Did you see what Larry Bird did tonight? Pat Rileys used genius tactic which included C
Throughout his illustrious Hall of Fame career, Magic Johnson consistently competed at the same elite level as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. It goes without saying that the prospect of outperforming these two legendary players always fueled Magic’s motivation. Pat Riley recognized this, and he devised a clever strategy to harness it.
Even long after retiring from the NBA, Johnson could recall with great clarity how Riley would purposely incite his competitive fire by reciting Larry Bird’s and Michael Jordan’s impressive statistics in the locker room hours before a game. This tactic often proved effective, delivering the desired outcomes that Riley sought.
In an old video clip, Johnson stated, “He knew that it was about Larry and Michael to me, I would get there, so he’s drawing up the game plan on the board, so he would say to Bill, to get me going, ‘Bill, did you see what Larry Bird did tonight? Wow, he had 40 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Now, I’m just steaming. Because he knows I’m sitting right there.”
Riley didn’t limit himself to Bird’s statistics as a source of motivation for Magic; he would also reference Michael Jordan’s impressive stats in Magic’s presence, igniting his competitive spirit regardless of the Lakers’ opponent. This strategy consistently yielded positive results.
Magic Johnson was driven by loyalty to his team
The pursuit of personal statistics didn’t drive Magic Johnson, and Pat Riley was well aware of this fact. Nevertheless, Riley also understood that Johnson possessed an enduring desire to outshine Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, even when direct matchups against them were not on the horizon.
Magic Johnson stands among the NBA’s all-time greats who remained loyal to his team and refrained from aligning with his fiercest rivals. Why did he make this choice? Besides that, the era didn’t emphasize the formation of super teams as it does today. Magic articulated that the mere thought of teaming up with legends like Bird or Jordan went against his style and mentality. This was a crucial aspect that Pat Riley successfully leveraged during their time together with the Lakers.
While Riley believed in maintaining high levels of competition to extract the best from his players, Magic emphasized that it went beyond mere competition for him. In a candid admission, Johnson revealed that some of him always relished the challenge of being the underdog and overcoming the best in the game.
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