The Winner Is From the West, but Assist Came From the East

The manager of Magic Johnson’s most-valuable-player award campaign was on the phone from Boston. Naturally, he was proud and happy that his man had won.

“It wasn’t even close,” bragged the campaign manager.

The campaign manager is Larry Bird. So respected is Bird’s word around the National Basketball Assn. that when he mentioned in mid-season that Magic Johnson was clearly the league MVP, people started to take notice.

It wasn’t a big deal, just a sincere mention or two by Bird of the incredible job Johnson was doing with the Lakers. A word from Bird goes a long way in the basketball world.

Magic would have won the award anyway, but having Bird in his corner made it a landslide. Made it sort of official.

As usual, it was a case of Bird and Magic double-teaming the NBA.

They’ve been doing it for almost a decade. They’ve been the closest of rivals for the last nine seasons, including one in college. Bird won the NBA’s MVP award the last three seasons, but he knew he wouldn’t get this one.

“Me to Magic, there’s no comparison,” Bird said. “He started the season well and never let up. I got off to a slow start, had all the injuries, I couldn’t put together two or three months of really great basketball.

“Michael Jordan is a hell of a basketball player, he scored a lot of points, but I believe in the total game. When you look at the total game, nobody’s close to Magic.”

Since there is no higher authority on the game of professional basketball, with the possible exception of Magic himself, the case is closed.

So for Magic, there was nothing left to do Monday but enjoy. Laker management threw him an elegant press conference-luncheon party in the Forum Club, where there was to be a “surprise” announcement.

Atop the buffet table of cracked crab and oysters on the half shell was an ice sculpture spelling out “MAGIC.” Bird must have tipped off the sculptor.

Johnson was resplendent in a solid-blue double-breasted suit. He was gracious and upbeat. Some guys accept MVP awards with such a lack of joy and enthusiasm, they might as well be accepting a speeding ticket.

Magic accepted the award the way he plays the game. He enjoyed it. He seemed happy and proud. He dedicated the award to his father, and even put in a nice word for the little people behind the scenes, most notably his campaign manager.

“I should thank Larry Bird, for having a slightly off season,” Magic joked.

Johnson also said, appropriately: “I don’t know what it took to win the award.”

Nobody does know, exactly, what constitutes an MVP. Speaking of past seasons, Magic said: “I think I didn’t really deserve to win. I guess this year it was my turn.”

I guess so. All Magic has done this season is become a better player than he was his first seven seasons.

In retrospect, what he did seems simple. He was asked to score more points, so he did. He was asked to assume complete team leadership, so he did.

The fact that he did both those things so easily is what makes him the MVP. Laker Coach Pat Riley was standing in the wings as Johnson received his trophy.

“His willingness to score made everyone else better,” Riley said quietly.

Simple. As easy as MVP.

Also looking on was Mitch Kupchak, the rookie team executive who once played against and with Johnson.

“What amazes me most about Magic is he handles it real well, his position, his stature,” Kupchak said. “He is a genuinely nice guy to people--kids, adults. At airports, he signs autographs, talks to kids.

“He has a great opportunity to be aloof and arrogant, and he isn’t. He has gotten better about that over the years, and normally the opposite is the way it happens. The more famous a guy gets, the more unapproachable he is.”

Kupchak remembers the first time he saw Magic, playing in a high school all-star game.

“I didn’t know what to make of him,” Kupchak says. “He was just a big, talented kid. In the dunk contest, he did a 360 dunk. As far as him being a guard in the NBA, I couldn’t picture that at all.”

That’s because Magic’s particular position, 6-foot 9-inch power point guard; style of play and general attitude didn’t exist in basketball until he invented them. Maybe it has taken everyone a decade to catch on.

Now everyone is calling Magic the greatest. Or the most valuable, if there is a difference in those terms.

There is a tendency to get carried away with what a swell guy he is. We should remember that the MVP isn’t a citizenship award, and also that it’s not something that is likely to intimidate Laker opponents through the rest of the playoffs.

Magic still has something to prove, a personal title to back up, another ring to win.

The MVP, it’s simply a nice trophy. It means nothing, and it means a lot.