THE NEW ALL-TIMER? : Experts Narrowly Vote for Magic to Break Up Jerry, Oscar

Some guys belong together, in our hearts and minds. Rodgers and Hammerstein, Huntley and Brinkley, Frick and Frack, Damon and Pythias, Crosby and Hope, Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner, Blanchard and Davis, the Smith Brothers . . .

And, of course, in alphabetical order, Jerry and Oscar.

Since the beginning of time, one almost non-debatable sports debate has been the selecting of the all-time pro basketball backcourt.

Some noisy Bob Cousy fans would invariably check in, a stray Walt Frazier freak or Hal Greer backer would make noise, and the Oscar and Jerry factions would latch onto one another’s throats, but when the dust cleared, you had two:

--Oscar Palmer Robertson, 6 feet 5 inches and 220 pounds, Cincinnati Royals 10 seasons and Milwaukee Bucks 4 seasons, lifetime statistics of 7.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 25.7 points. One season (1961-62) he averaged triple-doubles--30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 11.3 assists.

--Jerome Alan West, 6-3 1/2 and 185, Lakers for 14 seasons, lifetime statistics of 5.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 27.0 points.

If you missed ‘em, what can I tell you?

The Big O was a serious load, an oversized guard with a fluid-drive transmission. He always had the ball and went wherever he wanted to go with it. When he cocked back his right arm for his distinctive jumper, he looked like a waiter proudly delivering the main course--In Your Face Souffle Flambe.

Mr. Clutch (a.k.a. Zeke From Cabin Creek) had the reflexes of a hummingbird. His signatures were his quick-draw jumper, outstanding spring, and a boardinghouse-reach that created havoc on defense. As his first nickname indicates, he did his finest work in the small minutes of the big games.

And there they stood, Oscar and Jerry, alone together atop the all-time pedestal. Until now.

Now there is Magic.

Earvin Johnson has played eight-plus National Basketball Assn. seasons, collected four championship rings, an MVP trophy and all the other requisite hardware and ink. Beginning this season, Magic had career averages of 7.5 rebounds, 10.9 assists and 19.1 points.

That’s swell, but where do we put the guy? Does Magic belong up there on Mt. Olympus with the other two backcourt gods? If so, this mountaintop is too crowded. Somebody’s got to fall off. Who?

To answer these questions, 26 experts--coaches, players, ex-players, even a sportswriter--were called upon.

The consensus was that Magic Johnson has played himself into the Oscar-Jerry class. Now, when you talk about guards, by popular acclaim Magic is one of the holy trinity.

And the All-Time Two, by less-than-unanimous decree: West and Johnson.

“Two L.A. guys?” Dave Cowens moaned. “That would never stand up in a court of law.”

A few points regarding this survey:

--With all the waffling that went on among our experts, you would need a 10-gallon drum of maple syrup. The National Basketball Assn. is still a small family, and a lot of our experts clearly didn’t want to offend West or Robertson.

Despite being asked to name only two, just 14 of the 26 experts would actually narrow their all-time backcourt to two guys.

--You can’t take the coach out of the coach. Many of the experts would only match up two players based on compatibility of styles, even though it’s unlikely this All-Time team will ever actually take the court.

--Many of the experts would not compare players from different eras. You can’t compare apples and oranges, they said.

Now, to the debate.

“You watch Magic play right now, it’s hard to believe there ever was a better player,” Kevin Loughery said. “Now that Magic can shoot the outside shot with consistency, he’s as good as any player at that position, ever. . . . There’s nothing missing in his game.

“And he’s been on more championship teams. I couldn’t keep him off (the all-time backcourt), his leadership is unbelievable. Then I’d have to flip a coin (between West and Robertson).”

There was a pause in the phone conversation as Loughery actually flipped a coin.

“West,” he said.

Loughery and Wilt Chamberlain both pointed out a difference in eras that favors Magic: In the ‘60s, the center was the dominant player. Today, because of different defenses, point guards and other non-centers tend to dominate.

