JOHNSON IN THE CLUTCH: DON'T CALL HIM MAGIC, JUST CALL HIM UNRELIABLE

Alexander Wolff

August 20, 1984

At long last we've settled the NBA world championship—like well-trained lab mice, we don't lapse into that inadequate appellation of yore, NBA playoffs—and we're about ready to consign to the archival microfiche the seven-game drama that the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics acted out for us last spring. But first, take a last look at one thing the series settled: Earvin (Magic) Johnson, L.A.'s superstar guard, simply is not a clutch player.