Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports:
“What’s missing now is we don’t have great rivalries,” Magic Johnson said. “L.A.-Boston, people stayed home on Sundays. They couldn’t wait to see the games. We had all these great names playing against each other. And then we played the game the right way…So we need rivalries back in the game, because that’s what people come out to see. That’s what they’re passionate about.”
The only way to rekindle relevant rivalries like the Lakers-Celtics matchups in the ’80s or the Chicago-Detroit series’ in the ’90s, Johnson said, is through the playoffs.
“You got to get in the playoffs and those teams got to be consistent,” Johnson said. “Right now, when you think about Dallas and San Antonio, they don’t like each other. I like that. I want to see you scratching and clawing and fighting. Phoenix and San Antonio, they don’t like each other. That’s what we need. We see some of it going on, but we need more of it.”
