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How to do the basketball book
How to Keep a Basketball Score Sheeet
How to Keep a Basketball Score Sheet
Keeping track of the score in basketball games is something that every person involved in the sport does, even if you are just an avid fan watching the match.
But basketball also includes detailed statistical categories other than the points a team compile when they successfully put the ball into the hoop. If you are tasked to be a scorekeeper, you also have to tally rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers and other important numbers essential in the rules of basketball.
This is not just one of those easy drills as the stats has to be accurate and should not include any discrepancy. If you are new to filling out a basketball stat sheet or you just want to refresh your knowledge of it, then read on as we go through the basics of basketball statistics.
Writing down the players' names and numbers
The first category to fill out consists of the names of the players and their jersey numbers, as well as the names of the coaches.![]()
You write down their names on the longest boxes you can see on the stat sheet, then place their numbers on their corresponding small boxes. The boxes for the coaches' names are usually located at the top, right beside the names of the teams. You have to be accurate in writing down their numbers because the referees will do a hand signal of a player's number when he commits a foul.
Moreover, the number printed at the back of a player's jersey is usually the largest one you can see on his uniform, making it easier for you to tally his points when he scores. In terms of the sequence of the players' names, you can list them down numerically so that you can find them on the stat sheet more quickly. After that, you should mark with an asterisk the starting line-up of each team or basically the first five players fielded in by the coaches. You can do this first category of the stat sheet by yourself, or you can ask the coaches or the managers to write them down for you.
Marking Change of Possesion on a Basketball Stat Sheet
Another important non-statistical category in basketball stat sheets is marking the change of possessions.
This occurs in jump-ball situations, but there is a big difference between amateur and professional leagues. In amateur leagues, teams only jump for the ball at the start of the game and to begin an overtime period.
If there is a situation when there is a tie-up for the ball, the referees will refer to the scorekeeper to see which team will be rewarded with the possession. That is the main reason why you should be careful in marking this category. It is usually located at the top right corner of basketball stat sheets, in which you encircle the squad who won the first possession.
After that, you then just draw a line through each squad so that you would easily know who will be rewarded with the next possession.
Keeping track of team and individual player points
Now, we dive deep on most vital stat: points. It is the primary reason why we have a stat sheet in basketball. Two essential things to consider is that points are separated into two: team points and individual player points.
You record team points through the Running Score section. When a player scores, you just put a slash mark in the corresponding box to keep track of teams' total points. As soon as a quarter ends, you will put the teams' total points in the Quarter Score section. After you record each made basket in the Running Score section, you then proceed to the players' points section. When a player makes a two-point basket, you just write "2" in the box. You write "3" when he successfully hits a three-pointer, then "1" for each free throw made. The individual scores are divided by the four quarters, which means that you have to record somebody's stats under the corresponding quarter.
Recording team and individual player fouls and timeouts
Yet, that is not where basketball stat sheets end. The next critical category you have to track is the fouls. Just like in the scoring section, there are team fouls and players' fouls. When a referee calls a foul, immediately record it at the teams' fouls section so that you would know if they hit the penalty situation.
As for the individual fouls, you can see the boxes of the personal fouls beside the scoring section for the players. If someone commits a personal foul, put a slash mark on the "P1" box in the section. If he reaches five fouls, you have to inform the referees because it means that he has fouled out of the game and is not allowed to continue playing. You can also see the technical foul boxes in this section. Should someone be called for a technical foul, put a slash mark on the "T1" box. Bear in mind that a technical foul is also counted on the five allowed fouls for each player, and two technical fouls means that he is ejected from the game. Also, be reminded that timeouts are recorded in the stat sheet. This category is located at the Teams are usually allowed seven timeouts in games, and two timeouts for every quarter. Make sure you got this right so that coaches would know if they have already used up their allowed timeouts.
Tallying assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, turnovers and field goal attempts
Then, there are the other individual basketball stats that you have to keep track of if the tournament's committee deems it necessary.
Usually, basketball stat sheets just record points and fouls under the individual categories. However, there is also the possibility that you need to mark down a player's assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, turnovers and field goal makes and misses. Today's coaches have been very mindful of these statistics as a helpful tool in figuring out the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of their hoopers. But the thing is you cannot track all these stats alone so you have to ask help from two or three more people to watch the plays and mark down the stats.
