When the Game Was Ours

I am an occasional sports fan (think Olympics, World Series, and the Kentucky Derby if I am home and remember it).  However, I find stories about sportsmen (and women) very compelling.  I found When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, and Jackie MacMullan to be compulsive reading and a darn tootin' good story! 

Unlike even the most casual of basketball fans I did not know that Larry and Magic had their first battle not on the famous Boston parquet floor but in 1979 at the Finals of the NCAA tournament. Magic and his Michigan State team prevailed over Larry and Indiana State. In When the Game was Ours we really hear what Larry and Magic think about the glorious game of basketball, their teams, the rivalry they have had over the years, and the abiding friendship that did indeed develop between them. The important stuff is here. We hear about Larry's intense drive and his demands on his teammates. The devastating news that Magic had the HIV virus and how his fellow players reacted is touched on.

For me the pinnacle is the 1992 Olympic Dream Team experience, which were the last games Larry played.  There is (for the more sports-minded readers) descriptions of plays and games that both men found memorable. We are also given a glimpse of life for both of them after their playing days were over.  There are two sections of pictures that go through the years with the two players - the back cover picture of a grinning Magic decked out in a Celtics t-shirt at Bird's retirement event is my favorite.

We are reminded in this book that these two players were instrumental in raising public enthusiasm for NBA basketball, and creating the environment for Michael Jordan to come in and create the absolute frenzy that was basketball fever in the 1990's.  We are also reminded that Larry and Magic were something that does not seem to be as important to many players in the NBA in this era - team members, who were smart, talented, and driven always for their team to win, not just concerned with ratcheting up points for their personal statistics.

-Vicki