Jordan's greatness stems from the way he seemed to be on an inexorably upward rise, and once he reached the top nobody in basketball could knock him off. Maybe baseball/gambling/retirement/whatever could tap the brakes, but he became unconquerable. We even mostly forget his Wizards era, and treat it like a half-serious encore. The Lakers under Magic probably put a dent in that streak somehow, either by interrupting or delaying it.

Ultimately, that would clear the way the way for LBJ to be the undisputed top dog historically, with Magic and Jordan turning into 2a and 2b.