Bird, Magic still linked

Longtime rivals friends forever

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, perhaps the most renowned of basketball rivals, two men who represented differing styles of play and were the stars of cities separated by much more than distance, were united one afternoon over momma's cooking.

It was during their famed Converse shoe commercial shoot in 1984 at Bird's childhood home in French Lick, Ind. Johnson flew in for the commercial, and between takes, the two began to talk.

But breaking bread did wonders for the conversation.

"Well, the great thing was, his mother could cook very well," said Johnson, laughing during a conference call yesterday arranged by the NBA as part of the runup to another Celtics-Lakers matchup in the Finals. "So we were standing there and we went up to Larry's house and his mother cooked lunch and so we had a great time.

"We had never really talked for a great length of time. We were really able to talk and get to know each other."

Johnson said they started to see similarities in their Midwestern backgrounds and family values.

"I really got to know him as a man and not the great, great basketball player," Johnson said.

They seemed destined to be friends despite the differences. Magic had the glitz and glamour of Hollywood; Bird represented the blue-collar working class of Boston. But through their repeated matchups - starting with the 1979 NCAA title game, when Magic's Michigan State Spartans topped Bird's then-undefeated Indiana State Sycamores - they became forever linked and developed a mutual respect.

"We did get to know one another," Bird said. "I had a lot of friends of mine were big Magic fans, thought he was the type of player you'd never be able to see again. I had so much respect for him, how he handled himself, how his teams played. He was the man with the ball."

Bird is well-known for consoling Johnson when the former Lakers star announced in 1991 that he was HIV-positive. According to wire reports, Magic called Bird days before making the announcement.

"Bird took it tough," Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach said at the time. "You could tell. They were close."

Bird spoke two days later about his friend's diagnosis.

"These have been the two toughest days for me since my father died," Bird said then. "I've been sort of out of it. I can't believe what happened. He's a friend and a competitor."

Yesterday, the two lauded each other's accomplishments and the Celtics-Lakers rivalry during the nearly 40-minute call. It was a time for recalling old memories and poking friendly jabs. Johnson brought up the 1977 World University Games, when both players were on the second team - and neither felt they deserved to be.

"Remember, Larry?" said Johnson. "We killed the starters."

Bird laughed, surely remembering.

"We were on the second team and we always beat the starters in scrimmage," Johnson said.

Bird remembered feeling down when Houston's Ralph Sampson hit the winning shot in Game 5 of the 1985-86 Western Conference semifinals, ending the Lakers' season.

"I know all of us felt down a little bit because we weren't going to be able to play the Lakers again," Bird said, laughing.

Johnson had a quick comeback.

"That's funny," Johnson said. "We felt the same way when you guys lost against Detroit or whoever."

"I don't remember the losses," fired back Bird, "I only remember the wins."

"You still crazy, LB," Johnson said.

As for the latest renewal of their teams' rivalry, when asked who would win, Bird deferred to the "whoever plays the best" line, but he noted that Kobe Bryant's championship experience could hurt the Celtics.

"He's such a steadying force for the rest of the players," said Bird.

Johnson said the bench play would be a major factor in the series. He also said that it wouldn't come down to Paul Pierce vs. Kobe Bryant, but the matchups involving Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom would be key.

"Whoever wins those battles, I think, is going to end up winning, because it's always the other guys," he said.

Johnson said he and Bird are coming out with a book next year, to be co-written by former Globe writer Jackie MacMullan.

Bird said camaraderie between opposing players was almost nonexistent in his era, but he always felt a certain respect for Johnson because of the way he ran those Lakers teams. They were rivals on the court but have become longtime friends.

"It all started in '84 and it has carried on now to 24 years later," Bird said.

Johnson chimed in, "Exactly."