Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 164
 Simmons at his natural best. October 27, 2009
Anthony Lin
12 out of 18 found this review helpful
Buy this book if you like Simmons (he's uncensored! and he curses!). And even if you don't, buy this book if you love sports, basketball, and compelling stories.
I had no idea what to expect from The Book of Basketball, except that it was long, and that Simmons has a penchant for long titles (compare "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy" with "Now I Can Die in Peace: How the Sports Guy Found Salvation Thanks to the World Champion Red Sox"). On second thought, I suppose those two points are one and the same. Bill Simmons likes words.
I'm a Bill Simmons fan and basketball happens to be my favorite sport, so this book was perfectly tailored for me (thanks Bill!). I gotta admit I was a little put off by the length (like Gladwell mentions, I don't think I've read a book this long since... Tolkein), but I guess I'm used to reading his long two-part, thousands-word columns and listening to his two-part, hours-long podcasts. I have no idea how long an Olympic sports argument with Chuck Klosterman would look like in print, but that's exactly how The Book of Basketball reads--conversational, insightful, and funny. The extended length fits in really well for its added humor and context.
Unlike Simmons's previous work, "Now I Can Die in Peace: HtSGFSTttWCRS", The Book of Basketball isn't very homer at all, with only occasional (okay, frequent) digs at Kareem, and praises of Larry Bird. Now I Can Die in Peace suffered from an interrupted flow from essay to essay (and my hatred of the Red Sox--go Angels!), but The Book of Basketball flows very well throughout, with its foreword leading up to the prologue and intro chapter to start off Simmons's journey into discovering and breaking down the philosophies and secrets behind basketball.
And that's what I was really pleased about. I'm not sure if I agree with Bill's quote about being able to finish The Book of Basketball in 15-minute chunks on the toilet--the sections are pretty heavily broken down (I realized this after the initial shock of seeing 700 pages structured into 15 sections), but I find myself plodding on to find out where Kobe stands in the Pyramid, what really happened in Vegas between Bill and Isiah, and Magic's seven incarnations. It's hard to put this book down when you've just finished an essay detailing the introduction of the three point line, and the next essay's title is so enticing (1980-81: Nose Candy).
If you're one of the millions of [...] readers that enjoy Simmons's work, I have no doubt that you'll love The Book of Basketball. If you're a fan of the NBA, and have no idea who Bill Simmons is (do you guys exist?), I'd still give it a wholehearted recommendation.
The Book of Basketball is enjoyably comprehensive, funny, and interesting, and one of Simmons's best works (along with his Spelling Bee diary and Leitch roast).
Fantastic mix of basketball and pop culture! November 28, 2009
S. Vizyak (Denver, CO)
If you have read Bill Simmons columns on [...] or ESPN the magazine and you are fan you can stop reading and just order the book now. The style of the column comes through very well along with a ton of NBA information, analysis, and LOTS of opinion. There is a Boston-centric take on things as he is writing clearly from his opinion and he grew up watching games at Boston Garden.
If you have not read his columns and are a fan of the NBA, I would also recommend the book highly. (Note, this is fully an NBA book as the cover says, really no discussion of college basketball at all). He notes several times he poured three years into research here reading over 100 books on basketball from the era and watching countless vintage telecasts. From all this information he crafts many opinions that translate into great basketball arguments and really that is the fun of historical basketball or any sport history. You probably will not agree with them all but arguing them with a fellow NBA junkie is potential good times. I never had a dog in the fight on the Wilt vs. Russell debate but Simmons (again, Boston-centric) lays out a pretty stunning case on why this is Russell in a landslide. Again, great argument points. There is also a new hall of fame structure, laid out as a pyramid of the best 96 players which makes sense when you read it as well as 33 (Bird's number) what-if scenarios from the NBA.
If you are not an NBA fan but curious from the reviews or notes in Entertainment Weekly it is worth strong consideration. It is over 700 pages of basketball so you know that going in but it has as many pop culture references as most any book you will find. It is safe to say that it will be the first NBA book to also reference Miami Vice, Saved by the Bell, Springsteen, The Wire, the WWE, and rating Marvin Gaye Sr. on a list of the 4 worst celebrity dads as a very small sample. Even without caring strongly about the NBA there is a lot of entertainment here for fans of pop-culture from the late '70s going forward especially in the footnotes. And are there footnotes! A staggering amount of footnotes that in some ways are as entertaining as the rest of the book.
Give it a run, well worth it.
Simmons is the best in the bizz December 2, 2009
Patrick McMichael (Shakopee, MN)
Big book is 700 hundred pages but it is such a quick read if you are any kind of basketball fan
700 pages just flew by December 6, 2009
C. Coyne (CENTRAL FL, US)
I read these 700 pages as quickly as possible, because I'm a fan of Bill Simmons' writing, but you could also take Simmons' advice and plant this book in your bathroom and have the greatest 5 months of bathroom reading in your life. Plus, with the Amazon/Wal-Mart price war dropping the price of this book so low, how can you lose? Just buy it.
P.S. This book, apart from rekindling my love for the NBA, inspired me to dust off my late grandfather's copy of "Breaks Of The Game" (which is praised highly throughout this particular book). Thanks for the memories, Book Of Basketball!
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy December 8, 2009
JEM (Portland, Oregon USA)
I bought this at my son's request. He has enjoyed reading it and has appreciated the humor in it.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 164
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