如果“魔术师”约翰逊为芝加哥公牛队效力会怎样？

从1966年到1984年，NBA采用抛硬币的方式来决定选秀状元，这与现在的乐透制度相去甚远。

The 1979 NBA Draft coin flip that sent Magic Johnson to the Los Angeles Lakers is widely regarded as one of the most pivotal moments in basketball history. But what if the coin had landed differently, sending Magic to the Chicago Bulls instead?

1979 年 NBA 选秀的硬币翻转将“魔术师”约翰逊送到了洛杉矶湖人队，这被广泛认为是篮球历史上最关键的时刻之一。但如果硬币以不同的方式落地，将魔术师送到芝加哥公牛队呢？

During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Magic shared his thoughts on the possibility. "You know, it was a coin flip to see if I would play for the Bulls or the Lakers," he said. "I'm happy it turned out the way it did. You know why, Jennifer? Because then it would be no Michael [Jordan] in Chicago and no Magic in LA. So, it worked out."

在詹妮弗·哈德森秀中，魔术师分享了他对这种可能性的想法。 “你知道，这就像抛硬币一样，看我会为公牛队还是湖人队效力，”他说。 “我很高兴事情变成了这样。你知道为什么吗，詹妮弗？因为那样芝加哥就没有迈克尔[乔丹]，洛杉矶就没有魔术师了。所以，事情成功了。”

If Magic had indeed joined the Bulls, it's highly unlikely that Michael Jordan would have ended up in Chicago. With the success that Magic would've brought to the franchise, they wouldn't have had the third pick in the 1984 Draft to select Jordan.

如果魔术师确实加入了公牛队，那么迈克尔·乔丹就不太可能最终来到芝加哥。有了魔术师给球队带来的成功，他们就不会在 1984 年选秀中在第三顺位选择乔丹。

A lot of credit for Magic's success in LA is given to the team that played around him, especially Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, one can't deny the fact that Magic was a formidable force from the moment he joined the league. He won an NBA title, Finals MVP, and made an All-Star appearance within a year of joining.

魔术师在洛杉矶的成功很大程度上归功于他周围的球队，尤其是卡里姆·阿卜杜尔·贾巴尔。然而，不可否认的是，魔术师从加入联盟的那一刻起就是一股强大的力量。他赢得了 NBA 总冠军、总决赛 MVP，并在加入后一年内入选全明星。

Of course, it is also true that he would not have won a title with the Bulls in his rookie year. At the time, the Bulls had a weaker roster compared to the Lakers. With the likes of Artis Gilmore, Mark Landsberger, Scott May, Ollie Johnson, and Reggie Theus, they were in dire need of a point guard.

当然，他在新秀年也不会随公牛队赢得总冠军，这也是事实。当时，公牛队的阵容比湖人队要弱。拥有阿蒂斯·吉尔摩、马克·兰茨伯格、斯科特·梅、奥利·约翰逊和雷吉·特乌斯这样的球员，他们迫切需要一名控球后卫。

Magic, one the greatest point guards in the history of the game, would have completed the Bulls puzzle perfectly. He would have had a phenomenal first season, the title notwithstanding.

魔术师是篮球史上最伟大的控球后卫之一，他本可以完美地完成公牛队的拼图。尽管获得了冠军，他的第一个赛季还是会表现出色的。

And if he was then able to turn things around within the next couple of years, the Bulls would have moved on from building a good team to finding star players from other teams to forge a championship-winning side.

如果他能够在接下来的几年内扭转局面，公牛队就会从建立一支优秀的球队转向从其他球队寻找明星球员来打造一支夺冠球队。

But would the Bulls have found someone like Kareem to be by Magic's side chasing championships?

但公牛队会找到像卡里姆这样的人陪伴魔术队追逐总冠军吗？

For sure, yes. Magic did most of the heavy lifting in his prime. And, any great two-way player would've provided the support he needed on the court.

当然，是的。魔术师在他的巅峰时期承担了大部分繁重的工作。而且，任何出色的双向球员都会在球场上提供他所需的支持。

Another point to ponder in this Magical (pun intended) Bulls-verse is Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird. Now that tussle is legendary, and pretty much part of NBA folklore. What would've happened to the classic rivalry had Magic gone to Chicago?

