For PC Board Regulars: Best Basketball Books?

[mopper8]

I'm posting this here because, well, the regulars here are far superior IMO to the regulars on any other board in terms of broad basketball knowledge. Just about anyone who I'd expect to have good recommendations for books on the General Board also posts here, and there are plenty (Elgee, Doc MJ, TrueLA, etc etc etc) who only post on the PC board. I'd love to hear from just about everyone, even posters I often disagree with (lookin at you, writerman), cause you all seem to be well-read and I've never picked up a basketball book.

So...what are the best books you can recommend? I'm open to anything, from history of the game to statistical stuff to even things like strategy/coaching manuals. Anything you've read that you thought helped you understand the game or the league better.

Thanks!

Suggestions so far (in case anyone else is reading this and interested themselves), in no particular order:

1. The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball. John Taylor

2. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Dean Oliver

3. The Perfect Team: The Best Players, Coach, and GM-Let the Debate Begin!. National Basketball Association

4. Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time. Elliot Kalb

5. When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback. Michael Leahy

6. http://www.amazon.com/Show-Inside-Spectacular-Angeles-Lakers/dp/0071430342/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279313306&sr=1-1. Roland Lazenby

7. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy. Bill Simmons

8. FreeDarko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game. Bethlehem Shoals, et al

9. Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond. Paul Shirly

10. Wilt: Larger Than Life. Robert Allen Cherry

11. Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers. Wayne Lynch

12. The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985-86 Celtics and the NBA's Greatest Team of All Time. Peter May

13. Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA. Terry Pluto

14. Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association. Terry Pluto

15. The Pivotal Season: How the 1971--72 Los Angeles Lakers Changed the NBA. Charley Rosen

16. Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man. Bill Russell

17. Heroes of the Hardcourt: Ranking Pro Basketball's 100 Greatest Players, and introducing a whole new way of looking at the game. Keith Thompson

18. Dynasty's End: Bill Russell and the1968-69 World Champion Boston Celtics. Thomas Whalen

19. Mathletics: How Gamblers, Managers, and Sports Enthusiasts Use Mathematics in Baseball, Basketball, and Football. Wayne Winston

20. The Wages of Wins: Taking Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport. David Berri, et. al

21. NBA Coaches Playbook: Techniques, Tactics, and Teaching Points. Giorgio Gandolfi

22. Driven From Within. Michael Jordan

[Optimism Prime]

Even though I wasn't mentioned by name here ( ), I'll bite. The books I'll recommend to anyone, regardless of interest level in basketball:

"Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond" by Paul Shirley
"FreeDarko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game" by Bethlehem Shoals, Dr. Lawyer IndianChief, Silverbird 5000, and Brown Recluse Esq.
"The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons.

[mopper8]

I had you in mind. I just rattled off a couple names off the top of my head, but there are probably at least 20 people on this board I'd love to see respond, maybe 30.

[D Nice]

Never like....ever? Not sure I'm as qualified as the guys you mentioned, but PC is my favorite part of this forum to hang around.

The Show-Roland Lazenby (though it probably won't be as enjoyable to a non-laker fan)
When Nothing Else Matters (It's about Jordan's second comeback. Really lets you know how foul the Wizards did him, and was my introduction to the business side of the game)
Sacred Hoops is a pretty decent read, though it wasn't quite what I expected.

Of course there's Phil's book last season...it's a favorite of the Kobe haters, and actually a decent book, not even in my top 5 though.

Those are off the top of my head, there are others. "The Show" and "When Nothing Else Matters" were phenomenal though.

[ronnymac2]

"The Rivalry" by John Taylor. Gives a great look into the Wilt vs. Russell rivalry. Also talks about the 50's and 60's on AND off the court, race issues, and management decisions. Good information on Havlicek, West, Baylor, Robertson, etc.

"Who's better, Who's best?" by Elliott Kalb. Take the stats with a grain of salt and ignore the rankings. There is a lot to learn though.

