Magic Johnson and Larry Bird arrived on the national stage simultaneously, masters of their sport and of timing.

Thirty years later, the NCAA Tournament championship game between Johnson-led Michigan State and Bird's Indiana State team remains a historical turning point.

"The start of Camelot," the late coach-turned-TV analyst Al McGuire once called it. College basketball proved it could capture a nation even without the UCLA dynasty. A year later, Johnson and Bird brought the same kind of excitement and attention to a struggling NBA.

"This game happened to come along at the precise moment where it could have maximum impact," said Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, the author of When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball.

The reason, Davis said, was the coming explosion in college basketball and media. Later in 1979, the Big East would begin play, immediately becoming a powerhouse, and a cable entertainment and sports network began operation. Its name: ESPN.

How have things changed?

Davis noted that early in the broadcast, NBC studio host Bryant Gumbel told his audience, "If you've never seen Larry Bird, you're in for a treat."

Nowadays, high school seniors have more exposure.

The game itself lacked drama, with Michigan State posting a 75-64 victory.

"At the time, we had no realization of how the game would be seen in later years," Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote said by phone. "The game kind of was a springboard for the tournament becoming the event it has."

The impression was made, even to a high school senior in Hawaii.

President Barack Obama reminisced as he was picking his NCAA bracket last month.

"It was an unbelievable game, and, you know, reinvigorated not only college basketball, but ultimately pro basketball, as well," Obama told ESPN. "So for any kind of basketball fan, Indiana State-Michigan State, that still is one of the greatest games of all time."

The NCAA hasn't forgotten. Bird and Johnson will hold a news conference Monday and will present the game ball before the start of the championship game.

MAGIC JOHNSON

Then

Ht.: 6-9

Class: Soph.

Position: Point guard

Hometown: Lansing, Mich.

His season: While far from a finished package, Johnson was beginning to show how he would transform pro basketball as the first 6-9 point guard. He could already fill out a box score remarkably well, averaging 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game.

Later

NBA career: Johnson won five NBA titles as the triggerman for the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s. He was selected to the All-Star Game 12 times and earned three MVP awards. His presence helped make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team perhaps the most distinguished team in basketball history.

LARRY BIRD

Then

Ht.: 6-9

Class: Senior

Pos.: Forward

Hometown: French Lick, Ind.

His season: Bird was already a star, good enough to have been taken by Boston in the previous NBA draft. But Terre Haute wasn't exactly a media mecca, and Bird was as much myth — the "Hick from French Lick" who jumped off a garbage truck — as a dominating player who averaged 28.6 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists.

Later

NBA career: Bird became the third player and first non-center to win three consecutive MVPs. He led the Celtics to three titles and was a 12-time All-Star. Even with back problems, he played in the Barcelona Olympics as part of the first Dream Team, winning a gold medal.

THE GAME

The storyline

Bird vs. Magic should have been a natural, right? In hindsight, yes.

Back then, a lot of people had different thoughts, as Seth Davis discovered in his research for his book on the 1979 title game.

Basketball purists wanted Bird-Magic in the worst way, but NBC was focused in another direction. The network's pick was DePaul. The Blue Demons, who had become TV favorites during the season, featured future Maverick Mark Aguirre and America's grandfather, folksy coach Ray Meyer.

"For a lot of them, Ray Meyer was the story of that Final Four," Davis said. "He hadn't been there since George Mikan had been his starting center."

Everything changed following the national semifinals when Johnson recorded 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 101-67 demolition of Penn. If anything, Bird was even more impressive in a 76-74 win over DePaul, with 35 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

The supporting casts

Bird and Johnson were the unquestioned leaders of their teams, though they were far from one-man shows.

Michigan State had plenty of talent. Greg Kelser, an athletic, speedy finisher of Johnson's passes, was a college version of James Worthy. Future Maverick Jay Vincent had a knack for scoring and Mike Brkovich and Terry Donnelly were opportunistic shooters. Bird had a high-scoring sidekick in physical left-handed guard Carl Nicks (19.3 ppg, 5 apg). Scrappy sixth man Bob Heaton hit huge shots in the regular season (a half-court heave against Wichita State) and the NCAA Tournament to keep Indiana State unbeaten.

The coaches

Neither were household names.

Michigan State's Jud Heathcote was in his third season after arriving from Montana. In 1983, Heathcote hired the assistant who became his successor — Tom Izzo, who will lead the Spartans in tonight's semifinal against Connecticut.

Bill Hodges had the Indiana State job thrust upon him when coach Bob King suffered a brain aneurysm before the 1978-79 season. After four seasons, Hodges was fired. He coached at four other colleges and is now a high school teacher in Roanoke, Va.

The game itself

By instant classic standards, the game fell far short.

Michigan State, which had not been pushed in the tournament, threatened to blow it open in the second half.

With Bird (7-of-21 shooting) struggling against double-teams, Carl Nicks and Steve Reed helped keep the margin respectable.

But there was too much Johnson (24 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Greg Kelser (19 points, eight rebounds, nine assists).

Credit Spartans coach Jud Heathcote, who had Johnson play the role of Bird in practice. The matchup zone was designed to have a man-and-a-half on Bird. Heathcote warned off-ball defenders not to get "mesmerized" by Bird and to cut off passing lanes.

"It might not have worked to perfection," Heathcote said, "but it worked pretty well."

Other key games in NCAA history

Most significant — 1966: Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65: In winning with an all-black starting five against all-white Kentucky, Texas Western and coach Don Haskins sent a message about basketball equality. Texas Western's Bobby Joe Hill set the tone with two early steals and baskets.

Best preview — 1982: North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62: A cold-blooded Carolina freshman named Michael Jordan sank a 16-foot wing jump shot in the final minute to deliver the win. The scene would be repeated countless times in the next two decades.

Most satisfying upset — 1985: Villanova 66, Georgetown 64: Physical and intimidating, Georgetown was a hard team to like. Eighth- seeded Villanova became the ultimate Cinderella, making nine of 10 second-half shots to finish a stunning upset.

Most dominant — 1973: UCLA 87, Memphis State 66

UCLA center Bill Walton was never better. He sank 21 of 22 shots — one miss from perfection — en route to a title-game record 44 points, as the Bruins finished a second straight undefeated season.

Best forgotten game — 1957: North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 (3OT)

Imagine the hype if it occurred today — a team finishing an undefeated season by outlasting a traditional power and a transcendent player in three overtimes. UNC did that, against Wilt Chamberlain.