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The two were asked about the Knicks' out-of-the-blue sensation Jeremy Lin, from Harvard, and about the league's runaway MVP leader this year, James.

Bird: Lemme tell you, this LeBron is about as good as I've ever seen. I seen players that were so unselfish like him, but not as good as him.

Magic: I think he's the best player in the NBA right now.

Bird: People are on him about no rings, but these championships don't come to your house and knock on the door. Anything can happen. Dallas got some lucky breaks or Miami woulda beat them. LeBron passes the ball and takes some crap for it ... I don't know what's going on with (him in) the fourth quarter. Some guys get shaky at the end of a game. I never felt that. I had it before a game, yeah.

Reilly: You used to get sick beforehand.

Bird: Yeah, but it stopped once I stepped on the court. I never stepped up to the free throw line and said, "Oh, Jesus! What's going to happen to me?" People ask me, "What were you thinking about during the game?" And man, my mind was a million miles away. "Did I turn off the stove? What's my grandma doing tonight?"

Magic: You had ice water in your veins. You scared everybody. Look, not everybody can play the fourth quarter. Not everyone can be the hero or the goat. A lot of guys can't recover from blowing the game. But that is what made Larry special.

Reilly: Why didn't you sign Jeremy Lin? (Bird is the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers.)

Bird: I don't care what anybody says, nobody knew what that kid was going to be. I only heard about him one time. Our Northeast scout came to me two years ago. It's the only time I ever heard one word about the kid.

Reilly: What did the scout say?

Bird: "This kid can really play."

Reilly: And ... ?

Bird: I didn't want somebody on the team who's that much smarter than me!

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Dallas got some lucky breaks or Miami woulda beat them.

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