"The Perfect Team".....not sure who it is by. I know it was introduced by the late, great Chuck Daly. It describes 12 of the best ever and why they belong on this certain team for a certain reason. Also, some of the players chosen give their slections for their perfect team.

[D Nice]

"The Rivalry" by John Taylor. Gives a great look into the Wilt vs. Russell rivalry. Also talks about the 50's and 60's on AND off the court, race issues, and management decisions. Good information on Havlicek, West, Baylor, Robertson, etc.

+1 here too, forgot about this. "The Rivalry" was one of the first b-ball books my dad sent my way, and I couldn't put it down. Cover to cover finished it in 3 days.

The less you know about the old school, the faster you will rip through it. GREAT book.

[Doctor MJ]

For statistics, I strongly recommend Basketball on Paper by Dean Oliver as the place to start. Not only is that where a lot of the current advanced stats came from, but Oliver's incredibly level headed. He's not a guy trying to push that he has the 1 answer to all statistical question, and in fact makes quite clear that he thinks that such an approach can't help but fail because of the need to build teams from players who work well together.

For the rest, I'd like to see what others say. Agree with you that this is the most impressive group on RealGM.

[mopper8]

Never like....ever? Not sure I'm as qualified as the guys you mentioned, but PC is my favorite part of this forum to hang around.

1 - all you have to do to be "qualified' is have read books Your suggestions are much appreciated

2 - I own (it was a gift) FreeDarko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac and have browsed it, but never sat down and really read it. Also, I have How to Coach Youth Basketball, but I picked up and left town to work on the Obama campaign before I enacted my plan to coach youth basketball, and so never read it lol. I also have a couple books (again that I've browsed but not read) on Offense/Defense strategy, just basic X's and O's stuff, but I don't have any of those books with me right now because I moved after the campaign and never really got all my books from Florida. I'll have to get those shipped out to me here in New Mexico at some point in time.

[Optimism Prime]

Just to elaborate--Shirley's book is a great look inside the NBA. I read "Seven Seconds or Less" around the same time, and was hugely let down.

Macrophenomenal is a great insight into stats--both good and bad. It really shows that you can prove anything with the right numbers. It's fun, and enjoyable, and that's what matters to me. A book can be chock full of information, but if I can't digest it... what's the point? (Godel, Escher, Bach--I'm looking at you.)

Book of Basketball is huge, hate-inspiring, and totally biased. But hey, it's by Simmons. If you like his columns, read it; if not, stay away.

Also, it's not basketball related, but "Moneyball" should absolutely be on your list for a glimpse at front office management.

[ThaRegul8r]

Here's some titles:

Wilt: Larger than Life by Robert Cherry
Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers by Wayne Lynch
The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985-86 Celtics, the NBA's Greatest Team of All Time by Peter May
Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis by Dean Oliver
Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball by Terry Pluto
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto
The Pivotal Season: How the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers Changed the NBA by Charley Rosen
Second Wind: Memoirs of an Opinionated Man by Bill Russell and Taylor Branch
The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball by John Taylor
Heroes of the Hardwood: Ranking Pro Basketball’s 100 Greatest Players, and introducing a whole new way of looking at the game by Keith Thompson
Dynasty’s End: Bill Russell and the 1968-69 Boston Celtics by Thomas Whalen

I know that's probably too much, so I'll stop there.

[mysticbb]

For statistics, I strongly recommend Basketball on Paper by Dean Oliver as the place to start. Not only is that where a lot of the current advanced stats came from, but Oliver's incredibly level headed. He's not a guy trying to push that he has the 1 answer to all statistical question, and in fact makes quite clear that he thinks that such an approach can't help but fail because of the need to build teams from players who work well together.

QFT! Best book for basketball stats. Oliver tries to explain a lot of things in there.

