Download or read book Lakers Vs Celtics written by Parker Holmes and published by The Rosen Publishing Group. This book was released on 2013-07-16 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great players, great coaches, and great games--this is what makes the Celtics and Lakers basketball rivalry so famous. In the 1980s, the Celtics' Larry Bird, and the Lakers' Magic Johnson squared off in some of the most epic games in NBA history. The great tradition of the rivalry continues today, with Boston's Kevin Garnett and L.A.'s Kobe Bryant leading the way for their teams. This book gives fans an exciting look at one of basketball's greatest rivalries.

Download or read book When The Game Was Ours written by Larry Bird and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2009-11-04 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestseller from Hall of Fame basketball legends Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson. From the moment these two players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most compelling rivalry in the NBA. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick, with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone and whose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. And he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win. These were the basketball epics of the 1980s — Celtics vs Lakers, East vs West, physical vs finesse, Old School vs Showtime, even white vs black. Each pushed the other to greatness — together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships, six MVP awards and helped save the floundering NBA at its most critical time. When it started they were bitter rivals, but along the way they became lifelong friends. With intimate, fly-on-the-wall detail, When the Game Was Ours transports readers to this electric era of basketball and reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting one another. From the heady days of trading championships to the darker days of injury and illness, we come to understand Larry’s obsessive devotion to winning and how his demons drove him on the court. We hear him talk with candor about playing through chronic pain and its truly exacting toll. In Magic we see a young, invincible star struggle with the sting of defeat, not just as a player but as a team leader. We are there the moment he learns he’s contracted HIV and hear in his own words how that devastating news impacted his relationships in basketball and beyond. But always, in both cases, we see them prevail. A compelling, up-close-and-personal portrait of basketball’s most inimitable duo, When the Game Was Ours is a reevaluation of three decades in counterpoint. It is also a rollicking ride through professional basketball’s best times.

Download or read book The Boston Celtics Vs the Los Angeles Lakers written by Jamie Fickett and published by Seahorse Stingray. This book was released on 2024-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All teams want to win, but rivals play each other with extra toughness, year after year. The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the most epic in all of sports. Learn about contests on the court between these two great NBA teams over the past 80 years.

Download or read book 33 Celtics vs Lakers written by Chuck Klosterman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-09-14 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally collected in Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and now available both as a stand-alone essay and in the ebook collection Chuck Klosterman on Sports, this essay is about Celtics fans and Lakers fans.

Download or read book Showtime written by Jeff Pearlman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 563 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports’ most-revered—and dominant—dynasties. The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s personified the flamboyance and excess of the decade over which they reigned. Beginning with the arrival of Earvin “Magic” Johnson as the number-one overall pick of the 1979 draft, the Lakers played basketball with gusto and pizzazz, unleashing their famed “Showtime” run-and-gun style on a league unprepared for their speed and ferocity—and became the most captivating show in sports and, arguably, in all-around American entertainment. The Lakers’ roster overflowed with exciting all-star-caliber players, including center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and they were led by the incomparable Pat Riley, known for his slicked-back hair, his Armani suits, and his arrogant strut. Hollywood’s biggest celebrities lined the court and gorgeous women flocked to the arena. Best of all, the team was a winner. Between 1980 and 1991, the Lakers played in an unmatched nine NBA championship series, capturing five of them. Bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost three hundred interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers’ epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America’s greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players’ decadent Hollywood lifestyles. From the Showtime era’s remarkable rise to its tragic end—marked by Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV—Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.

Download or read book The Last Season written by Phil Jackson and published by Penguin Books. This book was released on 2005-10-04 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at the season that proved to be the final ride of a truly great dynasty—Kobe Bryant, Shaq, and the LA Lakers For the countless basketball fans who were spellbound by the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2003–2004 high-wire act, this book is a rare and phenomenal treat. In The Last Season, Lakers coach Phil Jackson draws on his trademark honesty and insight to tell the whole story of the season that proved to be the final ride of a truly great dynasty. From the signing of future Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton to the Kobe Bryant rape case/media circus, this is a riveting tale of clashing egos, public feuds, contract disputes, and team meltdowns that only a coach, and a writer, of Jackson’s candor, experience, and ability could tell. Full of tremendous human drama and offering lessons on coaching and on life, this is a book that no sports fan can possibly pass up.

