When Larry Bird and Magic Johnson's rivalry got compared to that of Raquel Welch and Marlyn Monroe

Since the 1979 NCAA Championship game, basketball fans have foreseen that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson have the potential to become bonafide superstars once they enter the NBA.

With each of them becoming the face of the Association's most fierce rivals, Bird going on to win the ROY award, whereas Johnson went on to win the Finals MVP in their rookie years, the eagerness to see them clash in the championship round only intensified. When those wishes were finally answered in the 1984 Finals, comparisons between Bird and Magic reached their peak, with some likening them to Raquel Welch and Marilyn Monroe.

Bird vs. Magic was bigger than their teams

In the ‘80s, both the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers boasted teams filled with superstars. However, NBA insider - Bob Ryan, who covered the former franchise in that era, knew that the ‘84 Finals series wouldn’t revolve around any other player but Larry and Magic.

Moreover, given the hype surrounding those two players finally going head-to-head on the biggest stage, Ryan felt it was impossible to shift the central subplot of that series from them.

"It's inevitable that this whole series will be viewed as a confrontation between the two of them," Ryan said . "That's an insult to Kareem and Kevin McHale and Parish, of course, but it's unavoidable."

They got compared to Hollywood stars

Pete Newell, a veteran basketball coach who guided Cal to an NCAA title in 1959 and later worked as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors at that time (1984), shared his perspective on the Larry vs. Magic comparison

According to him, these two players weren't just the best in basketball history but also embodied a level of rivalry akin to that of Welch and Monroe in the Hollywood realm.

"These are two of the greatest players we’ve ever had, and even though Magic’s a guard and Bird's a forward, they sure as heck realize there are going to be comparisons made," Newell said. "Naturally, they want to be at their best. If you were Raquel Welch and you lived across the street from Marilyn Monroe, you'd make damn sure you looked good every time you went out the front door."

Both players rightfully lived up to all the talk and showcased why they were indeed the two best basketball figures of that era. Even though the seven-game series had its own twists and turns, Bird and Magic led their teams from the front. While Larry averaged 27.4 points and 14.0 rebounds, the Lakers point guard logged 18.0 points and 13.6 assists per game in that series.

Related: "Basketball gods shined down on us" - Magic Johnson and Larry Bird reflect on their rivalry in a rare face-to-face interview