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 EARVIN JOHNSON

After leading Michigan State University to the NCAA championship, Earvin "Magic" Johnson led the L.A. Lakers to the NBA championship in the final game against the Philadelphia 76ers Magic astounded the nation by playing all 8 positions and scoring 48 points. He was the championship series' Most Valuable Player.

1. After 2 years of college and 1 year of professional basketball, Magic had played for 1,440; 1,159; and 2,759 minutes. He also played 658 NBA playoff minutes and 24 minutes in the 1979 All-Star game. How many minutes had Magic played in all? 

2. As an NBA rookie, Magic's shooting percentage was .530. As a college player, Magic's percentage was only .463. How much better a shooter is Magic in the pros?

3. The 1979 season was a great one for NBA rookies, because both Magic and Larry Bird entered the league that year. People still argue over which player had the better year. Bird scored 1,745 pointes that year, and Magic scored 1,387. How much better did Larry look up on the scoreboard than magic did?

4. In Magic's first 77 games, he averaged 35.83 minutes of playing time per game. How many minutes that year did Magic spend out on the court?

5. Magic is famous for his passing. NBA coaches say he has the best hands in the league and that his ability to look one way and pass the other is what makes him so great. In his rookie season Magic scored 1,387 pointes and dished out 563 assists. An assist is a pass that leads to a basket, or 2 points. How many total points did Magic help score by shooting and passing?

6. Another NBA great who is famous for his amazing passes is Jullus Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first NBA season, Dr. J. put 1,771 points through the hoop and dished out 308 assists. Using your answer to question 5, figure out how many more points Magic helped put on the board than Dr. J. did.

7. Magic spent most of his rookie season at guard and hauled down more rebounds than any other guard in the league. In 77 games, Magic gathered in [original text not readable, figure not found on google] rebounds. How many rebounds is that per game? Carry your answer to 2 decimal places.

8. Magic was even better in college. In his freshman year, he crashed the boards for an average of 7.9 rebounds per game. He played in 36 games that year. How many rebounds is that in all?

9. Magic does well at the free throw line, too. In 1979, he attempted 462 foul shots and swished 374 through the net. To compare his free-throw average, divide the number of shots made by the number of attempts he took, and the decimal answer will be Magic's shooting percentages. Round off your answer to three decimal places.

10. Magic's field goal percentage that year was 530. You know his free throw percentage from your answer to question 9. Using these two figures, can you compute Magic's combined shooting percentage?