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Everybody wanted it. Everybody was talking about
it. And more people watched it unfold on national
television than any college game before or since.
On March 26, 1979, in the Special Events Center at
the University of Utah, Magic Johnson squared off
against Larry Bird for the first time. One year later,
they would take their show to the NBA, but on this
night the dream showdown between the two best
players in the country was on college basketball's
grandest stage - the NCAA Championship game.
Indiana State, the lesser-known school in the
Hoosier State, came into the contest riding a 33-
game winning streak thanks to the extraordinary
skills of Bird. Johnson was just as impressive, and
Michigan State had other college standouts Terry
Donnelly and the powerful Jay Vincent. The great
efforts and teamwork of Bird, Bobby Heaton, Carl
Nix and the rest of the Sycamores kept them
competitive, but in the end the Spartans won the
game 75 - 64. The Magic - Bird duel is still as
captivating now as it was then.
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