{"id":1361501,"date":"2021-05-10T15:32:34","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T19:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1361501"},"modified":"2021-05-10T16:30:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T20:30:39","slug":"magic-johnson-larry-bird-were-teammates-before-famous-rivalry-ever-began","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/magic-johnson-larry-bird-were-teammates-before-famous-rivalry-ever-began\/","title":{"rendered":"Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Were Actually Teammates Before Their Famous Rivalry Ever Began"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It's essentially impossible to discuss Magic Johnson<\/a> or Larry Bird<\/a> without mentioning the other, isn't it? And there's certainly good reason for that as the two engaged in one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, a rivalry that began with their duel in the 1979 NCAA title game and continued at the professional level as Magic's Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> and Bird's Boston Celtics met three times in the NBA Finals in the 1980s and were responsible for eight of the 10 titles won over the course of the decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But once their rivalry was complete, Magic and Bird famously teamed up as members of the 1992 Dream Team<\/a> that won gold at the Barcelona Olympics. But what some may not know is that before any<\/em> of the events named above took place, the two teamed up for the USA Men's World Invitational Tournament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird battled for the 1979 NCAA title and three times in the NBA Finals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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