“The middle has opened up to allow players to go in and show their stuff,” Chamberlain said. “Today’s game would suit Jerry better. He’s quicker, he had explosive power, he’d get to the basket better. I can remember blocking almost no Oscar shots, which means he didn’t come in there.”

So pick two, Wilt.

“I can’t, there’s no way I can. I really wish I could. (Pause) But if I had to, I’d probably start Jerry and Magic. That’s in today’s (style of) game.”

Sportswriter Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe also pounded the modern-game theme.

“You can’t play transition basketball with Oscar,” Ryan said. “That’s the one technical rap you can hang on him. The all-time team has to be a running team, because in the best of all basketball worlds, you want a running team. There has never been a great set-up team that could beat a great running team. Oscar was the greatest individual technician, but there was that one little gap--he wasn’t a great runner. . . . West and Magic would be an ideal pairing.”

Billy Cunningham concurred.

“If someone said Magic is the greatest of all time, I couldn’t disagree,” Cunningham said. “If you have a running team, you’ve got to have Magic. If you have a set-up team, you’ve got to have Oscar. It depends on what you need. If you need rebounding, you’ve got to play Oscar and Magic. If it’s perimeter shooting, you need West. Jerry has better ability to play both (point guard and off-guard) positions. With the way today’s game is played, I’d probably take Magic and West.”

Some experts, out of respect for the old guys, are waiting until Magic retires.

“My choice would be Cousy and West,” Tom Heinsohn said. “Cousy was the greatest initiator of offense that ever played the game. Oscar was better at initiating his own offense, and when that didn’t develop, he would get the ball to someone else. Cousy went about it the other way around.

“Magic is exactly that type of player (like Cousy). His prime motivation is being creator of offense for other people. On my all-time team, Magic is about to usurp Cousy, if he can continue to perform for the length of his career.

“I’d probably give the advantage to Magic if I was going to start a team. He gives you a rebounder, so he gives you more than Cousy did, although he’s not as creative as Cousy was.”

Many of the experts gave Magic extra credit for winning championships. During his eight-season tenure, the Lakers have won four NBA championships. West and Robertson had one each, and not until teamed up with dominant centers (Wilt with West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Robertson). On this topic, Happy Hairston presented the minority opinion.

“Jerry and Oscar never had the supporting cast Magic did,” Hairston said. “Oscar had Wayne Embry at center, Jerry had guys like Gene Wiley. Like Casey Stengel said, ‘I couldn’t have done it without the players.’ How many players have had as much talent around them as Magic?”

The league, Hairston pointed out, is bigger now and the talent more diluted.

“We (the ’72 Lakers) won 33 consecutive games,” Hairston said. “If Sacramento and the Clippers had been in the league then, we’d have won 55 in a row. Half the teams today don’t even have centers. You gotta look at the talent. Give Jerry and Oscar (teammates like) Worthy and Cooper, and Kareem in his prime, and (doggone), forget about it.”

Many of the experts, however, went more on emotion than cold logic.

“I look at Oscar and Jerry, and it’s total captivation of the game,” Downtown Freddie Brown said. “They just took you right off your feet, aesthetically, and now there’s Magic.

“I’d definitely put Magic in the same category, he’s on a pace that’s unbelievable. What’s so disturbing about Magic is he makes the guys on the other team excited. It’s a thrill being on the same court with the guy, and that affects your game.”

Freddy’s Twosome?

“If I had to pick? Oscar and Magic. But I love Jerry West.”

Also taking the gut approach were Lenny Wilkins and Don Chaney.

“Those guys (West and Robertson) controlled the outcome of games, and Magic can do that, too,” Chaney said. “If he feels he wants to take over a game, he definitely can.”

Lenny Wilkens, who refused to pick two, did comment. “Magic not only has been influential to his team, but he has influenced the whole league,” he said.

