“You Control Him”: Celtics Legend Who Swept Michael Jordan in the Playoffs, Reflected on How the NBA Legend Differed From Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

In the starting days of Michael Jordan, there were still two other superstars who dominated. And that was Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Before Jordan came off age, Bird and Magic were the talk of the league. And a former player of the Boston Celtics, who swept Jordan in the playoffs, says how Jordan and these two stars were different.

Jordan came into the league in 1984, a time when the Celtics and the Lakers were fierce rivals. Bird and Magic were the faces of the NBA, and they locked in one of the greatest rivalries in NBA history. But there was a new kid in town who was trying to take their place at the top. However, that was still a few years from now, as Jordan was yet to realize his full potential.

Former Celtics legend says Magic and Bird contributed more than Michael Jordan

It was very evident from his first year that Jordan was one of the premier players in the NBA. But his team still had a long way to go, and it showed in the playoffs. In his first year, the Bulls were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks.

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And in the next two years, they faced the Boston Celtics, and both times they were swept. Jordan put in some all-time great numbers, but his team still had a long way to go to challenge for the title.

And Celtic legend Kevin McHale, who was part of those teams, talked about how Jordan was different from Bird and Magic. He says,” Here’s the difference between those three, and I saw it many, many times. Larry and Magic could control the game by taking 10 shots. They’d have 17 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals.”

“If you got Michael Jordan to take 10 shots, you control him”

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Jordan was primarily a scorer, while Magic and Bird had other attributes to their game. And for some time Jordan had trouble in the playoffs. But once he figured it out, there was no one stopping him. Jordan won six titles in a span of eight years and he revolutionized the game. And he is arguably the greatest to ever play. He may have had to deal with a learning curve in the start, but Jordan did eventually learn how to win in the end.