As a kid, the summer never seemed long enough. Still, the days were long and hot. It was a perfect time to be outside.
Sometimes, you wished it lasted forever. For one summer though, sitting inside a cool movie theater or in front of a TV in June was must-watch. From May 27 to June 12 in 1984, the Celtics and Lakers staged arguably the greatest NBA Finals series in history.
About two weeks after Larry Bird and Boston won in seven games over Magic Johnson and the Lakers, a film that had little to no buzz before its release became a mega-hit. On June 22, 1984, “The Karate Kid” — starring Ralph Macchio as the iconic Daniel LaRusso in a role that defined his career — debuted in theaters. The film was directed by John Avildsen, who also directed another film you might remember — 1976’s “Rocky.
” It was Hollywood’s sleeper hit of the year. With a $8 million budget, it took in $130 million at the box office. The late and great movie critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars , and admitted he didn’t want to review it.
He also admitted he was wrong, as he noted “The Karate Kid” was one of the nice surprises of 1984. Ebert wrote the film was “An exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming stray with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time.” The same can be said about the friendship that eventually formed between Bird and Johnson.
Although in 1984, that wasn’t the case. The Bird-Magic rivalry was one basketball fans had waited five y.
