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EXCERPT | April 2, 1979
The Magic Show
Earvin Johnson led Michigan State to the NCAA title
The rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson got its start on March 26, 1979, when the two met in what is perhaps the NCAA tournament's most famous championship game. Larry Keith reported for SI.
Last Monday night Michigan State confirmed a notion that had been gaining credence as the NCAA tournament progressed and State rolled to one easy win after another. The Spartans, despite a 21--6 regular-season record, are a superb team, largely because of their perfect mix of superstars in the spotlight and supernumeraries in the shadows. Together they accomplished what Earvin Johnson and Gregory Kelser could never have done by themselves—indeed, what no team had been able to do this season. The Spartans caged Larry Bird and ended the 33-game winning streak of Indiana State 75--64 to win their first national basketball title.
For Bird, the word in Salt Lake City was frustration. He missed shots, he committed turnovers and he failed to find the open man. He also needed what Johnson and Kelser had, a supporting cast of bit players who could come up with the critical basket or rebound. Yes, Johnson scored 24 points and Kelser 19 in the final, but a little lefthanded guard named Terry Donnelly popped in 15 points and a substitute center named Ron Charles grabbed seven rebounds.
In the end Bird and his teammates were left with a 33--1 record, which was about 10 games better than anyone had predicted for them, and a dream that very nearly came true.
Bird, a senior, and Johnson, a sophomore, both turned pro after the game. They faced off three times in the NBA Finals (1984, '85 and '87), with Magic's Lakers twice defeating Bird's Celtics.
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Editor's Choice
Final Four Bound
SI's Seth Davis examines how Da'Sean Butler and West Virginia KO'd No. 1 seed Kentucky to reach the school's first Final Four in 51 years
West Virginia was the most impressive team in last Saturday's Elite Eight action. This is not a knock on Butler, which beat Kansas State 63--56 for a spot in the Final Four against Michigan State, but the Mountaineers faced a tougher opponent and looked like a champion, dictating how the game was played. You can criticize the young Wildcats for taking so many threes (32), but West Virginia didn't give them an opportunity to do much else. That was the Mountaineers' strategy: Cut off Kentucky's passing lanes, eliminate its driving lanes and choke off the post. It's impossible to penetrate against a 1-3-1 zone. West Virginia dared the Wildcats to win it from beyond the arc, and obviously they couldn't. Meanwhile, Butler (above) hit four of WVU's 10 triples. The Mountaineers perfectly executed their game plan, and now they're in the Final Four.
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Shining Moments
1966
Texas Western, led by 5'9" guard Bobby Joe Hill's 20 points, upset Kentucky 72--65 in the title game. The Miners were the first team with an all-black starting lineup to win the NCAAs.
1985
Villanova, which shot 78.6% from the floor in the championship game, pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in tournament history by stunning No. 1 Georgetown 66--64.
1992
Duke, behind the steady leadership of point guard Bobby Hurley, became the first team in 19 years—since UCLA in 1973—to repeat as NCAA champion, with a 71--51 win over Michigan.
GALLERIES
March Madness Mascots
Bucky Badger Wisconsin
Pistol Pete Oklahoma State
The Wildcat Kentucky
Paydirt Pete UTEP
PHOTO
Photograph by JAMES DRAKE
MAKING A POINT Bird entered the Final Four as the NCAA Player of the Year, but Magic was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
PHOTO
JAMES DRAKE
PHOTO
CARL SKALAK
PHOTO
MANNY MILLAN
THREE PHOTOS
JOHN BIEVER (BUTLER, PISTOL PETE, BILLUPS)
PHOTO
BILL FRAKES (BUCKY BADGER)
PHOTO
BOB ROSATO (THE WILDCAT)
PHOTO
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (PAYDIRT PETE)
PHOTO
AL TIELEMANS (HARVIN)
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (BYFUGLIEN)
