Back in the 70s, the NBA was on the decline. Many expected the league to go bankrupt and shut down soon. But the rise of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and their intense rivalry gave new life to the league. Their rivalry is called the greatest rivalry ever in NBA and even a Heat Legend accepts that while downplaying his rivalry with Michael Jordan.

Bird and Magic were the reason why the NBA became so popular again. The matches between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers attracted enormous attention because of it. Both players entered the league in the same year and they had already matched up in their college careers. They would go on to meet in the Finals three times.

Gary Payton called Bird-Magic rivalry the best snubbing his rivalry with Michael Jordan

Gary Payton is an NBA Hall of Famer who went up against Michael Jordan in his prime. Jordan and Payton met each other once in the Finals, in which Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were victorious. Payton was one of the few players who slowed down Jordan and he loved playing against ‘His Airness.’

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When asked if his rivalry with Jordan was the best, Payton replied in the negative. He said, “No, I don’t think so. I think Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is the greatest rivalry ever in the NBA. Me and Michael had battles. He played the East, and I played the West.”

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“Whenever we got together, everybody would like to see that. They knew I was the top defensive player, and he was the top offensive player. They wanted to see a challenge. It was great for me and great for him. He had a ball doing it and I had a ball doing it.”

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Jordan and Payton were a great matchup to see, but that was nothing compared to Bird and Magic. It was largely to the personal rivalry between the two players. Both of them wanted to do better than each other and they pushed each other on the court. And they were integral in reviving interest in a dying league.