Book review: 'When the Game Was Ours'

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are iconic figures in NBA history. Long-time Wizards fans are no strangers to their last-second heroics and impossible shots. Their story (singular, since they will always be tied together) is immensely familiar and has been told many, many times in print and on video. So 30 years after they entered the NBA and 25 years after their first epic Finals showdown, along comes "When the Game Was Ours," a book by Bird and Johnson co-authored by Jackie MacMullan. The book, out this week, has already drawn headlines for what Johnson said about Isiah Thomas. Many have weighed in on that aspect, including a thoughtful piece by our very own Michael Wilbon. Putting the juicy publicity aside, what does this book add to the Johnson-Bird conversation? "This is our story, from the two people who lived it," Bird writes in his introductory essay. This is kind