Download or read book Top of the World written by Peter May and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2008-10-28 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I'm on top of the world!” shouted Kevin Garnett after the Boston Celtics demolished the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers for a league-leading seventeenth NBA championship. Peter May chronicles the amazing run of the team, who went from having the second-worst record in 2007 to leading the pack in 2008. Drawing on interviews with the players, Coach Doc Rivers, and General Manager Danny Ainge, May charts the pivotal moments of the Celtics' magical season. From rebuilding the team to capping off their stunning year with another championship, Top of the World brings readers every key moment of the Celtics' wild ride.

Download or read book The Big Three written by Michael Holley and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **Selected by the Wall Street Journal among the Best Sports Books of 2021** A New York Times bestselling sportswriter tells the inside story of how three star players joined together to form the most dominant team in basketball and lead the Boston Celtics to their first championship in more than two decades. The first of "The Big Three" was Paul Pierce. As Boston Celtics fans watched the team retire Pierce's jersey in a ceremony on February 11, 2018, they remembered again the incredible performances Pierce put on in the city for fifteen years, helping the Celtics escape the bottom of their conference to become champions and perennial championship contenders. But Pierce's time in the city wasn't always so smooth. In 2000, he was stabbed in a downtown nightclub eleven times in a seemingly random attack. Six years later, remaining the sole star on a struggling team, he asked to be traded and briefly became a lightning rod among fans. Then, in 2007, the Boston Celtics General Manager made two monumental trades, bringing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston. A press conference on July 31, 2007 was a sight to behold: Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen holding up Celtics jerseys for the flood of media. Coach Doc Rivers made sure the team bonded over the thought of winning a title and living by a Bantu term called Ubuntu, which translates as "I am because we are." Rivers wanted to make it clear that togetherness and brotherhood would help them maximize their talent and win. What came next—the synthesis of the Celtics' "Big Three" and their dominant championship run—cemented their standing as one of great teams in NBA history, a rival to Kobe Bryant's Lakers and LeBron James's Cavaliers. This is the team that brought excitement back to the Garden, and therefore to one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. They met their historic rivals, the Lakers, in the 2008 NBA Finals, winning the series in Game 6, in a rout on their home court with a raucous, concert like atmosphere. Along the victory parade route, Paul Pierce smoked a cigar—as a tribute to legendary former Celtics Coach Red Auerbach. In a city now defined by a wealth of championships, "The Big Three" joined the club. Michael Holley, the premier chronicler of Boston sports, brings their story to life with countless untold stories and behind-the-scenes details in another bestselling tome for New England and sports fans across the country.

Download or read book Dynasty s End written by Thomas J. Whalen and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2005-05 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The following summer, Russell stunned the sports world by announcing his retirement, ending his and the Celtics' celebrated reign."

Download or read book Wish It Lasted Forever written by Dan Shaughnessy and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Drawing on unprecedented access and personal experiences that would not be possible for any reporter today, Shaughnessy takes us inside the legendary Larry Bird-led Celtics teams, capturing the camaraderie as they rose to dominate the NBA. Fans can witness the cockiness of Larry Bird (who once walked into an All Star Weekend locker room, announced that he was going to win the three-point contest, and did); the ageless athleticism of Robert Parish; the shooting skills of Kevin McHale; the fierce, self-sacrificing play of Bill Walton; and the playful humor of players like Danny Ainge, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell, and M.L. Carr."--

Download or read book The Big Bam written by Leigh Montville and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Bestseller He was the Sultan of Swat. The Caliph of Clout. The Wizard of Whack. The Bambino. And simply, to his teammates, the Big Bam. Babe Ruth was more than baseball’s original superstar. For eighty-five years, he has remained the sport’s reigning titan. He has been named Athlete of the Century . . . more than once. But who was this large, loud, enigmatic man? Why is so little known about his childhood, his private life, and his inner thoughts? In The Big Bam, Leigh Montville, whose recent New York Times bestselling biography of Ted Williams garnered glowing reviews and offered an exceptionally intimate look at Williams’s life, brings his trademark touch to this groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the Babe. From the award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Ted Williams comes the thoroughly original, definitively ambitious, and exhilaratingly colorful biography of the largest legend ever to loom in baseball—and in the history of organized sports. Based on newly discovered documents and interviews—including pages from Ruth’s personal scrapbooks —The Big Bam traces Ruth’s life from his bleak childhood in Baltimore to his brash entrance into professional baseball, from Boston to New York and into the record books as the world’s most explosive slugger and cultural luminary.

