MAGIC & BIRD: A COURTSHIP OF RIVALS

(HBO, Saturday, March 6, 8 p.m.)

By Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 3/1/2010 10:44:00 AM

■ ■ ■ ■ 1/2 HBO Sports is well known for top-notch documentaries, but its latest project, Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, is a true slam dunk.

The documentary effectively chronicles one of basketball’s most competitive and unique rivalries through traditional video clips interspersed with interviews from family members, former teammates and journalists.

What makes this a standout are the personal reflections from the two hall of famers of their years as competitors, from their storied college rivalry through their championship battles in the National Basketball Association and, ultimately, their unmistakable friendship in later years.

Note the openness of the notoriously reticent Bird in discussing his relationship with Magic — at times adversarial, at times compassionate — especially during Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted the HIV virus.

Johnson’s discussion of that difficult time — and his emotional reaction to a phone conversation with Bird about his impending public announcement and retirement — is a very poignant and unforgettable point in the documentary.

Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel rightfully credits Magic and Bird as saving and reviving the NBA during the 1980s. Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals nicely documents the great on and off-the-court contributions that both men have made to the sport. It’s a must see for hard-core basketball fans and a great watch for casual viewers as well.