We start with tracking each player's assists. Usually, point guards are the ones who tally the most assists but basketball has become a positionless game so everyone has the chance to dish out assists. When a player passes the ball to his teammate, who then successfully scores, you immediately mark a slash mark on the assists category of that hooper who passed the ball. Another important stat in basketball is the rebounds.
Coaches would always say that a team controls games by controlling the rebounds. As the stats tracker, you have to be alert in identifying which player made the rebound, whether it be on offense or defense. Same with the assists, you just have to put a slash mark at the rebounds category and then just add it up for the total number of rebounds after the game. The next stat categories are defensive stats such as steals and blocks. These defensive stats act as excellent barometer for how players exert tremendous effort on defense, something that has been very underrated because most aspiring basketball athletes only want to score. Again, whenever a defensive player steals the ball or disrupts the passing lane and tips the ball to his teammate, put another slash mark on his corresponding steals section. On the other hand, if defensive players successfully blocks a shot from the opposing team, you just have to do the slash mark you did in the assists, rebounds and steals category.
Coaches put a lot of emphasis in their squad's defense, so expect them to really dive deep in looking at their players' steals and blocks tally.
Then their are the other stats like field goal attempts and turnovers. Coaches would want to know how efficient their players are shooting the basketball, which is the main reason why you also have to tally how many times a hooper has shot the ball. Shots are divided by three sections: two-point shots, three-pointers and free throws. Also be reminded that you don't just keep track of how often a player shoots the ball. You should also mark how many times he has successfully put the basketball into the hoop. Through this, his coaches will be able to know how well he is shooting the basketball. Lastly, you also have to track players' turnovers as this is another barometer that tells how teams are executing their offensive plays during the games. When a player is handling the basketball then the defender from the opposing team steals it from him, that is automatically a tally in his turnovers count.
Offensive fouls are also counted as turnovers so make sure to ask referees what kind of fouls they are calling.
How to Keep a Basketball Scorebook
Basketball scorebooks allow you to keep a complete record of a game. Utilize them to keep statistics for your team, monitor game information for the coaching staff or serve the official scorer. Track field goals, free throws, personal fouls, technical fouls, timeouts and alternating possessions for held balls in these books.
Filling Out The Roster
Start by putting in correct team information. List the players in numerical order, from the smallest number to the largest. Designate the starters by checking the appropriate box, if your scorebook has one. Make sure the information is listed accurately. Teams that give the official scorer an incorrect roster -- or fill out the official scorebook incorrectly -- can be penalized with technical free throws.
Recording Fouls
Be very sure of foul calls before recording them.
If you are an official scorer or you're keeping the book on behalf of the coaching staff, ask officials for a clarification if you are not sure. The official NCAA Scorebook features the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 to the left of the player's name and a box under each numbers. Draw a line through the 1 for the first foul, a line through the 2 for the second foul and so forth. Write the time of each foul under the number, if there is space for it. Chronicle team fouls one by one in the designated area, using the number of the player charged to denote the foul. If you are keeping the book on behalf of the coaching staff, your record-keeping will be vital if there is dispute on foul totals at some point in the game.
Recording Technical Fouls
Learn the technical foul rules at your level of competition; in some cases a technical foul also counts as a personal foul. Record technical fouls in a separate area with a notation on the time, the type of technical foul and which individual received it -- unless it was a bench technical on no one person.
Tracking Time Outs
Tracking timeouts is another critical function if you're keeping the scorebook for a team. Keep a count in the space allotted and add the time of the stoppage under the notation if you can. Differentiate between a regular timeout and a 20-second timeout, if there are such things at your level.
Documenting Individual Scoring
For regular field goals, put down a 2 in the player's column for that quarter or half. For 3-point field goals, put down a 3. For a free throw attempt, put down a 0. For a made free throw attempt, put a X inside that 0. For two-shot fouls, connect the 0s with a small "v" underneath them. For one-and-one foul calls, connect the 0s with an inverted "v" on top. If a player misses the front end of the one-and-one, you would put down a 0, attach the inverted "v" on top and leave the second spot blank -- because the player did not get the second shot.
Providing Team Totals
For the team totals, add up the number of regular field goals in each quarter or half and put down that number with (2) next to it in the total box.
Add up the 3-point field goals and put (3) next to that number in the total box. In the free throw column, add up the makes and misses and put those numbers in the total box. Then add up the game totals in the total boxes underneath the individual player summaries.
