The 1979 Final Four was the start of something big for Magic and Larry

As Americans obsess over the National Collegiate Athletic Administration (NCAA) basketball tournament, one should look to the history of the Final Four- and specifically, the 1979 contest between Michigan State University (MSU) and Indiana State (ISU) - to grasp how a game can change the paths of two very separate and equal lives.

The championship game pitted junior Larry Bird and the 33-0 Indiana State Sycamores against "super soph" Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans.

Although he originally signed on with the University of Indiana, Bird left school after less than a month when he determined that he was unequipped to handle the transition from rural French Lick, IN to the high-profile basketball program. Bird returned home, enrolled at the Northwood Institute and worked for a municipal street-cleaning department before he attended ISU. In 1979, Bird was awarded the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), Naismith and Wooden player-of-the-year honors.

Lured by the promise that he could play guard and by the talent poll on the MSU roster, Lansing, MI native Johnson opted to attend hometown school. Johnson's Spartans reached the Elite Eight during his freshman year. Sports Illustrated dressed Johnson in a tux and 'tails, and dubbed him as the head of the "super sophs" class. Not aspiring to play professional basketball, Johnson eyed a career as a television commentator. But destiny had other ideas.

Bird and Johnson - or Johnson and Bird - met up on March 26, 1979 in what was then the most-watched NCAA championship game. MSU's defense clipped Bird's wings by holding ISU's scoring machine to 7/21 shots. Johnson scored 24 points, and the Spartans routed the Sycamores 75-64.

With the first pick of the 1979 National Basketball League (NBA) draft the Los Angeles Lakers selected sophomore Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Five picks later, the Boston Celtics chose of the Missouri Valley Conference's greatest hoops stars... Larry Bird. Boston versus Los Angeles, Magic versus Bird. Earning $650K, Bird became the highest-paid rookie in NBA history. Bird recharged a declining franchise; the Celtics went 61-21 during the 1979-1980 season. Leading the Celtics in scoring (21.3 points per game). rebounds (10.4 per game) and steals (143), Bird captured Rookie of the Year honors. The Celtics fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference championships.

Playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists in the 1979-1980 season. The Lakers went 60-22 and won the NBA Western Conference title. Vying against the 76ers, the Lakers took a 3-2 lead into Game Six of the NBA Finals. However, Jabbar was unable to play because of an ankle sprain... and Johnson was slotted to play center. Scoring 42 points, Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA Championship and became the first rookie to capture the series' Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.

During the following season, Bird and the Celtics captured the NBA title in a six-game series with the Houston Rockets. Bird averaged 15.3 points per game in the first of his three championship titles. Johnson won his second MVP series award when the Lakers captured the 1982-1983 league title.

The Celtics and Lakers played in their first - and long-awaited - NBA finals in 1984. Averaging 27.4 points, Bird led the Celtics over the Lakers in the seven-game series, and won MVP series honors. In a rematch the following season the Lakers beat the Celtics in six games.

It was understandable that Johnson and Bird grew to dislike - if not hate - each other. The bitter rivalry was unavoidable and inevitable. Their presences in Boston and Los Angeles "rekindled the fire" of the two franchises. The NBA's dynamic duo could have continued to loathe each other. But a game-changing- life-changing, really - moment occurred in 1985 when the pair filmed a television commercial for Converse in French Lick, IN. Amazingly, Bird and Johnson never conversed - bitter rivals have little to say. Johnson accepted an invitation to lunch at Bird's house. Bird's mother greeted her son's greatest rival with a hello and a hug. As the two men broke bread, they realized how much in common they shared as Midwesterners who grew up poor and saw basketball as their paths to success. Hatred was stripped away and replaced by a deep-seeded friendship.

The professional rivalry lived without the personal venim. Los Angeles prevailed over Boston during the NBA finals in 1985. Boston defeated the Houston Rockets the following year. Los Angeles won titles in 1987 (against Boston) and 1988 (Houston).

When Johnson learned that he contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), he contacted Bird. Unlike some NBA stars whom Johnson informed and considered close friends, Bird stuck up for his former rival. Attempting to bolster his friend's spirits, Bird called Johnson on the telephone, sent encouraging or funny notes. Johnson and Bird comprised a "dream team" of United States basketball players who won the gold medal during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Now, more than 30 years after the NCAA Championship that made them famous, Bird and Johnson remain tight and inseparable in their place in history... like peas and carrots, pie and ice cream, cheeseburger and fries. Their friendship serves as a reminder that the bitterest of rivals can become the best of friends when they discover their common humanity and recognize that the sum of their roles is greater than a singular contribution.