Imserba Webstore - The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy

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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 796.323640973 EAN: 9780345511768 Feature: ISBN13: 9780345511768 ISBN: 034551176X Label: ESPN Manufacturer: ESPN Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 736 Publication Date: 2009-10-27 Publisher: ESPN Release Date: 2009-10-27 Studio: ESPN
Features ISBN13: 9780345511768 Condition: NEW Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
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Editorial Reviews: There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA.* Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, is that writer. And The Book of Basketball is that book. Nowhere in the roundball universe will you find another single volume that covers as much in such depth as this wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens–and then closes, once and for all–every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind, five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball. Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler. * More to the point, he’s the only one crazy enough to try to pull it off.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A book of NBA arguments Comment: This book is wildly entertaining, chalk full of footnotes showcasing The Sports Guy's usual sense of humor, and is a great way to brush up on NBA history, especially if you came to the NBA late as I did. Like his columns, this book is a blend of pop culture and sports, contains his unique opinions and insights as well as the research which he used to arrive at them, and it can be read in multiple installments without sacrificing the overall experience. Customer Rating: Summary: Mediocre At Best Comment: I received "The Book of Basketball" as a gift. It's the only reason I read it. For me, getting Bill Simmons' take on the greatest basketball players is similar to getting Bobby Knight's opinion on the 100 finest French recipes. Although I realize that any ranking of the 100 best players is bound to include some players that are controversial, one would expect that the players selected would be very close to the Top 100. For me, the inclusion of Robert Horry as all-time player #85 is an unforgiveable joke and the notion that Dennis Rodman is the 69th best player of all-time leaves me speechless. At no time was Dennis Rodman any better than the 3rd best player on his team and he is the 69th best player of all-time? Give me a break. I got the impression that selections like these were supposed to add some spice to this book. It simply caused me to question the credibility of the author. Simmons list excludes many players. I'll mention four- Maurice Lucas, Bob Love, Chet Walker and Alonzo Mourning. I would find it astounding that someone who watched basketball in the 70's would take Bobby Dandridge (Player 79) over Lucas, Love or Walker. I would find it silly that someone would take Horry and/or Rodman over the aforementioned players. I will acknowledge that Simmons' did provide some good insights. However, a readers assessment of the insights will ultimately be a function of Simmons' ultimate decisions as to which players were included in the list (as well as their ranking on the list) and which were excluded. For me, Simmons' ultimate rankings are so poor that it causes me to question the value of the insights. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Basketball For NBA Gym Rats! Comment: As a life long Knicks fan, some of the material (Celtics) is hard to digest. However, Bill Simmons does a more than credible job. These two basketball products were also reviewed by this person. 48 Championship Basketball Drills Driveway Basketball Drills Customer Rating: Summary: Great book Comment: For any NBA fan, casual or die-hard, this is a great read with Bill Simmons view on the history of the league. Because he presents his theories and integrates his fan perspective analysis, it makes this an NBA book like none other. Customer Rating: Summary: Funny, Informed and Opinionated Look at The Association Comment: Great book for any NBA fan. Non-basketball fans will appreciate Simmons cultural references and footnoted sarcasm but their interest is likely to wane across the 1000 pages of detailed analysis of the history, trades, stars, teams and league leadership. Simmons doesn't look for the high-road (Kareem and Vince fans beware) but rather combines glowing adoration, scathing critique, and tons of stats and historical detail in a highly enjoyable tome.