More than a Game FROM OUR EDITORS
For a true basketball fan, this book will seem like a dream come true. What could be better, after all, than an eight-time world champion NBA coach explaining how he transformed an undisciplined team into a double title-snatching combine? In More than a Game, Jackson and sportswriter/sports novelist Charley Rosen tell how the visionary coach convinced the star-laden Los Angeles Lakers that individual fame was less important than winning. A compelling read.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
AS THE GAME REVEALS THE PLAYER, SO DOES THIS BOOK REVEAL THE COACH
Phil Jackson is the most celebrated coach in basketball today, earning that respect by guiding his teams in Chicago and Los Angeles to an astounding eight NBA championships. The key to his success, he thinks is his ability to understand the complexities of the players as well as the intricacies of the game. With this memorable book, Phil joins his friend Charley Rosen, a former player and coach who knows success at the game's highest levels, to bring new insight to the challenge of coaching and to honor the innate grace of basketball and its players.
Jackson and Rosen take you from the cracked blacktop courts of the inner city to the polished hardwood of the country's finest arenas, exposing the demanding reality of professional basketball: a world of glamour, glitter, and greed, in which nobility can still be found in the single-minded pursuit of athletic perfection.
From his playing days in college and with the world champion Knicks of the 1970's to his victories courtside with the Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson relates his philosophy of coaching, fondly talks about the memorable players and plays of the past, and candidly expresses his feelings about today's rules and referees. Simply a must for any fan, this book reveals the very heart of the sport, reminding us that basketball is much more than just a game.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
At first glance, this book is a strained synthesis. During the first half, storied NBA coach Jackson and CBA coach-turned-writer Rosen alternate chapters. Each details his upbringing, life in basketball and friendship with the other. Even though Jackson is the star here, he gives little attention to his years with the Bulls (covered in his earlier book Sacred Hoops). Later in the book, Jackson recounts, game by game, his championship first season with the previously undisciplined Lakers. It seems a somewhat perfunctory treatment of a surprising season, until the book's true (and higher) purpose slowly becomes clear: it is a magnificent tribute to Tex Winter's triangle offense, the perfect scheme. In describing their attempts to implement the triangle in the CBA, the authors illustrate its effectiveness, even its necessity. Jackson and Rosen depict the Lakers learning to make the offense work, finally suggesting that the triangle could work for any team that Michael Jordan wasn't the only reason Chicago won six rings under Jackson. And through it all, they show that the only thing standing in the way of many teams adopting the triangle, just as many NFL teams have taken up the West Coast offense, is player ego. For the heart of the scheme is the individual's sacrifice of status and spotlight for the greater success of the team. The technical details in this wonderful book will give any fan a better appreciation of the game. (Mar. 25) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
KLIATT
ﾽ Ball games are won or lost in practice sessions. ﾽ Ballplayers always know when their coach is lying to them, and vice versa. ﾽ A player's character is more important than his talent. ﾽ Life is, indeed, a metaphor for basketball! These words of wisdom come from Phil Jacksonﾽone of the most dynamic players and coaches in National Basketball Association history. From his playing days with the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks to his legendary NBA title victories with Chicago and Los Angeles (including the 2002 championship crown), Jackson's "quiet energy" is a philosophical dichotomy that has stood the test of time. Co-author Rosen's 30-year friendship with Jackson is an asset as he joins Phil in profiling the evolving image of the NBA in the 1970s when stars like Bob McAdoo and Bill Bradley emerged (and, in the case of Bradley, moved into another "arena"ﾽpolitics). We view Jackson's development as a coach, first in the Continental Basketball Association with the Albany Patroons and later with the powerhouse Bulls and Lakers. His use of mental imaging and psychological mapping of player positions and outcomes contributed to his proven success. Not only is More Than a Game a great autobiography, it is an excellent reference source. A comprehensive index, along with a glossary of basketball terms and player position-route diagrams, make this the source for coaches looking for that good motivational book for new or experienced high school players. Young women and men will find the words inspiring, the writing style entertaining, and the facts/terminology helpful. Physical education instructors can easily adapt parts of More Than a Game for testing purposes. Category: Sports &Recreation. KLIATT Codes: SAﾽRecommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Simon & Schuster, Fireside, 320p. index., , Charleston, WV
Library Journal
Jackson is becoming a prolific chronicler of his life in basketball. Maverick (1975), also written with Rosen (Scandals of '51), covered his offbeat life as a player with the two-time champion New York Knicks, while Sacred Hoops (1999) focused on how he used his Triangle offense and personal "Zen Christian" beliefs in coaching the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s. This latest work brings Jackson's journey two years forward as he brings the Triangle and his hardwood soul-searching to Los Angeles, leading the Lakers to yet another championship. Chapters alternate between Jackson and Rosen as the two trade tales and insights. The primary voice is Jackson's, however, and the major interest to most readers will be his behind-the-scenes account of the Lakers' successful season and the tenuous teaming of stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. An unusual amalgam of biography, spiritualism, basketball technique, and journalism, this will be of strong interest for all basketball collections. John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
This book is for the basketball junkie. It tells more about the intricacies of the triangle system of offense than most people would ever want to know. But for the serious fan, this is the book. On the surface, it examines the 1999-2000 season of the L.A. Lakers—"the Shaq and Kobe Show." Actually, it is about the journeys of two men through the several worlds of basketball: high school, small college, minor league professional, and the NBA. One author reads a section, then passes the mike to his co-author. Each talks largely about his own career, but the careers intersect on several occasions. Both have pleasant speaking voices. And they do know what they're talking about. R.E.K. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
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