This year is the 30th anniversary of Magic Johnson-led Michigan State’s win over Larry Bird’s Indiana State, the game many believed launched the Final Four to new heights.
In a packed news conference before Monday’s title game, Bird said he has never watched a tape of the 1979 loss, which has been replayed around here several times a day.
“Why?” Bird said. “Truthfully, I can remember a lot of the games I played in, especially that one.”
Johnson, who brought the ball out for Monday’s tipoff with Bird, said he understood.
“Just like I don’t watch ’84 when the Celtics beat us,” he said.
“Or ’85, ’87,” Bird quipped. “I don’t remember them years for some reason.”
Both players remember winning the 1979 semifinals — Michigan State beat Penn, and Indiana State beat DePaul — and going back to their hotel rooms wondering how they were going to stop the other one.
“I had some time by myself,” Bird said. “I was thinking, if I don’t score 40 points, we don’t have a chance to win.”
Johnson remembered watching Bird put up 40 on DePaul.
“We was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. What are we going to do to contain Larry Bird?’ ” Johnson said.
In Michigan State’s 75-64 win, Johnson had a game-high 24 points and Bird scored 19 on 7-for-21 shooting.
Notes
COACH’S CORNER
Walton can’t stop Ellington.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo put Travis Walton, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, on Wayne Ellington instead of Ty Lawson, as the Spartans’ Kalin Lucas is quicker and Izzo felt he’d have better success against Lawson. The matchup didn’t work. Ellington hit 7-of-12 shots for 19 points.
“He’s a great player,” Walton said. “He comes off screens hard. He gave you different looks. He stayed low to the ground. He’s long. He exploded.”
SENIOR MOMENT
Hansbrough happy he stayed.
NBA scouts say Michigan State does not have one first-round draft pick on its team, but Izzo will lose senior center Goran Suton and Walton. North Carolina coach Roy Williams loses senior forward Tyler Hansbrough, swingman Danny Green and, likely, junior point guard Lawson, the Tar Heels’ top NBA prospect. Ellington is a projected second- round pick.
“Coming back,” Hansbrough said, “I guess I made the right decision.”
TOURNEY’S BEST
Splitting honors.
Besides Ellington winning MVP, other members of the all-tournament team were Lawson and Hansbrough and Michigan State’s Lucas and Suton.
John Henderson, The Denver Post
