Bill Simmons

An opinionated tour of the past, present, and future of pro basketball, written by ESPN's "Sports Guy" columnist, shares insights on everything from major NBA events and underrated players to how Hall of Famers should be selected.

The NBA According to the Sports Guy

The Book of Basketball

Elda Mengisto

"This book is not the work of an insider. It's the work of someone with five TVS in his 'office' who has a reasoned opinion on Game 5 of the 1986 Eastern Conference semifinals because he watched Game 5 of the 1986 Eastern Conference semifinals in 1986, and then--just to make sure his memory wasn't playing tricks on him--got the tape and rewatched it three times on some random Tuesday morning last spring. You and I cannot do that because we have no cap room. That's why we have Simmons" -- Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell's intro for the second printing of "The Book of Basketball" reveals the dedication of Bill Simmons, a constant writer (and now podcaster--I actually found out about this book while looking through "The Book of Basketball 2.0". Sadly, I haven't gotten into depths into the conversations involved) for ESPN and a savant in basketball. Through this 700-page trek, we don't go into the history of basketball from when the game was invented; instead we focus on "The Secret", hypothetical questions, and how he eventually re-imagines the Hall of Fame and their greatest players.

I had a few false starts when trying to read this book. When I looked at how the pages were organized, it turned out that it wasn't a standard book (where we go from beginning to the end), so I hesitated on starting. Eventually, I did, and got to love Simmons' writing style. The first chapter, in which he talks about how he got hooked into following the Boston Celtics, was quite good, especially considering Simmons' father gave up the motorcycle for season tickets! He learns about basketball, where he claims that "I grew up watching basketball played the right way. Guys looking for the open man. Guys making the extra pass. Guys giving their best and coming through in big moments. By the time Bird retired, I had earned my Ph.D. in hoops" (14). Then again, he grew up in a successful time with the franchise, but it didn't make Larry Bird missing the final shot in 1987 all the more heart-wrenching. (I'm a bit upset we didn't get "Bayless becomes dragon" too, haha)

The chapter about the Secret really defines the rest of the book, in that the outside-basketball stuff can end up composing the player, though it's the non-basketball factors which matter. Simmons focuses on the sin of "wanting more" after every year--more money, more time, more acknowledgement. This dysfunction would later tear apart at the team, yet "90 percent of NBA decision makers ignore The Secret or talk themselves into it not mattering that much. Fans overlook the Secret completely, as evidenced by, you know, it's a secret (45). This idea goes through the rest of the book, from how Simmons argues that Bill Russell is better than Wilt Chamberlain, to the many hypotheticals and eventually, his list of greatest basketball players of all-time.

Of course, there's a history lesson for the NBA, though it only ends at 1983. One notable thing that stood out from chapter was how Danny Biasone created the twenty-four second shot clock--"How did he arrive at 24? Biasone studied games he remembered enjoying and realized that, in each of those games, both teams took around 60 shots. Well, 60 + 60 = 120. So Biasone settled on 120 shots as the minimum combined total that would be acceptable from a "I'd rather kill myself than watch another NBA game like this" standpoint..." (89). I didn't know how important it was in the context of the game, though it's apparent in that the scores started going up and people actually wanted to win. Plus, the colorization of the NBA was interesting to hear--I know how Russell struggled with racism in Boston despite his success--though I didn't know how much their players would impact the NBA when it was first growing. Simmons continues to note that in comparing players and eras (and having a black alter-ego in Jabbari Abdul-Simmons, which I found quite amusing). 

The "what if" section was filled with good stuff--it involved questions that are quite common (the 1984 Draft, Len Bias make two of the top three), but also some interesting ones, along with their responses. From what if Kobe was tried of sexual assault ("Woops, I forgot that in 2005 everyone in the Los Angeles area agreed to pretend this never happened..."182) to what if the Malice in the Palace never happened ("it was one of the most memorable moments in fantasy sports history. Imagine taking Ron with one of your top picks, then watching him charge into the stands a few weeks later..."169) to the "Where Isiah Happens" sequence if he had never became GM of the Knicks. They're quite good, though over time I drifted off as we got further for the chapter.

As for his revamped Hall of Fame, let's say I'd like to go there had it existed. From ending up somewhere in Indiana to the $24 bills of Biasone given out, Simmons adds his touches to what is a masterwork of imagination. I did have to struggle through them, because they were still filled with commentary and depth.

If you have the time to sit down and enjoy a good analysis, then "The Book of Basketball" is fantastic. However, since the second edition (which I read) was published in 2010, some things about the NBA are out of date, so do note that in the process of reading it. It's quite funny, and fulfilling too. (7.9/10)

The Book of Basketball The NBA According to the Sports Guy

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