Other books I have regarding stats:

Mathletics by Wayne Winston (about +/-, especially adjusted +/-, Basketball part is only 60+ pages)
The Wages of Wins by Berri, Schmidt and Brook (Berri's Wins Produced, tries to compare some stuff, not good at all, Basketball part is around 100 pages)

An introduction for techniques, tactics and so on:

NBA Coaches Playbook, Editor is Giorgio Gandolfi (28 different coaches writing about several elements of basketball tactics, trainings, etc., including Phil Jackson, Stan Van Gundy, Avery Johnson, Lawrence Frank and many more)

[Kabookalu]

I wouldn't recommend go about buying it because it isn't necessary if you're not playing basketball on the collegiate level, but this basketball software program called "The Intelligym" literally changed how I looked at basketball. It's a training program that helps you increase your basketball IQ. Before I used to see basketball as a game where 5 people are trying to outscore 5 other people, but now I see it as a series of cause and effect patterns.

[The Main Event]

Michael Jordans Driven From Within is an easy read. Gives you some great insights into the making of the Jordan brand as well as his development as a kid and how it made it who he is today.

[mopper8]

Here's some titles:

Wilt: Larger than Life by Robert Cherry
Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers by Wayne Lynch
The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985-86 Celtics, the NBA's Greatest Team of All Time by Peter May
Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis by Dean Oliver
Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball by Terry Pluto
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto
The Pivotal Season: How the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers Changed the NBA by Charley Rosen
Second Wind: Memoirs of an Opinionated Man by Bill Russell and Taylor Branch
The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball by John Taylor
Heroes of the Hardwood: Ranking Pro Basketball’s 100 Greatest Players, and introducing a whole new way of looking at the game by Keith Thompson
Dynasty’s End: Bill Russell and the 1968-69 Boston Celtics by Thomas Whalen

I know that's probably too much, so I'll stop there.

Not at all! The more the better. I'm unemployed (unfortunately) and have a year to kill between now and law school (after I get in to win this fall, lol). I hope to read all of these at some point, I have nothing but time. I've seen writerman quote the Terry Pluto books extensively before, they seem interesting.

[ElGee]

Optimism - GEB is one of my favorite books. Ouch. (I suppose if you don't like stuff like recursion or like reading books quickly it would be a lot to digest as a "normal" read.)

I'm surprised "Breaks of the Game" by Halberstram hasn't been mentioned. Perhaps it's just my love for the 77 Blazers, but I think that's a must read given all of the history woven into the story (70s NBA, drugs, Kermit Washington, TV contracts, coaching changes, "exercise physio," etc.)

While were there, I liked "Playing For Keeps" the best of the Jordan books I've read (also by Halberstram). Lots of interesting behind the scenes stuff I never knew about.

My final recommendation would be a book I've never read, but a colleague keeps saying it's really fascinating and that I should read it. It's called 48 minutes, written my Pluto and Bob Ryan about a single game between Boston and Cleveland in 1987.

http://www.amazon.com/Forty-Eight-Minut ... 875&sr=8-6

Btw, Simmons book is a fun read. If you dislike his style it might not be too exciting, but the best part of the book is that he cites about 75 basketball books, so there are definitely some interesting quotations in there to read without reading every NBA player's biography.

GL at law school.

[Sedale Threatt]

Both of Halberstam's books are awesome, not only "Breaks of the Game" but "Playing for Keeps." Maybe not quite as eye-opening as Leahy and Sam Smith from a tabloid standpoint, but extremely well-written and researched.

The most entertaining book I've read, by a pretty decent margin, is "Loose Balls." The chapter on the St. Louis Spirits, and Marvin Barnes, is worth the price alone.

And both "Wilt" and "The Rivalry" are fabulous. I pull out "Wilt," and read the chapter on his return to Kansas to have his jersey retired every couple of months. Always brings a huge smile to my face.

I also enjoyed Lazenby's recent autobiography on Jerry West. A fascinating individual.

[Sedale Threatt]

Somebody needs to do a definitive, warts-and-all biography of Shaquille O'Neal. I'd read that in one sitting.

[Optimism Prime]

Optimism - GEB is one of my favorite books. Ouch. (I suppose if you don't like stuff like recursion or like reading books quickly it would be a lot to digest as a "normal" read.

