When the Game was Ours
Book - 2009 796.323 Bi 1 On Shelf No requests on this item
Sign in to request
Locations
Call Number: 796.323 Bi
On Shelf At: Downtown Library
Location & Checkout Length | Call Number | Checkout Length | Item Status |
---|---|---|---|
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout |
796.323 Bi | 4-week checkout | On Shelf |
Includes index.
With intimate, fly-on-the-wall detail, "When the Game Was Ours" transports readers to an electric era of basketball and reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players--Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic Johnson"--dead set on besting one another.
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
Very Good Book
submitted by andy101 on June 16, 2013, 6:00pm
I always thought that the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would make a terrific book. This book lived up to my expectations and surpassed them. The Bird-Johnson rivalry is multidimensional; throughout the book, Jackie MacMullan looks at the rivalry from multiple perspectives.
Ultimately, the story is one about two contrasting men who were destined to cross paths because of the one thing they shared - the desire to win basketball games. One point that is repeatedly emphasized throughout the story is that Bird and Johnson were seen as almost complete opposites. Bird was white; Johnson was black. Bird was the greatest shooter in the history of the game; Johnson was the greatest passer in the history of the game. Bird played for Boston; Johnson played for Los Angeles. Bird was seen as a blue-collar worker; Johnson was seen as a flashy player who was perfectly suited for Showtime basketball in Hollywood.
In one form or another, the relationship between the two men is the focus of the MacMullan's story. At first, each man used the other primarily for motivational purposes. Larry and Magic were reluctant to meet each other; their first conversation did not occur until 1985. However, once they were confident that their friendship off the court would not soften their play on the court, their relationship blossomed. Even as a huge basketball fan, the most compelling moments of the story were the ones that portrayed Bird and Johnson outside the NBA. In 1991, Magic Johnson learned he had HIV and announced his retirement shortly thereafter; one of the first people he told was Larry Bird. In 1992, Magic came out of retirement to play with Larry on the Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona; Magic was obviously still in his physical prime but Larry was suffering from back problems that had plagued his career for years. However, for both of them, the important thing was that they were together again; even as Michael Jordan dominated practices and unofficially announced a new era in basketball, Magic and Larry could reminisce and enjoy life together.
The book is introduced by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The rest of the book is written in Jackie MacMullan's powerful voice. The story is not about the basketball they played as much as it is about what went through their minds. The book is a compelling read for everyone, avid sports fan or not.
PUBLISHED
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
Year Published: 2009
Description: xi, 340 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 24 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book
ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780547394589 (softcover)
9780547225470
0547225474
ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Johnson, Earvin, 1959-
MacMullan, Jackie.
SUBJECTS
Bird, Larry, -- 1956-
Johnson, Earvin, -- 1959-
Basketball players -- Biography.
Basketball -- History.