The Boston-Celtics rivalry only intensified with the added rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The ultimate showdown between teams and the two players would take place at the 1979 NCAA Finals. Complete with historic photos, timeline, glossary, news articles, and more. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.
Davis recounts the dramatic story of how two legendary players--Earvin Magic Johnson and Larry Bird--burst on the scene in a 1979 NCAA championship that gave birth to modern basketball.
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.
The annual NCAA Basketball Tournament, which has become known as “March Madness” has emerged as a major sports event, matched only by the Super Bowl and the Olympics. In Madness, Mark Mehler and Charles Paikert tell the stories behind the ten most compelling and memorable championship games in tournament history, from North Carolina’s triple-overtime victory over Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas Wildcats in 1957 to Duke’s heart stopping victory over underdog Butler in 2010. As a bonus, five more games that just missed the cut are also examined. Madness goes beyond the games to tell the the backstories of these classics, each entirely unique unto itself. For example, Jim Valvano taking his impossible dream of a national title and making it come true for the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack; Rollie Massimino turning spaghetti and clam sauce into inspiration for his underachieving 1985 Villanova team; and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, breaking down in tears while taking a Broadway curtain call in front of a wildly-applauding audience who two hours earlier didn't know who these two guys were decades after their head-to-head matchup in 1979. Some of these stories also resonate far beyond the basketball court, including the 1966 triumph by the Texas Western Miners, which helped chisel away the college basketball color line and stamped their victory as "Glory Road." Over sixty years of college basketball history is brought to life in this must-have for all basketball fans.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time. With a new Afterword by the author. “The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe “An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday “What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)
Sports talk in America has evolved from small-time barroom banter into a major media smorgasbord that runs 24/7 on TV and radio. With hundreds of billions of dollars generated annually by pro and college teams in major markets nationwide, sports fans across the country are more dedicated than ever to their teams. And when it comes to sports talk -- especially all-sports radio -- it's all about entertainment, information, prognostication, analysis, rankings, and endless discussion. Prominent sports-media figures in each of the three target cities -- Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. -- engage in this phenomenon with a compilation of sports lists sure to delight as well as stir up debate within these already-buzzing sports communities. List topics include: What were the most lopsided trades in local sports history? Who were the most overrated athletes to play in our town? What local athlete had the best appearance in TV or film? What was the most heartbreaking loss in local sports history? What was the greatest single play in local sports history? Who are our team's most hated rivals? Plus dozens of "guest" lists contributed by famous local sports and entertainment celebrities. Not only does Detroit host major pro sports teams -- the Lions (NFL), the Red Wings (NHL), the Tigers (MLB), and the Pistons (NBA) -- the area also includes prominent college sports programs such as the University of Michigan. Detroit's fans are some of the most educated and fanatical in the country, thanks to the work of long-time commentators Mike Stone and Art Regner.
A brand new, fast-paced, fully illustrated history of basketball through its flashpoints, innovations, and innovators The third book in the Lyons Press Game Changers sports series answers the questions: What were the 50 most revolutionary personalities, rules, strategies, rivalries, controversies, organizational changes, radio and television advancements, and more in the history of basketball—college and the pros? And how, exactly, did they forever change the game? Basketball’s Game Changers offers fascinating, detailed explanations along with a ranking system from 1 to 50 that is sure to inspire debate among professional and college basketball aficionados. Ranging from the game’s beginnings to today and tackling on-the-court and off-the-court developments, Basketball’s Game Changers offers a history of hoops through its turning-points and innovations. Sportswriter Brendan Prunty breaks down the Bird-Magic rivalry, the 3-point shot, the creation of the NCAA tournament, Air Jordans, Allen Iverson, the WNBA, and even the video game NBA Jam and more! Full-color, and including photos, pull-outs, and sidebars throughout, books within the Game Changers series are important and entertaining additions to every sports fan’s library.
Showcasing one of professional basketball's best players, this book spotlights the life and career of hardcourt superstar LeBron James. More than just a biography, it relates James' story while also establishing his prominent place in NBA history. By examining his skills and statistics in a variety of categories and comparing him to other NBA legends—including Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and more—the guide makes a strong case for James as basketball's greatest. Along the way, his best and most memorable moments are revisited, from his days as a high school stand-out in Akron, to his first stint with the Cavaliers, to "The Decision" to join the Miami Heat, and the show-stopping performance in the 2016 Finals to bring an NBA title back to Cleveland. LeBron James vs. The NBA is certain to stir up lively debate and is a must-have for Cavs fans and basketball buffs alike.
This is not just a sports story. This is not just a political story, nor is this just a pop culture story. This is a story about a script written in 1984 about a star baller, who cares deeply about his community, has no father in the home, with the last name James who skipped college and went straight to the pros just like Lebron James. I believe and will testify to all facts herein. I believe that this is a prophetic message to our nation sent 35 years ago from God for today. Lace-up your Nike's as we take a 35 year journey starting in 1984, the greatest year in NBA off-court history. Michael Jordan was drafted. Lebron was born in Akron, Ohio, and a Stern new commissioner named David stepped up to the plate. The story timelines MJ's career, Lebron's life, and the NBA, quilted together with pop culture, politics, and the life of the young Scribe (writer) who copyrighted the script when he was 23 years old. We end the timeline in 2018. We, then, shoot forward 23 years with a bold prediction of America's future around the season 2040-2041, and now, We Are All Witnesses!
