(Part 2) Best basketball books according to redditors

If you haven't read it, grab "How to Grow an Orange" By Sean Keeley



Proper way to brainwash your child into becoming a Syracuse fan.

"Being a parent is hard. Make the wrong decisions and your child can grow up to do something terrible, like root for Georgetown."

If you enjoy reading these, you can find a ton in the book Tall Tales by Terry Pluto. Great stories about Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, etc.

One of my favorite Wilt Chamberlain facts is that he played every minute of every game one season, so he ended up averaging over 48 minutes a game due to overtimes. Absolutely insane.

He also never fouled out of a single game.

I know a lot of here already know all about him but for those that don't, Jack McCloskey was the man behind those Bad Boys teams of the 1980's (and part of the 90's). If you're ever looking for an inside take on McCloskey and that first championship team in '89, check out Cameron Stauth's The Franchise. Great insight and highlights McCloskey's impact and imprint.

Rest in peace, Jack.

The real question is, how did Boeheim convince his son to become a Syracuse fan?


I think we know the answer.

One theory of drafting is that we should start with the fact that young players are super inconsistent (even future superstars) and go from there. The idea is not to look at averages, or to disregard warning signs coming from bad performances; but to try and focus on someone who shows flashes of being a superstar.

Source

Oh wow, that's a controversial conversation with the likes of Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley having their own stake to the claim. All four of those guys have done revolutionary things for the game and will be remembered for a long, long, long time. Auerbach, especially today, doesn't get enough credit for the front office work he did. There's much more to him than just the X's and O's. Pat Riley has done a great job with his stints as President of Basketball Operations. Phil Jackson now gets a shot with the Knicks. And we know how Pop has done in San Antonio.

For those who don't know enough about Auerbach, I'd recommend reading "Let Me Tell You a Story" by Auerbach and Feinstein. I read it years ago, and I found it an incredibly interesting read. It encompasses everything: his philosophy, his thinking behind his personnel moves, his relationships with players. I'd recommend it too for the more recent fans of NBA basketball. It's a good read overall. Talks about Bias too. Considering you can get it as cheap as $0.01 ($4 with shipping), definitely pick it up. http://www.amazon.com/Let-Me-Tell-You-Story/dp/0316738239/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Not biased, just correct. Walt is an authority on cool.

I found that More than a game by Phil Jackson was an excellent book. It basically is a look into the life and coaching philosophy of one of the greatest coaches of all time as well as an inside look into the 2000 champion Lakers.

Also the Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons is an essential read for all NBA fans.

EDIT: I recently also read the Jordan Rules by Sam Smith. It isn't a particularly eye opening book, but basically it's about the 1990-1991 NBA championship season from the Chicago Bulls perspective, and also a look into MJ's transformation from a ball hogging douchebag to the greatest of all time. Good read.

> You could write a novel about that season and still not cover everything.

It has already been written!

Just here to suggest some more books:

Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird

The Last Banner by Peter May

Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court With the 1990-91 Boston Celtics by Jack McCallum (I haven't read this one but I am a fan of McCallum)

Rebound by K.C. Jones

Also, here is a list of Celtics related books that I found on the team website: http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/publications.html

a1) correct. Dribbling is a subset of give and go, however it is much more refined, purposeful and deliberate. To the untrained eye, it just looks like a give-go, dominator offense but that's really missing the nuance of it.

a2) Through my eyes, quick moving offenses are still extremely inefficient. They may have an occasional give/go, but it doesn't look particularly well intended. Dribbling provides an extraordinary amount of leverage and with leverage comes power. I simply don't see any team that is able to take advantage of any leverage they're able to apply. Does this make sense? I'm not asking if you agree, just whether or not this explanation makes sense.

b1) Explain to someone who doesn't know the meaning of sweet, what sugar is. It doesn't matter if you're the world's foremost authority on sugar, you still can't explain it. Nor can you use reason to get the job done. The only way for you to convey what sugar is to a person who doesn't know the meaning of the word sweet is to have them experience it.

I'm very frustrated as well, but I could explain this till I turn blue, it still won't make much sense until you learn the O.

b2) I don't decry prominent figures in Ultimate. AngryElf? Great guy, lovely wife, beautiful kid; mediocre frisbee player. This isn't personal, it's business. Nutt? Nethercutt reminds me of what Ultimate players were in the 35 years ago. He's a great guy, extremely respectful and as a person, I think he's phenomenal. As an ultimate player, he's not even begun to live up to his potential. There's nothing offensive about this.

Please don't take offense to my posts, I'm not trolling for attention, I just want to revolutionize the game.

c1) Not true, on both counts. My clinics come with instruction and without the abrasion. Coming soon to a town near you....

d1) Fair enough. I'd suggest starting here.

44 Years With The Same Bird by Brian Read is generally excellent I thought. Gives you an insight in to the relationship between a fan and the club over what was an insanely successful period. It speaks to how being a football supporter can touch every part of your life.

It's very well written. I ploughed through it in no time. Amazon link here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/44-Years-Same-Bird-Liverpudlian/dp/0330474251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525947914&sr=8-1&keywords=with+the+same+bird

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0723CC2FV

try that link

Tall Tales by Terry Pluto i a pretty good and interesting book about the starting years of the nba, It is made up of only quotes from the players other than the occasional explanation.

here's the amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Tales-The-Glory-Years/dp/0803287666

Coaching Basketball by Jerry Krause (not that Jerry Krause) is pretty comprehensive. But it's pretty old, so a lot of the tactics are probably outdated by now. But it's fine for getting used to basketball related terminology.

I strongly recommend Half Court Hoops on Youtube. No frills, just straight to the point, TONS of plays from NBA, NCAA, and even travel league.

