On a Fun Night, Wilkins Has the Most Fun

Some fantasies don’t translate well into real life. It’s not that the concept isn’t good, just that sometimes it’s more fun to imagine the possibilities than realize them.

That seemed to be the case Sunday night when Magic Johnson--and lovers of basketball in attendance--were treated to the pleasure of seeing Johnson and Larry Bird playing on the same team for the first time since they entered the NBA in 1979.

The occasion was Johnson’s all-star game benefiting the United Negro College Fund, a good reason and cause for Johnson to live out his fantasy of playing with Bird. A sellout crowd of 12,500 at Pauley Pavilion couldn’t wait to see it, either.

Turns out Magic and Bird played well together--what else would you expect?--but they weren’t exactly scintillating. As familiar as Bird and Johnson are of each other’s game, they still lacked timing on many passes and moves.

They had their moments, though. In the first two minutes of the second half, Bird and Magic combined for three exceptional fast-break baskets. Bird scored on his usual assortment of three-point shots, off-hand drives and scoop shots, and Johnson scored on some solo forays that defied description. Johnson finished with 26 points, Bird 24.

But the Blue team, which featured Bird and Johnson, was beaten by the White team, 170-166, in a dizzying offensive display that had such a fast pace that even broadcaster Chick Hearn probably couldn’t keep up.

Most of the scintillation on this night was provided by Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons and Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks. Wilkins, nicknamed the Human Highlight Film, added a lot of footage to his video file. Wilkins scored by every means possible, stopping short of dunking with his feet. He did 360-degree spins, double pumps, set records for hang time and, as a change of pace, even sank a few conventional jump shots.

All told, Wilkins scored 40 points. Had he not been unselfish and pass a few times, Wilkins conceivably could have reached triple digits.

Still, Johnson and Bird thoroughly enjoyed being teammates, for once.

Said Bird: “It was great. I thought we worked well together, but there were a lot of other guys out there, too. Our team was OK, if we just got the ball to Magic and let him run it.

“You sit back and dream about doing something like this. But what I’ll dream about now is putting DJ (Boston’s Dennis Johnson) with Magic and me. That would be a dream team.”

Said Johnson, who has sort of become the Bob Geldof of the NBA: “Tonight was everything you thought it would be. At least, Larry and I gave it one shot together. We had fun out there. If anyone in the crowd was disappointed with what they saw, I’ll give them their money back.”

There probably will be no requests for refunds. And as if the 48-minute scoring orgy wasn’t enough to satisfy the fans--or Magic--a slam-dunk competition was held after the game. Not surprisingly, Wilkins and diminutive Spud Webb put on the best display, just as they had at last February’s NBA All-Star Game.

Some highlights (and humorous faux pas), from the game:

--Not even two minutes into the game, Wilkins went to work. Taking a perfectly timed lob pass from Thomas, he got his right elbow over the rim before completing the slam dunk.

--The next time down the court, Thomas tried the same play--except with a greater degree of difficulty. This time, Thomas attempted a bounce lob pass, but the ball caromed too high off the floor even for Wilkins to retrieve. The ball sailed out of bounds, but the crowd still cheered.

--One of the recurring scenarios of this game was tiny Webb’s attempt to break free for a breakaway dunk, which is clearly what the crowd wanted to see. Webb almost had it late in the first quarter, when he swiped the ball from Reggie Theus at midcourt. Only problem was that Webb had the ball stolen back from unsuspecting referee Tommy Nunez, thwarting a possible dunk attempt.

--Wilkins struck again with 7:27 left in the second quarter, taking another lob from Thomas and adding a new twist by cocking his right arm with the ball before slamming it.

--Less than a minute later, Charles Barkley showed his strength and considerable bulk. He grabbed a rebound and made a two-hand dunk with Johnson hanging on his back.

--Perhaps Wilkins’ best dunk of the night did not count. After a whistle stopped play, Wilkins rebounded a missed shot and grasped the rim with his left hand and administered a windmill dunk with his right hand.

--Webb had his second chance for that elusive dunk with a little more than three minutes left in the first half. Cliff Levingston, a teammate of Webb’s in Atlanta but an opponent on this night, let Webb loose for a breakaway, but the 5-foot 5-inch dynamo lost control of the ball on his way up.

--Spud redeemed himself later by blocking a Reggie Theus jumper and feeding Byron Scott for a layup.

--It took Wilkins 30 seconds in the third quarter to add another memorable dunk. This time, he did a double pump with his chest basket-high before dunking.

--The fourth quarter’s best highlight also proved to be the crowning moment of the game. First, Magic scored a left-hand layup from a difficult angle. Then, not more than five seconds later, Wilkins scored an even more difficult left-hand layup--and was fouled on the play.

--Webb had a final chance for a dunk with three minutes left in the game, but Thomas stood firm under the basket and took the charge.

Webb finally got his wish in the slam-dunk competition. He did a 360-degree reverse and then followed it with a reverse off the floor. Wilkins, however, matched him, dunk-for-dunk. The difference, however, was that Wilkins did his during the game.

Johnson seemingly had the most fun as the emcee of the slam dunk competition. After all, this was his fantasy night.