See That HBO Special - Magic & Bird

I watched it with my son. Can’t say I didn’t have a lump when Larry spoke about finding out Magic had HIV. I knew he obviously respected Magic’s game but I had no idea how much respect he had for him as a person underneath it all.

The most amazing bromance of all time!

It really is a great documentary. It didn’t have that cheesy NBA video-like love story feel either. It touched on the personality flaws of each player. While I’ll always be a diehard C’s fan, and a Bird fan by extension, I was actually left with a greater respect for Magic after watching. I just kept thinking about how much things would have been different had Magic been a chest-bumping, look-at-me-but-don’t-dare-disrespect-me type of person. Bird continually admitted to snubbing Magic and (rudely even) shooting down Magic’s personal gestures during their playing days. Yet, I don’t ever remember reading about Magic trashing Bird in retaliation (like Isiah). While Bird had nothing to apologize for, and it was a tribute to his competitiveness, it took a big person on the other side to maintain the level of respect they had for each other.

On a side note, I hope Doc forces each and every Celtic to sit down and watch how Bird gave 100% of himself to the game, each and every game. Then realize how utterly ridiculous it is to even hint at getting bored during the regular season. Some may say Bird got bored (left-handed game), though he got bored dominating the same way, and decided to dominate a different way that day. The 2010 C’s pulled out the disinterested card after a couple of embarrassing losses. Long live Larry Legend. As Charles Barkley would say, Larry Bird would be rolling over in his grave if he heard that kind of Celtic excuse.