Without trying to brag, I consider myself pretty smart. I pick things up pretty quickly. Double major in college from a good liberal arts school, plenty of AP credits in high school, good test scores, etc.

GEB makes me feel like an idiot child. If I ever befriend professors in music theory, mathematics, computer science, and art... I'll give it another shot.

In all seriousness--I want to read it, I just haven't found the time or energy to really delve into it. I prefer fiction to non-fic nine times out of ten. I'll have another go at it at some point. Promise.

[penbeast0]

Terry Pluto's Loose Balls is probably my all-time favorite (of course I grew up sneaking into ABA games for free)

Two that haven't been mentioned:

The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam -- a not so spectacular season with the Portland Trailblazers that is very readable (Halberstam isn't always) and very human

Heaven is a Playground by Rick Telander -- not sure this is the one I'm thinking of but if so, a very good read too; playground legends of New York (couldn't remember the title so was internet searching and this sounded right)

[Dipper 13]

15. The Pivotal Season: How the 1971--72 Los Angeles Lakers Changed the NBA. Charley Rosen

http://airjudden2.tripod.com/books/thep ... eason.html


This is a story that needs to be told, as this fabulous team is not given enough credit since their single-season victory record has been eclipsed. Unfortunately, the wrong guy is telling it.

Charley Rosen, is simply a hack. I had never heard of him until I read this book. Since then, I have read some of his articles on Fox Sports website, and I am more convinced that he is a lazy sportswriter, who won't look up facts and lets no truth stand in the way of his spreading his pompous erroneous ideas. No factoid is too big to ignore nor any truth too difficult to discard in his attempts to spread venom.

It is obvious quickly that Rosen is no fan of Wilt Chamberlain and worships Jerry West and Bill Sharman. Don't get me wrong, Wilt had his faults, and West was phenomenal, and Sharman should be in the hall of fame for his coaching, but I will present four passages to prove how much of a vendetta Rosen has:

Page 14 :

"Indeed, the Lakers were in firm control of the game when Chamberlain committed his fifth personal foul late in the third quarter. Coach Butch van Breda Kolff immediately sent Mel Counts, a lanky seven foot jump shooter, in for Chamberlain.

Unfortunately, one of Chamberlain's most cherished personal records was his never having fouled out of a game. So when van Breda Kolff called for Chamberlain to reenter the fray midway through the fourth quarter, the big man refused, mumbling something about an aching knee. Infuriated by Wilt's monumental selfishness, van Breda Kolff vowed to keep Chamberlain on the bench and win the game, and the championship, with Counts.

As the game raced toward the wire with the Celtics relentlessly eating into the Lakers' lead, Chamberlain approached his coach and asked to return to the action. But the always stubborn van Breda Kolff refused, and Chamberlain sat on the bench for the duration."


Now, let's analyze the outright lies of this passage:

#1) Wilt did not leave the game in the 3rd, but rather, there was 5:13 left in the 4th quarter.

#2) The Lakers were not "in firm control of the game" when Chamberlain left. They were down by 9 points.

#3 & 4) Wilt did not leave because he picked up his 5th foul, nor did he refuse to reenter the game when asked. He left because he went up for a rebound and when he came down, he banged his knee. After hobbling around on the court, he went to the bench to get topical spray applied. Wilt said, "They helped me off the court, and i just needed a breather for a second. Butch put in Mel Coutns for me, but after a minute I said I was ready to come back in. Butch ignored me." Van Breda Kolff even said, "Wilt was hurting and you could see him limping. I put in Counts, he hit a couple of shots and we made the comeback...Wilt told me that he was okay, but I said we'd keep things as they were. He told me a second time he wanted to go back in, but I told Wilt the truth. I said, 'We're playing better without you.' Earl Strom, who officiated the game, said, "In a sense, I respect Butch for making one of the dumbest moves any coach has ever made. You just don't try to win a title with Mel Counts when you have Wilt Chamberlain, but...He always was his own man and he would coach his own way." [All quotes taken from Tall Tales, by Terry Pluto.] For the record, Chamberlain played 43 minutes, and shot 7-for-8, scoring 18 points and pulling down 21 rebounds. Counts was 4-for-13 shooting with 5 points.