And the final book I recommend is SABA: The Antifragile Offense by Brian McCormick. It's not a collection of plays - in fact the book advocates the opposite. Instead of teaching young players specific plays and offense, it emphasizes using certain actions to create "small advantages" (like a switch forced by a PnR or a close out created by a ball reversal) and teaching players to grow that "small advantage" into a "big advantage" (a wide open shot or a layup). In short, it teaches athletes "how to play." I think it's the natural next step from the read and react offense, and a great way to think about basketball offense and teach it in the modern era.

The Franchise by Cameron Stauth

In-depth detailed look at the 88-89 Bad Boy Pistons seasons with a writer who was with the team. It's a great insight into the NBA, the happenings in the locker room, what goes through the mind of a GM, and some Xs and O's from the coaches perspective. Great great read, especially of those nostalgic about the NBA of that time, or for those who want a more detailed NBA book.

I read in Tip Off (great book BTW) about how the Rockets were tanking to get the #1 pick in the 1984 draft so they could pick Hakeem Olajuwon. Elvin Hayes played all 53 minutes of an overtime game at age 38 in his second-to-last game in the league.

I got this book when I started.

It's kinda textbook-y, like a reading assignment if you took a coaching class in college.

He's not a "one time associate"
Rosen was Jackson's assistant coach back during the CBA days, they coauthored a book together, and if you've ever read Rosen's articles back when he was at FoxSports, he spent a part of every single article name-dropping his good buddy Phil Jackson.

The Last Banner , which now has a pleasantly out of date title, is the story of a single season but I think it's more on-court. Jackie MacMullan also wrote a book with Larry Bird that covers a lot of the era. I don't think there will ever be a tell-all from those Celtics teams because there just isn't as much to tell as there was for the Showtime Lakers. LA makes for a more interesting setting for that kind of thing than Boston.

The amount of time, energy, and money that goes into finding these guys is insane. Most of these elite basketball prospects have been scouted since they were in middle school. If you're a 15 year old that is really good at basketball, many people are trying to find you. Not only that, but your coaches in middle school and high school are trying their hardest to promote you and put your name out there, so that their school gets recognized as an elite team (and thus can recruit other super talented kids to come play for their school). These youth prospects are ranked from a very young age. There's a great book out there called Play Their Hearts Out about Tyson Chandler, and the AAU coach who found him, promoted him, etc. It's a whole (super shady) industry, and a lot of money goes into it.

https://www.amazon.com/Triple-Post-Offense-Fred-Tex-Winter/dp/1515007685

Play their hearts out by George Dohrmann was absolutely outstanding.
http://www.amazon.com/Play-Their-Hearts-Out-Basketball/dp/0345508602
I suggest reading the description, it isn't NBA or NCAA, but the view on this AAU team/conglomerate as a whole is nuts. I have read TBOB twice, and it really wasn't as entertaining as this. I could not put this down.

The Art of Basketball by Chris Ballard is awesome. Off the top of my head, it has a story about steve nash's drinking habits. A story about a former lawyer who used abnormal training techniques for a youth team who now works with Lebron, etc. Steve Kerr's practice habits when he was with the Spurs. Lebron James actual weight (280, 300 possibly). It's a few years outdated, but nevertheless a quick enjoyable read. Learned a lot about the sport.

The best footy book by miles is "44 years with the same bird" (the liver bird) by mirror columnist Brian reade. All about growing up watching us, how he got into it, how shankly sorted him a ticket after he wrote to him about his gettin robbed, its got everything.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0330474251/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1367746927&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Its late and I'm bored. I'm also from the DC area, so I got curious and did some looking around.

This building is in DC's Chinatown, which is really just a part of downtown with a large Chinese inspired arch and a bunch of Chinese lettering on shops like Chipotle, Starbucks and most notably the Verizon Center. If you go to the google maps street view provided by /u/reffaelwallenberg and look to the left you can see the arch Link. It is called the Friendship Arch and was built in 1986.

Anyways, it looks like the Chinese Doll was a Gourmet Chinese Restaurant. It closed in 2006 when the owners sold it to a development company. It opened in 1969, I'm not sure what the building was between then and 1925 but the building next door was, at one point, the China Inn and later the Lei Garden Chinese Restaurant. I found several more pictures of the restaurant from the 80's and the facade is much more pleasing. I found an article from the Washington Post about the restaurant closing in 2006 after nearly half a century of business. It and the building next to it were razed in 2007 to make way for what looks like a 'micro-hotel' to be built there in the next few years. Although this blog from 2012 suggests a 10 story "Gallery Tower" retail building. As far as I can tell the company is still in the planning stage, though permits/hearings have begun as late as this past fall.

I also found a book featuring former NBA coach Red Auerbach, who apparently frequented the restaurant, that takes place mostly in the China Doll and Chinatown. There is an article about Red Auerbach and it talks about the China Doll, it even has a photo of him inside the restaurant from NPR.

First things first, the most important thing you can do is take an interest in your players and care about them. I can’t stress more the importance of the analogy “if a flower is wilting, don’t blame the flower”. They are all people going through things in their life. If they aren’t performing the way you expect, have open honest communication with them.

I also definitely recommend getting a copy of this book.

This is an excellent book about the 1984 draft. There are many stories, including some really interesting stuff about Barkley and Stockton and MJ trying out for the Olympic team. Great stuff, especially if you watched these guys play in their primes.

Terry Pluto has a fantastic book on it and the years leading up to it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M992QOM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Well, I wasn't really agreeing that the credit belongs to any one coach, and I will follow Few's lead and say that the credit belongs to all the coaches from Fitz on down the line. Also to the McCarthy's and all the other benefactors that helped develop the atmosphere needed to recruit and build a world class program.

I would suggest any and every Zag fan read Glory Hounds to get the full story of where credit is due. Excellent read. GO ZAGS!!