The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia (3rd Edition)
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About this book
On December 12 1891 13 rules of a new game were posted in a YMCA gym in Springfield Massachusetts. At each end of the floor Dr. James A. Naismith who had invented the game had peach baskets nailed below a walkway that happened to be 10-feet high. Within a few days one of Naismiths students would christen the new game "Basket Ball." Over a century ago no one could possibly have envisioned the extraordinary changes that were going to transform Dr. Naismiths game. Who could have imagined a 6-10 George Mikan swatting shots away from the basket? Julius Erving in flight soaring in from the free throw line for a heart-stopping stuff? Or Bob Cousy throwing a mind-boggling no-look behind-the-back pass; Jerry West hitting a 60-foot shot with no time left in a crucial playoff game; Larry Birds three-point prowess and Michael Jordan rising to heights - literally and figuratively - never before seen by any athlete? Who could have foreseen more than 62 000 fans crowded into the Georgia Dome to see a game between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks? Or the titanic battles between Wilt and Russell? Or the Dream Team? The longevity of Stockton and Malone? Red Auerbachs victory cigars? Phil Jacksons Zen coaching? Or Shaquille ONeals powerful dunks? Who could have ever predicted talent like Magic Johnson Charles Barkley Walt Frazier Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Grant Hill Vince Carter Jason Kidd Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant? With an Introduction by NBA Commissioner David J. Stern and a Foreword by Michael Jordan this third edition of The Official NBA Encyclopedia captures it all: The past and the present. The complete stats and the complex personalities. Dynasties rivalries coaches referees all the pre-NBA leagues vignettes and features by the top basketball writers in the world. Every NBA season is reviewed and individual statistics are provided for every player who has ever played in the league. An extraordinary 32-page color photo essay that captures the spirit of the game since Naismith conceived it opens this encyclopedia in an unprecedented and spectacular manner. From the peach basket to the slam dunk championship - its all here in The Official NBA Encyclopedia a book thats almost as exciting as a triple overtime seventh game of the NBA Finals.