Recording Running Score
Keep a running score if your scorebook has an easy format for that. In the Official NCAA Scorebook, there are numbers 1 through 136 displayed for this purpose. If player makes a basket to give his team 16 points for the game, draw a line through the 16 and put the player's number under that. Record the time of the basket as well, if you want that much detail.
Although the Official NCAA Scorebook doesn't include columns for missed field goals, assists, rebounds, blocked shots and steals, you can keep those statistics too. One simple way to track missed shots is to put down a 1, 2 or 3 for each free throw, field goal and three-point shot taken. Then circle the shots that are made.
Top 10 NBA Books - Total Score Reader - Blogs
Sports.
ru recommends 10 NBA books to help ease off-season boredom.
10. The Franchise: Building a Winner With Basketball's Bad Boys, the World Champion Detroit Pistons
Author: Cameron Stout
are not as hateful assholes as everyone thinks they are.
What this book is really about : About how one of the most unusual NBA championship teams was created.
Review : “In The Franchise, Cameron Stout goes into great detail about the '88/89 season from training camp to the NBA Finals. He tells how general manager Jack McCloskey built the team over a decade. In the mid-80s, many teams were close to succeeding, but the Pistons actually did it - McCloskey relied on excellent scouting work, was much more willing to trade than others, but at the same time emphasized the need depth of the roster, “chemistry” and dominance of team values when building a champion roster.
The Pistons won the title without a dominant center, without a leader averaging 20 points per game: thanks to the dedication of defense and teamwork, 9 players at once received enough playing time.
Stout breaks down playoff victories over the Celtics, Bucks, Bulls and Lakers, title celebrations and how the expansion draft became a problem for the team's roster depth.
…
Stout writes not as a novelist, but as a sports journalist. He notes the smallest details going on behind the scenes. Lots of phone conversations that may or may not result in exchanges. Decisions made in a state of panic to close the seat of an injured leader. He is very good at talking about the NBA as a coach and general manager: the NBA is not only about superstars, it is also about getting fans in the stands, giving them a show, and using money to build a team whose players complement each other.
Why you should read : Exactly three reasons:
First, The Franchise is a classic of the genre, a book that reveals the whole life from the inside of one of the NBA's most famous championship teams.
Secondly, because of the approach. The author was with the Pistons throughout the year and did not miss a single detail.
To some, the book will even seem too meticulous, but in general this is a unique opportunity to be behind the scenes. In the history of basketball, such books can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Third, because of the people who made up the Pistons. First of all, this is a story about such powerful figures as Isaiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn and about their relationship within the same team. Then this story about how this unusual team was built: there was not a single superstar here - but there was a miniature point guard leader; no one has ever won a title like this. Finally, this story is about the work of general manager Jack McCloskey, who managed to build the perfect puzzle and discard hundreds of wrong combinations.
Top NBA teams. Detroit 89
9. Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich
Author : Mark Kriegel
Johnson to Magic Johnson.
What this book is really about: About the life tragedy of a successful sportsman
Review : "Pistol" is a story not only about Pete Maravich, but also about his father Press - they were part of one whole, caught in two bodies.
Press was a professional basketball player and later an exceptional coach who boasted of his own success. His help (special exercises for young Pete), along with natural talent and endless training, helped him shine throughout his life.
Press got a job as a coach at LSU on the condition that Pete would strengthen the team along with him. He did not want to go there, but his father was eventually able to convince him.
The plan worked: in the first year, the team was on top, and as a result, the university even built a new large basketball arena. At the same time, it was precisely in those years that Press turned from an excellent coach into a coach of an excellent player and began to allow his son to overplay the ball and engage in window dressing. Amid all the hype around Pete, they somehow missed that his mother had problems with alcohol.
Pete's career was also not without heavy drinking and occasional injuries. He dropped out of college without a degree when he signed a million-dollar contract with the Hawks.
But the first years of his professional career turned out to be unsuccessful: experienced players treated Maravich's "favorite" status with rejection, and his playing style did not appeal to the new head coach (this problem would haunt him throughout his career). As a result, Pete ended up in a new team - New Orleans.
At the same time his mother committed suicide, Press was fired from LSU and then died of cancer. Injuries and drunkenness led to the fact that Maravich eventually decided to end his career, sat down at home and hit religion. He would eventually die on the basketball court at 40 during a friendly game. The cause of death will be a rare heart disease, and the doctors will wonder how he could play for so long.”