Gene Shue also scored Johnson high on the thrill-o-meter, saying: “I love Magic’s enthusiasm, his love for the game. Oscar didn’t have that kind of personality. Neither did West. It’s just a love, it’s his style. He’s much more exciting, there’s no comparison.”

Perhaps the most analytical and thoughtful of the responses came from Mike Newlin, a former guard whose career spanned both eras.

“The way I’d look at the top guards,” Newlin said, “the greatest ones are those who had the most impact on their team, and you can’t say Oscar did. You’ve seen cases where one player has great numbers and the other guys on his team don’t play. Oscar was such a dominant player, he didn’t really make the other players play to their best. They became spectators somewhat, or subservient somewhat.

“Jerry West was dominant somewhat, but he was also the quintessential team player. He managed to bring the other players up to his level, where they could exploit his dominance. Oscar dominated so much, I think it took away from the other players’ assertiveness.

“My second guy would be Magic. His dominance includes everyone else on his team. Magic creates a play where it didn’t exist, he builds morale and motivates guys, blends ‘em in so it elevates their game. The guys Oscar played with--Jack Twyman, Adrian Smith, Jerry Lucas--I think would have had the same numbers with or without him. They (Royals) set it up, they went down and he (Robertson) went one-on-one. Give him credit, though, that’s not easy to do. Jerry would go one-on-one, but only for a short spurt.

“West did his job with dispatch. For him, it wasn’t mano-a-mano. You (guarding him) weren’t even part of the contest. He’d be alone in the gym, driven by execution, rather than a desire to beat the competition. Sheer execution. Magic kills you with kindness, West would kill you with cunning.”

Third on Newlin’s all-time list is Walt Frazier, “A mystical figure,” and Newlin ranked Robertson with Pete Maravich.

“With Pete, the other guys would watch. The game didn’t require all the talent Pete had, and he was like Elvis--never permitted to be normal. Other players were jealous of him, and he had a conscience and a kind heart. He needed a strong coach, to get the other players to support him.”

But we digress.

Robertson himself neatly ducked the question, saying wait until Magic is through playing. Cousy ignored the matter of backcourt chemistry and went with Robertson and Johnson.

“You can’t overlook Magic,” Cousy said. “Athletes keep getting bigger and better, and if I believe that, that today’s athlete is better, I’ve got to say Magic and someone. Maybe Magic and Oscar. He (Robertson) was the prototype. He simply did everything, his game was all-encompassing.”

Sorry, Cous, you’re outvoted. The All-time backcourt, by decree of our experts, is Magic and Mr. Clutch.

It’s settled, then?

We can dismiss as troublemakers guys such as Jerry Sloan, who would stay with West and Robertson, and “I’d move Magic to forward.”

And we’ll throw out Cowens’ legal appeal. Meeting adjourned?

OK, one last hand, in the back. Kevin Loughery?

“If he lasts 8 to 10 years,” Loughery said, “I’d put (Michael) Jordan in there with anyone.”

Some guys just like to cause trouble.

The Distinguished Panel

The panelist’s choice, if any, of an all-time backcourt, is listed in parenthesis.

Rick Barry, Larry Bird, Downtown Freddie Brown (Robertson-Johnson), Wilt Chamberlain (West-Johnson), Don Chaney, Doug Collins, Bob Cousy (Johnson-Robertson), Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham (Johnson-West), Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston (West-Robertson), Tom Hawkins (Johnson-West or Robertson-Cousy), Tom Heinsohn (Cousy-West), K.C. Jones (West-Johnson), Johnny Kerr, Kevin Loughery (Johnson-West), Calvin Murphy (Robertson-West), Mike Newlin (West-Johnson), Clifford Ray, Oscar Robertson, Bob Ryan (West-Johnson), Gene Shue, Jerry Sloan (Johnson-West), Rod Thorn, Wes Unseld, Lenny Wilkens.