“The 1984 series was the first finals confrontation between (Larry) Bird and Magic (Johnson) and that fabled personal rivalry, and when I called those kind of games, I never projected the ultimate meaning of them,” Stockton said. “I never got ahead of myself because then you are assuming something and it becomes dangerous. I called that Game 7 as I called the others: the ebb and flow of the contest, the concentration to be accurate, making sure my partner would get to be the expert. My job was to do the ‘who and what,’ his was to do the ‘why and how.’ The roles would be mixed at times, but all I aimed to do was deliver the happenings and let it play out. It carried more significance than the others, but those watching knew it. They didn’t need me to overdo the scenario.”