Just Another Milestone for Magic : All-Star game: He had never won this particular MVP award before, and Jordan has many years left to play, so why not?

And still the MVP . . .

The NBA ran short of likely candidates for its top All-Star honor Sunday, when seven members of the victorious East team were grouped between 12 and 17 points, in effect canceling each other out. A fan unfurled a banner that read “Where’s Bo?” but that was just a joke. Really.

When in doubt, the MVP can be safely awarded, and was, to Magic Johnson, whose team ruled the 1980s, who became the first guard since Oscar Robertson to win a regular-season MVP and then the only guard to win it twice, who started the ‘90s with an MVP of another kind.

“It’s like somebody who’s a great actor, who’s been nominated 100 times and never won the Oscar,” West Coach Pat Riley said, once again landing on the perfect Tinseltown metaphor.

“Maybe he got his and got it out of the way. I think they gave him the MVP award because they think he’s retiring in another year and he might never get it. This is his lifetime achievement award.”

Actually, this was said for Johnson’s benefit, since Magic was walking past, but there’s a germ of truth in this and all jokes.

The torch that passed to Johnson is headed for other hands.

Can you spell M-i-c-h-a-e-l J-o-r-d-a-n?

If you doubted it, you had only to watch the introductions of the players Saturday night, when Jordan walked down off the stand and Miami Arena exploded in flashbulbs, a reception far eclipsing that accorded anyone else.

All Johnson can do is delay the day. Preternaturally competitive, Magic sought to carry the fight to the younger man, challenging him to a one-on-one game. The league nixed it, but echoes remain, like when Magic got the ball the first time Sunday with Jordan on him, and Jordan fell off him, conceding the outside shot, and Magic looked at him . . . and smiled . . . and looked again . . . and cocked his head . . . and, still smiling, passed off.

Later they got into a little call-and-response:

Jordan, 17-footer.

Magic, driving layup.

Jordan, driving layup.

Magic, driving layup.

But then, on his next possession,, Jordan passed into the post to Kevin McHale, which is a foolproof way to make sure you’re not going to get the ball back, thus reasserting the team nature of their endeavor.

Didn’t Magic have enough problems?

The West was low on big men, so Riley kept matching him up against the East forwards. Johnson kept playing, and laughing and playing and laughing. This is an All-Star game, after all.

“It’s just like, Charles (Barkley) picked me up one time and threw me out of the ring,” Johnson said. “And told me I didn’t belong down there with him. And I told him that I agreed, but he was my assignment .”

In the interview room, Jordan, alluding to the league ban of their match, said he and Magic would “play in the back yard one day.”

Johnson: “All of you have invitations.”

East Coach Chuck Daly: “And I’m going to film it. And sell it.”

Fun, fun, fun, ‘til Mother Nature takes your career away. Magic’s 30 and if he’s feeling fit, he has only to look at his old chief rival, Larry Bird, struggling back from his season off, to know what’s possible.

And what ever happened to those other elder statesmen?

“I turned around,” Johnson said with a laugh, “and I was the oldest guy there. I said, ‘What happened?’ I was just the youngest guy 10 years ago.”

Ten years is what happened.

Does Magic resent the intrusions of impatient youth? Is that what this one-on-one thing was all about?

“I don’t think there’s a question there, because, you know, Michael is the best at what he does,” Johnson said. “And I feel I’m just as good as what I do. You can’t compare him to anybody in terms of scoring and just being exciting. But winning, that’s my category. That’s what I do best.”

Wouldn’t one-on-one have meant meeting Jordan on Jordan’s turf?

“Well, I’ve been playing one-on-one all my life,” Johnson said. “And one-on-one is different.

“You know, basketball is my turf, whether it’s one-on-one or one-on-five, or whatever it is. When you’re playing one-on-one, you’re playing basketball. So, that’s me.”

And in a while--short, long, whatever--it’ll be Jordan.

“Michael’s the next in line,” Johnson said. “You don’t hold it off. It’s like, Doc (Julius Erving) said, ‘Here.’ And I’m going to say, ‘Here.’

“And it’s a responsibility of more than just being on the basketball court. It’s off the court. It’s being the ambassador, the leader, the guy who is the NBA in terms of promoting it. Not just the Bulls but his team and everybody else.

“Doc did that and said, ‘Here, it’s time.’ That’s what I’m doing now. And Michael is right there, too. It’s almost like he’s doing it now, anyway. And he’s going to give it to somebody. And it’s nice to see guys like David Robinson and Patrick (Ewing). It’ll be their time one day. And on and on and on.”

It’s still Magic’s time and what a fine time it is.