Michael B. (Ichabod) reviewed When the Game Was War: The NBA's Greatest Season on + 162 more book reviews
"Yeah, Yeah... But About Isiah..."
In "When the Game Was War," it is Rich Cohen's contention that the NBA's 1987-1988 season was the greatest ever. This was the time of the Magic Johnson / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lakers, the Larry Bird Celtics, Isiah Thomas's Detroit Pistons, and the soon to be dominant Michael Jordan Bulls. Also, as the book's title suggests, we were seeing the transition from the "showtime" brand of play to a rougher, much more physical playing style, as each team muscled-up to defeat the champion ruling before.
There are back stories of each of the star players of the time, much of it pretty well known. More interesting is the strategy of the front offices in putting together the teams, the rosters best suited to capitalize on the strengths of franchise players. This was particularly true of the Bulls, as Jordan's amazing star power did not translate into an NBA championship until his seventh season.
Rich Cohen grew up in Detroit and admits he is a lifelong Pistons fan. He watched Isiah Thomas play in high school and college and states a number of times he believes Isiah has unfairly been underrated as one of basketball's all-time greats... based on "blood and guts".
"Consider this book a revisionist history. It's not that I wish to devalue Jordan or Johnson or Bird, all of whom were just as great as people say, but that I aim to return Isiah to the pantheon, where he belongs."
Cohen lays it on a little thick in his effort to elevate Isiah, and it seems a little misleading to present this as a study of the "greatest season in NBA history," when so much of it seems to only serve as a backdrop to pump up his role in it. It is a short book, kindle listed at 288 pages, but a third of that is documentation of sources and the index. I think I have learned more from longer magazine accounts and documentaries than I have here, other than about the exploits of one very good player.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In "When the Game Was War," it is Rich Cohen's contention that the NBA's 1987-1988 season was the greatest ever. This was the time of the Magic Johnson / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lakers, the Larry Bird Celtics, Isiah Thomas's Detroit Pistons, and the soon to be dominant Michael Jordan Bulls. Also, as the book's title suggests, we were seeing the transition from the "showtime" brand of play to a rougher, much more physical playing style, as each team muscled-up to defeat the champion ruling before.
There are back stories of each of the star players of the time, much of it pretty well known. More interesting is the strategy of the front offices in putting together the teams, the rosters best suited to capitalize on the strengths of franchise players. This was particularly true of the Bulls, as Jordan's amazing star power did not translate into an NBA championship until his seventh season.
Rich Cohen grew up in Detroit and admits he is a lifelong Pistons fan. He watched Isiah Thomas play in high school and college and states a number of times he believes Isiah has unfairly been underrated as one of basketball's all-time greats... based on "blood and guts".
"Consider this book a revisionist history. It's not that I wish to devalue Jordan or Johnson or Bird, all of whom were just as great as people say, but that I aim to return Isiah to the pantheon, where he belongs."
Cohen lays it on a little thick in his effort to elevate Isiah, and it seems a little misleading to present this as a study of the "greatest season in NBA history," when so much of it seems to only serve as a backdrop to pump up his role in it. It is a short book, kindle listed at 288 pages, but a third of that is documentation of sources and the index. I think I have learned more from longer magazine accounts and documentaries than I have here, other than about the exploits of one very good player.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
