinding quick KJ and he still got roasted.
It "worked his whole life" with Cooper taking the toughest perimeter matchups most of his career on D.
That is incorrect. Being taller out in space isn't an advantage. The smaller quicker guys had the advantage. They should have been able to take the ball from him but his handle was tight. In the open court, speed and quickness rule the day. Tha is why Magic Johnson is a legend.
@@FuShengAlex They drafted cooper for defensive purposes.
Usually not the one for highlight analysis but this was a real good video
awwww man keep on bringing them on Friday!!!!
Magic handle was soo tight he had the ball on a string frfr
Why are you saying fr to yourself, that’s some shit from “psycho”
@@2kmichaeljordan438 man stfu
I'd say Magic, Jordan, Bird, Garnett, Chamberlain are the greatest all around offensive players ever at their positions
Take out Garnett.
been waiting on this one
Oh yes! I’ve been waiting for this!
Your profile picture is pure gold.
@@rickharrison1737 lol, thanks. Haters will say it’s fake.