While Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird smiled from the start to finish of the Harlem Globetrotters 97-83 win over MSU, Tom Izzo wasn't amused.
The Globetrotters, featuring Johnson along with Bird as the honorary head coach, didn't goof around with the Spartans. Instead of showering the crowd with buckets of confetti, Globetrotter guard Darrick Martin (UCLA 1992) hushed the fans, netting a game-high 38 points to lead all players.
"I think we got it handed to us by a team with some experience, some toughness and with some strength," Izzo said. "And I don't think we answered the bell. We shot decent, but you look at two stats, the rebounding and, of course, the offensive rebounding - and in the first half, we felt like we would have been up by more if we didn't give up those."
The Globetrotters outboarded the Spartans 43-21, while only sophomore center Paul Davis recorded more than three boards for the green-and-white with six. MSU junior swingman Alan Anderson pointed to two NCAA rebounding margin champion plaques that are hung near his locker in the locker room when asked what the Spartans need to improve.
"You've got to tell yourself that every time the ball goes up, you hit the glass," Anderson said. "And that's something we weren't doing, and that's why we lost the game. Rebounding is something we're known for and that's something that we need to do."
Anderson led the Spartans in first-half scoring with 13 points, but was held to only two points in the second half to go along with one rebound for the entire game - a statistic that upset Izzo.
"We can't have a guy get one rebound that is 6-foot-6 and athletic," Izzo said. "I think you have to question our toughness right now and our effort and our heart a little bit."
But while Izzo did what a head coach is supposed to do - cite what his team needs to improve on - the NBA greats discussed the Spartans' strong points in the game and expectations for the season.
"It was fun to watch because I know Michigan State has a very good basketball team, they've got a couple really nice players that I'll be scouting a couple more times this year, but they had their hands full today," Bird said. "I'm sure coach Izzo will be killing them tomorrow."
Johnson, who led the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA title, was impressed by the team's athleticism and talent.
"Tom really has a great problem of who he's going to play," Johnson said. "I think that they are going to really wear some teams down with their depth and you're going to really see them come out and be aggressive because they can go to their bench in a deep way, where normally you don't have that luxury.
"I'm looking forward to a great season."
The former MSU standout and Los Angeles Lakers star finished with five points, four assists and three rebounds, scoring both of his field goals off of hook shots - each with a different hand. He did, however, have a game-high six turnovers.
He said one player he thought has especially improved was Davis.
"He relaxed in the second half and really played his game," Johnson said. "He's really going to be an awesome basketball player. I respect him a lot - he's a hard worker, he's aggressive, he can shoot from the outside, but also he can take it to the basket and I think he's only going to get better and better."
Davis, who scored 12 points in the second half and finished the game with a team-high 19, acknowledged that getting beat the way they did by players such as the Globetrotters only will help them prepare for their tough nonconference schedule ahead.
"I think it definitely helps a tremendous amount," Davis said. "And even though we lost, I think we're going to learn a lot of things from this game."
Sophomore guard Maurice Ager, who led the Spartans in scoring in the Green and White game, did not play because of an ankle injury.
