Some Basketball Books For Your Consideration

By: Greg Payne

Call me a nerd, but I love to read. I'll read anything, as long as it holds my interest. TV is so terrible these days (except for TBS's morning/early afternoon lineup. Saved By the Bell 7-9AM, followed by The Fresh Prince 9-10AM and then Home Improvement 12-2PM. Name me one other cable network that can top that? You can't!) that books are the perfect alternative. I'd say 83.7 percent of the time, the stuff authors are writing in books is better than what script writers are producing for TV.

Sure I dove into the Harry Potter books and I've read most of the classics like A Tale of Two Cities and Of Mice and Men and all those, but, as you can appropriately predict, books concerning the great sport of basketball have a special place near my heart. So, since the weather outside has been god awful in Massachusetts for the past week and doesn't appear to be letting up within the next few days, I figured I'd share some of my favorite titles with you, that way, as you're stuck inside you can sink into something constructive, as opposed to sitting on your butt watching Law and Order all day.

1) The Last Season by Phil Jackson. I've probably read Jackson's personal take on the 2003-2004 Los Angeles Lakers four or five times. As much as I hate the Lakers, this is a phenomenal book. Jackson rips Kobe, discusses the ins and outs of the league today as opposed to when he was playing and since the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals that year (They lost to the Pistons. Get Loud!), you gain a pretty intense understanding of what the atmosphere of a team is like late in the postseason.

2) Let Me Tell You a Story by Red Auerbach and John Feinstein. Feinstein's name will appear more than once on this list because he truly is a great author. But when he teamed up with Red Auerbach to transcribe some of Auerbach's favorite memories and stories, it resulted in a captivating memoir, that touches on every base of Auerbach's life.

3) Drive by Larry Bird with Bob Ryan. I believe I read this even before high school, so it has been a while, but if you ever want to get inside the mind of a superstar, this is about as close as you're going to get. Bird leaves everything out on the table in this one, from the death of his father to his struggles choosing the right college, and of course, his rivalry with Magic Johnson.

4) The Punch by John Feinstein. I'm actually in the midst of re-reading this detailed account of a fight that broke out between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets back on December 9, 1977, where Kermit Washington of the Lakers nearly killed Rudy Tomjanovich of the Rockets with a blistering fist to Tomjanovich's face. This fight changed the NBA and helped institute many of the strict rules we now see today in terms of hard fouls and fights. Feinstein captures the event that lasted no more than ten minutes from every possible angle.

5) The Last Banner by Peter May. Everything you want or need to know about the 1985-1986 Boston Celtics is in this book. I had seen footage and discussed the team with some older patrons, but it wasn't until I read this book just last year that I had a true understanding of how talented this team actually was and how dominating it was. Every season has its ups and downs, including injuries and losses that should have been wins, and that season was no exception. May also goes into great detail about each and every player, in terms of their backgrounds and how they ended up on that specific team. The section dedicated to Bill Walton is fascinating all by itself. Pick this one up.

6) Top of the World by Peter May. The Celtics had not won a title in 22 years, so it was a given that the 2007-2008 season would be chronicled once it culminated in the 17th championship for the franchise. And who better to write it than May, the same author of The Last Banner? The player profiles are the best part of this one, as you will learn so much more about guys like James Posey and P.J. Brown. If you're feeling a sense of nostalgia this summer and want to relive the most recent glory days, pick up this book and it will surely take you back.

7) Boston Celtics: Where Have You Gone? by Mike Carey and Michael D. McClellan. This is a superb book in terms of its content. Not all Celtic legends stay as close to the team as guys like Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell and John Havlicek have. This book investigates some of the other former greats like Robert Parish, Nate Archibald and Bill Sharman, both in terms of how they impacted their respective teams and what they're up to today. Along with that, not every player who joins the Celtics succeeds. As was the case with a guy like Joe Forte and stories like his are explained in this book.

8) Don't They Ever Stop Running? by Mike Grenier. It was my distinct pleasure to work with Grenier this past January, as I completed a 120-hour internship at the Salem News in Beverly, MA. Grenier has an extraordinary mind for the game of basketball and an even better understanding of the ins and outs of the sport. His chronicles of the 1972-73 Celtics, which he refers to as, "a labor of love", are tremendous. Although that specific team did not take home the NBA title (Only because John Havlicek injured his shoulder in the Eastern Conference Finals that year), Grenier followed up the very next year, which did result in a Boston title, and discussed the 1973-74 playoff run.

One can only read so much, so there is a taste of some of the great basketball literature out there. If you enjoy reading or basketball or both, I recommend them all. You won't be disappointed.

Stay Tuned.