Download or read book My Baseball Diary written by James T. Farrell and published by BIG BYTE BOOKS. This book was released on 2014-11-20 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You might be forgiven for thinking that this book is exclusively for sports fans. It is not. James Thomas Farrell’s Studs Lonigan books are considered among the best of the 20th century. Like ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series, Farrell’s essays on baseball make great reading for anyone who loves great writing. Farrell steps away from fiction in this out-of-print gem. Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb and other baseball greats are here. Farrell saw them all and met many of them as a writer . Baseball is a game of statistics and poetry. Farrell purely and eloquently wrote about his love of the game. This book is an important piece of baseball history and an American sports writing classic. It's available for the first time as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smart phones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

Download or read book The Celtics Legacy The Heart Of Boston written by Eternia Publishing and published by Zander Pearce. This book was released on 2023-05-25 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE CELTICS LEGACY: THE HEART OF BOSTON FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO THE GLOBAL STAGE, CELEBRATING THE CELTICS' INFLUENCE ON BASKETBALL AND BEYOND "The Celtics Legacy: The Heart Of Boston" is the ultimate guide to one of the greatest teams in the history of basketball. This comprehensive book explores the rich history of the Boston Celtics, from their early years to their current dominance on the court. Whether you're a die-hard Celtics fan, a lover of basketball history, or just looking to learn more about one of the most storied franchises in sports, "The Celtics Legacy" is the perfect book for you. It covers everything you need to know about the team, including the coaches, players, games, and moments that have shaped the Celtics' legacy. This book is also packed with insightful analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, and fascinating trivia that will keep you entertained and engaged from beginning to end. With its in-depth look at the team's history and its impact on the NBA and the world of sports, "The Celtics Legacy " is a must-have for any basketball fan. So don't wait any longer, get your copy of "The Celtics Legacy: The Heart Of Boston" today, and experience the rich history and legacy of the Boston Celtics for yourself! CONTENT (40 CHAPTERS) The Boston Celtics The Early Years: Building The Foundation The Golden Era: Bill Russell And The First Championships The Larry Bird Era: Dominating The 80s The Return To Glory: The Paul Pierce And Kevin Garnett Era Building A New Legacy: The Kyrie Irving And Jayson Tatum Era The Celtics Coaching Tree: A Tradition Of Excellence A Look Into The Celtics Roster: Key Players Throughout The Years The Celtics-Lakers Rivalry: A Battle For Supremacy Celtics In The Playoffs: A History Of Deep Runs And Championships The Celtics In The Community: Giving Back To Boston The Boston Garden: A Legacy In Its Own Right The Celtics Fanbase: Loyal And Passionate Celtics Legends: Honoring The Greats Celtics Vs. The Nba: A League Legacy The Celtics And The Nba Global Stage: Expanding The Legacy Celtics In Popular Culture: The Green And White On The Big Screen Celtics Legacy: Reflections And Predictions For The Future Concluding Thoughts: The Legacy Of The Boston Celtics Remembering The Celtics: A Legacy For The Ages Red Auerbach: The Mastermind Behind The Celtics' Success From New York To Boston: The Celtics' Early Years The Bill Russell Dynasty: An Era Of Dominance Sam Jones: The Unsung Hero Of The Celtics' Golden Age The Celtics-Lakers Rivalry: A Battle For Basketball Supremacy The 1976 Nba Finals: The Celtics' Greatest Game Larry Bird And Magic Johnson: The Rivalry That Defined A Generation Kevin Mchale: The Ultimate Sixth Man The Len Bias Tragedy: A Shocking Loss For The Celtics The Celtics' Comeback: Winning The 2008 Nba Championship The Ray Allen Trade: A Move That Changed The Celtics' Future The Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, And Ray Allen The 2010 Nba Finals: A Heartbreaking Loss For The Celtics Brad Stevens: The New Era Of Celtics Basketball Isaiah Thomas: The Little Guy With A Big Heart Jaylen Brown And Jayson Tatum: The Future Of The Celtics The Celtics And Social Justice: A Legacy Beyond Basketball The Boston Celtics Foundation: Giving Back To The Community The Top 10 Celtics Moments Of All Time The Future Of The Celtics: Predictions And Prospects

Download or read book Boston Celtics Encyclopedia written by Peter C. Bjarkman and published by Sports Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2003-02 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Book of Basketball written by Bill Simmons and published by ESPN. This book was released on 2010-12-07 with total page 754 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The NBA according to The Sports Guy—now updated with fresh takes on LeBron, the Celtics, and more! Foreword by Malcom Gladwell • “The work of a true fan . . . it might just represent the next phase of sports commentary.”—The Atlantic Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining basketball addict known to millions as ESPN’s The Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. 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.

