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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Basketball
America and Canada both saw historic sports milestones in 1993.
While the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bulls reigned supreme, the
Toronto Blue Jays won a second consecutive World Series on a
walk-off homer, and the Montreal Canadiens emerged as the last
Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup. While stars like Michael
Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana overcame physical and
emotional challenges to make history, teams were performing
unprecedented feats, from the Buffalo Bills' unrivaled comeback on
Wild Card Weekend to the Baltimore Orioles' unveiling of their
transformative ballpark design during All-Star Week. Drawing on
original interviews with dozens of former players and coaches, this
book revisits an exceptional sports year for fans across North
America, with memorable stories involving some of the most iconic
sports figures of the 1990s.
Let's say you're the coach of the NBA team with the most
championship banners hanging from its rafters, with every current
and former player available on your bench. Game 7 of the Finals is
approaching and it's time to put your team on the floor. Who's your
starting center? Bill Russell, Robert Parrish, or Dave Cowens?
Who's starting at guard? Bob Cousy, Jo Jo White, Tiny Archibald,
Dennis Johnson, or Kyrie Irving? At power forward, are you playing
Kevin McHale or Jayson Tatum? Is Larry Bird your small forward or
John Havliceck? Combining statistical analysis, common sense, and a
host of intangibles, long-time Celtics writer John Karalis
constructs an all-time All-Star Celtics line-up for the ages. Agree
with his choices or not, you'll learn all there is to know about
the men who played for and coached the most successful franchise in
NBA history.
The three-point shot has been an NBA institution for more than 40
years, with the first long-distance bombs fired on October 12,
1979. The game has since changed dramatically. Critics today
contend that three-pointers have gotten out of hand. Attempts rose
from 2.8 per game in the 1979-1980 season to 18.4 in 2011-2012 to
32 in 2018-2019. Charting this development, this volume focuses on
examples of 12 performances by 12 exceptional shooters-with mention
of many more. Starting with Chris Ford and ending with Steph Curry,
the author shows how these athletes have changed the NBA one shot
at a time.
The Knicks of the 1990s competed like champions but fell short of
their goal. An eclectic group who took divergent, in many cases
fascinating paths to New York, they forged an identity as a rugged,
relentless squad. Led by a superstar center Patrick Ewing and two
captivating coaches--Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy--they played
David to the Chicago Bulls' Goliath. Despite not winning a
championship, they were embraced as champions by New Yorkers and
their rivalries with the Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat
defined NBA basketball for a decade. Drawing on original interviews
with players, coaches and others, this narrative rediscovers the
brilliance of the Knicks, Ewing and his colorful supporting
cast--Charles Oakley, John Starks, Larry Johnson and Latrell
Sprewell--in the glory days of Madison Square Garden.
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