"I'd like to think that the nature of the two teams - Boston being a championship team over the years and the Lakers, same thing - was a lot bigger than Larry Bird or Magic Johnson"

In this quote, Oscar Robertson is talking about the competition between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in basketball. He is recommending that while two of the excellent gamers in the history of the sport, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, contributed in the competition, it was ultimately the success and tradition of the 2 teams as a whole that made it substantial. Robertson is stressing that the competition was about the history and traditions of these storied franchises, and not almost individual gamers. This statement serves to contextualize the rivalry within the wider history of the sport, underscoring its value and enduring tradition.