false 75650 7 In 1977, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington became entwined in a single punch that would change not only their lives, but how professional basketball is played today. Because the punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull and nearly destroyed both men's careers, the scuffle never settled as a dusty bit of NBA trivia. Instead, it nearly superseded both men's notable achievements. The history of that punch (it could not, by any standards, be considered a fight) and the fate of the two men are the subjects of John Feinstein's <I>The Punch</I>.<p> In the early days of the NBA, teams had their stars and their "enforcers." Enforcers such as Washington protected star players on the court with their willingness to mix it up. With concise prose, Feinstein reports on this era, following strings of trades, drafts, and personal relationships to their nexus. Those who do not think about basketball on a statistical level may occasionally find themselves lost, but Feinstein, ever conscious of his subject, ties the tangents neatly to the core of the scuffle that led to the infamous punch.<p> Thorough and thoughtful, Feinstein does not make any excuses, nor does he vilify. He simply traces the web of both men's lives back to their adolescent years when it was not about the NBA, nor the punch, but about the game. Anyone who has ever wondered about these two men, or the history of the NBA, will want to read this book. <I>--Karin Rosman</I> 2210286 2002 The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever total:240|5:43|4:76|3:88|2:26|1:7| 240 842 312 41 4 0 false false Thu Jul 30 08:34:09 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 08:45:25 -0700 2009
That was basketball legend Rudy Tomjanovich learned on one of the darkest nights in NBA history.

The Houston Rockets were playing the L.A. Lakers. Kermit Washington, an L.A. Laker hired la...more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 17 10:58:05 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 08:28:25 -0800 2008 The Punch kind of sucker punched me. Obviously my expectations were too high. I guess you can't have The Perfect Mile every time.

During a game in 1977 between the Lakers and the Rockets, Kermit Washington punched Rudy Tomjanovich. The...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Tue Jan 29 15:02:18 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 29 15:04:05 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Feb 11 16:07:16 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 16:07:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 13 07:38:20 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 18 09:36:53 -0700 2008
Feinstein did a great job of looking at the context of the punch, not just the one moment that gets shown every time there's...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Dec 11 16:26:33 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 08:31:32 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 08 19:01:59 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 24 12:00:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Mar 12 16:06:42 -0700 2007 Mon Mar 12 16:13:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Feb 17 07:32:39 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 07:34:46 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 18:59:54 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 19:03:04 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Feb 18 17:01:58 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 17:01:58 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 11:11:22 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 11:14:00 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 11:56:28 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 11:58:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Feb 04 07:53:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 07:59:01 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 08 08:39:25 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 08:39:25 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Fri May 18 06:45:07 -0700 2007 Fri May 18 07:42:21 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Aug 15 16:15:44 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 16:18:22 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 true false Wed Oct 28 21:39:24 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 21:41:21 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 05:49:29 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 05:53:05 -0800 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 18:03:41 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 11:13:23 -0700 2008 more...]]>