CIMPLE – A Curious Introvert's Musings & Photos about Life and Enjoyment

My love of basketball and March Madness began when Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined the Michigan State Spartans, coached by Jud Heathcote, in 1977.  Magic Johnson, in his first season, led the MSU Spartans to their first Big Ten Title in 11 years and the Spartans made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 years where they lost to the eventual champions, Kentucky, in the Mideast Regional game.  I still remember the excitement of watching Magic Johnson, Jay Vincent and Greg “Special K” Kelser and in Magic’s sophomore season he led the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA Championship game where they defeated Indiana State, led by Larry Bird.  Magic Johnson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and entered the NBA draft where he was the drafted first by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bird-Magic NCAA Championship led to a wonderful NBA rivalry, my favorite NBA era, with Larry Bird leading the Boston Celtics  to three championships and Magic Johnson leading the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships.  The greatness of March Madness has continued throughout the years and some of my other favorite memorable tournaments were the 1983 NCAA Championship game with N.C. State, coached by Jim Valvano, defeating Houston 54-52 on a last second shot, the 1987 NCAA Championship game where Keith Smart made a last second shot to lead the Indiana Hoosiers over Syracuse, watching the University of Michigan’s Fab Five in the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Tournaments (even if the story did not have a good ending, I thought it was some of the most exciting basketball since Magic Johnson’s days), the 2000 NCAA Tournament with the MSU Spartans, led by Mateen Cleeves, defeating Florida in the championship game, and the heartbreaking 2009 NCAA Tournament when the MSU Spartans, before a home crowd, lost to North Carolina.  I have to wrap up the basketball memories for this blog in order to watch the Big Ten Championship (Go Spartans!!), the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection show on CBS and then switching to ESPN to watch Bracketology.