#5) The Celtics did not relentlessly eat into the Lakers lead with Chamberlain on the bench, rather, L.A. cut Boston's lead to 1 point.

There - five outright lies in one short passage. This is not obscure information. This can be found in many different books and articles. Rosen decided research was not needed, since he found his own brand of fiction is more entertaining, at least to himself.

Here is Rosen's account of the legendary "Willis Reed" game 7 in 1970: "Chamberlain, clearly intimidated by Reed's dramatic display of courage, was rendered passive and impotent." (p.15) Reed had 4 points and 2 rebounds. Chamberlain had 21 points and 24 rebounds. The Knicks' Walt Frazier, a guard mind you, had 39 points and 19 assists. Either West got burned or his coach lacked the faith in him to defend the hot hand. Do you see this mentioned? No. What Rosen also neglected to mention was that when Reed went down in game 5, the Lakers collapsed on Chamberlain and Rosen's idol Jerry West took only 2 shots the 2nd half, missing both, while the Lakers committed 30 turnovers, trying to force the ball into Wilt, rather than taking the open shot.

In another passage (p. 116), Rosen says after the 1970 finals, Chamberlain and Bill Russell never spoke again. Rosen obviously missed the Bob Costas interview with the 2 of them at the 1997 All-Star game, in which Russell made a public apology, and he must have missed the 1999 (2nd) retiring of Russell's number, in which Wilt was invited and attended, despite being in bad health, 5 months away from his death.

In another passage (p.136), Rosen is writing of Coach Sharman's ponderings about his player's ability to handle the pressure of winning the title. He writes, "West would probably be pressure proof...that left El Foldo (Chamberlain) himself."

Let's analyze this joke:

#1) Number of Championships at that point in time: Chamberlain 1, West 0.
#2) West had lost in the finals in 1962, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, and 70, 4 times losing in game 7. West never defeated Russell in the post-season. Chamberlain had (1967).
#3) West's only championship came after Chamberlain joined the team.
#4) In the 1972 post-season, West went cold in the conference finals against Milwaukee and in the finals against the Knicks. In the Milwaukee series, West shot 31-for-101 in 4 of the games. In the Finals, West shot 38-for-117, while "El Foldo", the Finals' MVP, averaged 21.6 ppg and 23.2 rpg, playing with a broken arm in a soft cast.


Furthermore, Rosen writes a chapter where he introduces each of the players, and when you read it, you can sense he really loves white basketball players, while taking digs at black players, with the exception being Columbia educated Jim McMillan. He also takes digs at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar throughout the story, while he loves the Knicks, namely Jerry Lucas, Dave DeBuschere, and his buddy Phil Jackson (whom he co-wrote a book about).

On a side note, if I haven't made my point about how Rosen disregards facts, look at this review of his book The Wizard of Odds: How Jack Molinas almost destroyed the game of basketball on Amazon.com:

1.0 out of 5 stars Factually Inaccurate, March 6, 2002

By Michael Gross "MGross" (New York City)

Caveat Emptor: This book is based in large part on interviews conducted by the late New York Post sports columnist Milton Gross, my father. They were used without the permission of his heirs, and were never checked against the audiotapes on which they were based which are in my possession and have been for almost thirty years. But what's worse is that the book is factually inaccurate and the author did not even attempt to confirm what he printed. Instead of thanking the person whose work he based his book on, Rosen prints untruths about him. One example: on the last page of the book, Rosen has Milton Gross skipping Molinas' funeral and instead, attempting to cash in on his death. Milton Gross had been dead for over two years when Molinas died. He would have had to make that call from his grave.

The story of the Lakers is an interesting story, but with so much romanticized fiction tossed in, it detracts from the story and makes you wonder how much is true and how much is made up.