false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255755309m/4452257.jpg 4452257 1 There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA.* Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, is that writer. And <b>The Book of Basketball </b>is that book. <br><br>Nowhere in the roundball universe will you find another single volume that covers as much in such depth as this wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball.<br><br>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.<br><br>Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), <b>The Book of Basketball </b>offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.<br><br><br><i><br>* More to the point, he’s the only one crazy enough to try to pull it off. <br></i> 4500484 book 5 5 2009 The Best Basketball Book Ever Written total:110|5:35|4:47|3:19|2:7|1:2| 110 436 400 29 2 1 false false Sat Nov 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Oct 30 18:14:42 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 28 12:35:38 -0800 2009 1 Secure Immaturity:

The Sports Guy (aka Bill Simmons) is an engaging, Internet personality. He previously wrote a book that was a collection of his highly successful and entertaining Internet postings regarding his beloved Red Sox. Any fan of Simmons knows that he...more...]]> 4 1 true false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 18 17:21:10 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 17:47:36 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Nov 09 16:21:53 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 16:28:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Nov 08 18:39:26 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 19:12:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Oct 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 16:46:13 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 21:29:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Nov 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 05 05:42:19 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 18:14:33 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Mon Nov 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 08:05:56 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 09:34:57 -0800 2009
Having read his columns for so long, ...more...]]> 5 0 true false Sat Nov 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Oct 31 16:27:40 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 07 16:51:41 -0800 2009 ESPN.com for years. He's just like me, except if I loved sports even more...and, you know, if I was funny. I bought his last book (Now I Can Die in Peace, about the Red Sox finally winning the World Series) because I felt like I owed him, but it w...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Nov 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 21:22:14 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 20:08:24 -0800 2009
There. After twenty-three hours of reading Simmons’s 700-page book, these are the three things you’ll have a firm grasp on. You’ll also have a wealth of factoids and sta...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Oct 28 11:14:05 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 09 13:52:15 -0800 2009
Early reports look like it'll be one of the three must-read modern books on basketball, along with Can I Keep My Jersey? Eleven Teams, Six Years, Five Countries, and My So-called Career as a Professional Basketball Player...more...]]> 2 2 false false Sat Nov 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 12:11:43 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 09:56:07 -0800 2009
Simmons must have hired John Iriving's editor to edit this book... and that's not a complement. What was the point of the Grumpy Old Editor? To not edit?

I think this is the world longest coffee table book.

The Most Valuable Chapter? Wh...more...]]> 5 0 true false Mon Nov 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 11:15:16 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 12:08:20 -0800 2009 ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Oct 29 08:09:31 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 18 11:44:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 27 07:31:02 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 02 13:30:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Nov 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 12:10:36 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 12:15:18 -0800 2009
Ultimately the book is hurt by the author's east coast-centric, diehard B...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 22 16:53:29 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 16:57:59 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 09:07:20 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 12:43:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 15:43:13 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 28 22:14:31 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue Nov 17 20:13:26 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 20:21:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 18:54:11 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 18:55:24 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4452257