Who Else Could Have Been MVP? : Pro basketball: Players, coaches are moved by Johnson’s presence before the game and by his three-point punctuation to history.

“Where do I begin?” Magic Johnson said.

How about early Sunday afternoon in the West locker room at Orlando Arena, not long before the All-Star game?

“What a wonderful experience,” Coach Don Nelson said a couple of hours later. “I wish everyone could have been in our locker room. There was a tremendous amount of energy.”

Energy?

“You could sense the emotional feeling of Magic,” said Tim Hardaway, Nelson’s player with the Golden State Warriors and Johnson’s teammate for a day on the West. “You just wanted to go out there and play with him.”

So they did, but not before Johnson and longtime friend Isiah Thomas continued a ritual and kissed each other on the cheek moments before tipoff. On a pregame suggestion by Thomas, other players from the East followed, crossing midcourt to extended a hug, handshake or high-five.

“It was his show, his day,” Michael Jordan said.

Then they played. The West used a 14-0 run in the first quarter to grab a 37-25 lead.

“It was obvious everyone wanted to play well, not only for ourselves, but for Magic,” said Phoenix’s Jeff Hornacek, a member of the West squad.

They continued to play well. The West led, 79-55, at halftime, and Johnson had 16 of the points. Showtime revisited, doubters dismissed.

“I’m so glad he showed everyone he’s still got it,” Hardaway said. “My VCR was set. Believe me, I can’t wait to watch this one.”

The moment most worth watching came in the fourth quarter, with the game in hand and the day already belonging to Johnson. The three-pointer with 15 seconds left and the shot clock running down, the rainbow.

“He was off balance when he took that last shot,” Thomas said. “and I looked around and said, ‘There’s no way that’s going in.’ ”

It went in.

“Terrific, wasn’t it?” East Coach Phil Jackson said. “Meant to be. One of those days when God guided it through the rim.”

The clock ticked off the final seconds of the West’s 153-113 victory. Players from both teams congratulated Johnson, surrounding him just before the buzzer at about the same place as the pregame meeting. This Magic moment was history.

“It was unplanned, and it was unusual,” Jackson said. “And I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it again.”

Nelson, who had stood to the side and intently watch Johnson’s press conference two days earlier, was completely caught up in the happenings.

“I can’t remember anything I said,” he recalled of the final on-court scene only 45 minutes after being in the middle of the pack. “I was just so happy for him. He had a great day, and I knew then he was going to be the MVP.”

He knew, even before the balloting?

“Who didn’t know?” Nelson said.

Johnson won easily. Clyde Drexler, who had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, was mentioned on two of the 11 ballots, and was the only one who kept it from being unanimous.

“I would much rather have Magic as the MVP today than myself,” Drexler said. “It’s the best way to honor him.”

Johnson accepted the MVP trophy at midcourt and thanked Hardaway, who would have had his first All-Star game start had Magic not played, for understanding. Johnson said part of the award belonged to the Golden State guard.

“He’s a class player and a class person,” Hardaway responded. “I want to thank him for coming here and bringing everyone joy and happiness.”

Nelson was next door, soaking in the moment.

“Never have I been involved in anything like this in all the games I’ve seen as a player and a coach,” he said. “I have not been a coach in the (NBA) finals, but what took place here under these circumstances was terrific. It’ll be the highlight of my 2,500 games, I’m sure. I don’t remember more than 10 or 15 of them now, but when I retire, this will be No. 1 at the top of the list.”

Nelson probably wasn’t alone.

“When Magic announced that he was going to play, I was skeptical like everyone else at first,” Drexler said. “But once it was confirmed that everything was safe and he was going to play, everyone in the United States who knows anything about basketball was extremely happy with today.”