Download or read book My Team written by Larry Dierker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2006-07-11 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mantle or Mays? A-Rod or Jeter? Biggio or Morgan? Clemens, Maddux, and Randy Johnson -- or Pedro, Palmer, and Carlton? These are questions baseball fans can spend endless hours debating. Former All-Star pitcher and National League Manager of the Year Larry Dierker has his own opinions, and he shares them in My Team, his fascinating discussion of the greatest players he has seen in his four decades in the major leagues. Dierker selects twenty-five players for My Team and another twenty-five for the opposition, the Underdogs, or "Dogs." There are two players at each position, five starting pitchers, and four relievers. (When your starters are the likes of Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Juan Marichal, you don't worry about bullpen depth.) All are players that Dierker has played with or against or watched in his years as player, coach, manager, and commentator. Each athlete must have played at least ten years in the major leagues to qualify, and players are judged on their ten best seasons. Leadership skills and personality -- critical components of team chemistry -- are highly valued. So how is it possible to select two teams composed of outstanding ballplayers from the past forty years and not have room for Sandy Koufax, Reggie Jackson, Carl Yastrzemski, or Cal Ripken Jr.? Dierker explains his choices, analyzing each position carefully, always putting the team ahead of the individual player. He provides statistics to back up his selections, and often relates personal anecdotes about the players. (From his first All-Star Game in 1969, Dierker offers a wonderful anecdote about Hank Aaron, by then an All-Star veteran.) My Team may start more debates than it settles, but Dierker's insights, and his passion for the game, will enlighten and fascinate true baseball fans.

Download or read book The Last Pass written by Gary M. Pomerantz and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestseller Out of the greatest dynasty in American professional sports history, a Boston Celtics team led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, comes an intimate story of race, mortality, and regret About to turn ninety, Bob Cousy, the Hall of Fame Boston Celtics captain who led the team to its first six championships on an unparalleled run, has much to look back on in contentment. But he has one last piece of unfinished business. The last pass he hopes to throw is to close the circle with his great partner on those Celtic teams, fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell. These teammates were basketball's Ruth and Gehrig, and Cooz, as everyone calls him, was famously ahead of his time as an NBA player in terms of race and civil rights. But as the decades passed, Cousy blamed himself for not having done enough, for not having understood the depth of prejudice Russell faced as an African-American star in a city with a fraught history regarding race. Cousy wishes he had defended Russell publicly, and that he had told him privately that he had his back. At this late hour, he confided to acclaimed historian Gary Pomerantz over the course of many interviews, he would like to make amends. At the heart of the story The Last Pass tells is the relationship between these two iconic athletes. The book is also in a way Bob Cousy's last testament on his complex and fascinating life. As a sports story alone it has few parallels: An poor kid whose immigrant French parents suffered a dysfunctional marriage, the young Cousy escaped to the New York City playgrounds, where he became an urban legend known as the Houdini of the Hardwood. The legend exploded nationally in 1950, his first year as a Celtic: he would be an all-star all 13 of his NBA seasons. But even as Cousy's on-court imagination and daring brought new attention to the pro game, the Celtics struggled until Coach Red Auerbach landed Russell in 1956. Cooz and Russ fit beautifully together on the court, and the Celtics dynasty was born. To Boston's white sportswriters it was Cousy's team, not Russell's, and as the civil rights movement took flight, and Russell became more publicly involved in it, there were some ugly repercussions in the community, more hurtful to Russell than Cousy feels he understood at the time. The Last Pass situates the Celtics dynasty against the full dramatic canvas of American life in the 50s and 60s. It is an enthralling portrait of the heart of this legendary team that throws open a window onto the wider world at a time of wrenching social change. Ultimately it is a book about the legacy of a life: what matters to us in the end, long after the arena lights have been turned off and we are alone with our memories. On August 22, 2019, Bob Cousy was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom