win the 1986 NBA Finals against the Rockets. In the 1987 NBA Finals, the two teams met for a tie-breaker of their 1980s Finals matches, and the Lakers once again emerged victorious in six games, with the iconic image of Johnson's junior sky hook. This series marked the end of an era for the Celtics. They did not reach the Finals again until 2008. The Lakers, meanwhile, went on to win the 1988 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, before losing to the Pistons the following year in 1989, and win titles again in 2000, 2001 and 2002, all while the Celtics wallowed in mediocrity. Several journalists hypothesized that the Johnson–Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness ("Lakers Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and whites. Race was a determining factor for fans in the 80’s, with a surge of white fans cheering for the predominately white Celtics team and black fans appreciating the more athletic style of the Lakers. The city of Boston itself was split, as in an anecdote said by Magic Johnson, he mentioned a black fan that came up to him to tell him that the majority of black Boston cheered for the Lakers over the home team Celtics. Deemed the “Great White Hope '', Larry Bird was seen by Boston as a means to represent their views, “to be their final stronghold to a game that in less than 20 years had turned almost completely black demographically”.But, Bird never bought into the narrative, rejecting the label “Great White Hope '' and focusing purely on wanting to, as teammate Maxwell would say, “kick some ass and win”. Magic and Bird held the highest respect for each other, demonstrating on a national platform, “how people of different races and backgrounds can compete, be rivals even, and still coexist”.A 1984 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match. Despite their on the court rivalry, the two became friends after filming the commercial together. Amidst a time where the NBA saw diminishing views, the Celtics-Lakers rivalry,