THE YOUNG Earvin (Magic) Johnson had several coming-out parties. One occurred on March 26, 1979, when, as a Michigan State sophomore, he outdueled an Indiana State hayseed named Larry Bird in one of the most memorable NCAA championship games ever. That announced that something special was on the way, for everyone knew Magic was bolting for the NBA after the season. The next pivotal moment came on Oct. 12, 1979, when, in his first game as a Los Angeles Laker, Magic leaped jubilantly into the arms of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the latter hit a game-winning shot, forcing even the stoic center to smile. That announced that something special had arrived.
But the most important date of all may have been May 16, 1980. On that Friday night at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the 76ers, the 20-year-old Magic moved from point guard to center, dominated every facet of the game and led the Lakers to their first championship since 1972. It remains the singular demonstration of all-around ability in the history of the Finals, perhaps in the history of basketball. And it announced nothing less than this: I'm here to save the game.
Some of the pieces of what the NBA would become were in place by then. Bird had arrived to resurrect the Boston Celtics and begin a cross-continental rivalry with Magic's Lakers. Julius Erving was still an oh-wow player whose Sixers would, three seasons later, win the championship. Young NBA lawyer David Stern was just starting to demonstrate the kind of imaginative thinking that would help "grow" the league (to use one of his favorite words) when he became commissioner in 1984.
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