在这段神奇的（双关语）公牛队诗句中，另一个值得思考的点是约翰逊与拉里·伯德的竞争。现在，这场争斗已成为传奇，几乎成为 NBA 民间传说的一部分。如果魔术师去了芝加哥，这场经典的对抗会发生什么？

A lot of things in Magic's career would've changed if he had gone to Chicago instead of LA. But the rivalry between him and the great Bird would have still played out.

如果魔术师去了芝加哥而不是洛杉矶，他的职业生涯中的很多事情都会改变。但他和伟大的伯德之间的竞争仍然会继续下去。

However, instead of meeting each other in the Finals for the greatest show ever on the grandest of occasions, they would have battled each other in the Eastern Conference. Will that bring down its relevance and reverence in history? Possibly yes, for things are celebrated in retrospect when the occasion is grand, and the stakes high.

然而，他们不会在总决赛中在最盛大的场合相遇，呈现出有史以来最伟大的表演，而是在东部联盟相互较量。这会降低它在历史上的相关性和尊敬吗？可能是的，因为当场合盛大、赌注很高时，人们会在回顾时庆祝事情。

The Magic-Bird rivalry started much before they joined the league. The 1979 NCAA Championship game is considered to be a classic game in basketball history. The competition the world witnessed went on to change the game forever.

魔力鸟与魔力鸟的竞争早在他们加入联盟之前就开始了。 1979年NCAA冠军赛被认为是篮球历史上的经典比赛。全世界目睹的竞争永远改变了比赛。

Michigan State, led by Magic defeated Indiana State, led by Bird. The final scoreline read 75-64. At the time, it was the most-watched college basketball game ever. Magic grabbed the Most Outstanding Player title too.

魔术队带领的密歇根州立大学击败了伯德带领的印第安纳州立大学。最终比分是75-64。当时，这是有史以来收视率最高的大学篮球比赛。魔术师也获得了最杰出球员的称号。

When they entered the NBA, the rivalry only grew. So, if Magic had gone to Chicago instead of LA, the narrative would have remained. Just the setting would have changed. Imagine: a Boston-Chicago rivalry in the 1980s.

当他们进入NBA后，竞争只会愈演愈烈。因此，如果魔术师去了芝加哥而不是洛杉矶，故事就会保留下来。只是设置会改变。想象一下： 20 世纪 80 年代波士顿与芝加哥之间的竞争。

The late Dr. Jerry Buss played a massive role in Magic's journey — right from his rookie year to multiple championships and to his role now as a billionaire and owner of several teams. The former owner of the Lakers was very fond of his superstar.

已故的杰里·巴斯博士在魔术师的旅程中发挥了重要作用——从新秀年到多次夺冠，再到现在的亿万富翁和多支球队的老板。湖人队的前老板非常喜欢他的超级巨星。

During a 2019 interview with Uninterrupted, Magic said, “I owe a lot of it to Dr. [Jerry] Buss,” talking about his business success.

在 2019 年接受 Uninterrupted 采访时，魔术师在谈到他的商业成功时表示，“我要感谢 [杰里] 巴斯博士”。

He revealed that Dr. Buss used to hand him books to read and teach him how the business of sport works even when he was a young player at the franchise.

他透露，即使当他还是球队的年轻球员时，巴斯博士也常常递给他书籍让他阅读并教他体育事业如何运作。

Back to fantasy: what would have happened to this layer of Magic's legacy if he went to Chicago? There isn’t a clear-cut answer to this. It is likely that he would have gotten similar support from Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Bulls.

回到幻想：如果他去了芝加哥，魔术师的这一层遗产会发生什么？对此没有明确的答案。他很可能会得到公牛队老板杰里·雷因斯多夫的类似支持。

Last but not the least comes the coach part. There is no doubt the great Pat Riley had a role in how Magic and the Lakers achieved so much in the 1980s. That wouldn't have happened if he had gone to Chicago because, at the time

最后但并非最不重要的是教练部分。毫无疑问，伟大的帕特·莱利在魔术师和湖人队在 20 世纪 80 年代取得如此巨大的成就中发挥了重要作用。如果他去了芝加哥，这种事就不会发生，因为当时