Why you should read: One of the best sports biographies.
The art of inspiring. Artem Panchenko on Pete Maravich
8. Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA
Author: Terry Pluto
What this book is supposedly about
.
What this book is really about : That basketball existed in the 50s and 60s.
Review: Professional basketball began in 1954 when Syracuse owner Danny Biason proposed a 24-second time limit to attack. Mr. Pluto, a journalist for The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, has collected memories of former players, referees, coaches, and owners to create an engaging and informative text about the golden age of the NBA. inevitably, the story focuses on Bill Russell's "Boston" dynasty - and Mr. Pluto even devotes an entire chapter to discussing the rivalry between Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Now the author, who also wrote Loose Balls, can safely be called Boswell from basketball.
Why you should read : To understand that back then it was no more boring than it is now.
7. Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever this book is like : About the dream team that changed basketball forever.
What this book is really about: How the league went from Larry Bird and Magic Johnson to Michael Jordan.
Review : “The book tells about important events in the life of the national team, for example, thoroughly analyzes the famous training match in Monte Carlo, during which the best players in the world got excited and began to count fouls themselves after a frightened Italian referee swallowed a whistle .
But, in my opinion, the most juicy details can be found in short digressions and in those moments when McCallum talks about the relationship between the team's players then and now. Almost all of them (with the exception of the always delicate John Stockton) are very critical of each other and try to highlight all the shortcomings.
In what other company can David Robinson, a two-time NBA champion who has meticulously worked on his game, look uncomposed?
For his part, the incredibly religious Robinson, after the NBA engaged in educational activities, considers Jordan an absolute psychopath who does not understand the main values of life.
McCollum also includes minor characters. For example, Clyde Drexler, who got into the team when the first 10 players were chosen, criticizes the Magic, saying that the level of play was clearly not up to the main team of the world.
It is these moments that complicate the characters of the legends. At the same time, McCollum sympathizes with each of them, even the completely impenetrable Michael Jordan. The author manages through funny stories and digressions to create a more human image of the dream team and at the same time not belittle their image at all. Almost all of them (with the exception of Karl Malone) turn out to be quite cute with him.
Why you should read : For an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're in the company of the biggest basketball legends for 300+ pages.
White and black. Stockton and Thomas in the fight for a place in the Dream Team
20 facts about the Dream Team that you did not know
10 funny stories about the Dream Team
From the lips of Bird.-Step-11.jpg/aid8503602-v4-728px-Do-a-Euro-Step-Layup-(Basketball)-Step-11.jpg)
The epilogue of the book “Dream Team” by Jack McCallum
6. When the Game Was Ours
Author : Jackie McMallen
What is this book as if the enemy Larry Berda and Maggik Johnson.
What this book is really about : Why Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saved the NBA.
Review: “The thirst for victory that drives each of them is revealed at the very beginning, and it is because of it that they waited for 20 years after their last meeting in the finals (1987) to talk about their feelings towards each other. to friend. “I never said that in the course of my playing career I only thought about Johnson,” Byrd admits on the front page. - I couldn't talk about it. But as soon as we agreed to write this book, I realized that the time had finally come to explain to people how this person motivated me ... What exists between me and Magic cannot even be called a brotherly relationship.
For most of the story, Bird and Magic watch each other from a distance, their chance encounters on and off the court are marked by only sparing remarks, and they are driven by a manic obsession with each other. It's so big that when Bird's Celtics beat the Lakers to take the title in '84, all Bird could say was, "I finally got him. Finally, I got Magic." Surprisingly, their first conversation (which took place in the basement of Bird's house after filming an advertisement in '85) takes place only on page 176 (which is two-thirds of the book) and is the culmination of the plot development - they become friends and gradually realize that there is much more between them. more in common. The bond between them becomes so close that Byrd compares his feelings when he learns of Johnson's diagnosis at 91st, with the suicide of his father. The dynamic of the relationship between the characters is so strong that it does not allow the book to deviate from the main line even when McMullen departs from it, talking about the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers or about the life path of each of them.
But McMullen keeps those digressions to a minimum and soon returns to the mainstream, which is not even what was happening on set, but what was going on in the minds of both superstars.”
Why read : If ever the two main superheroes of the era, fueling themselves by confrontation with each other and leaving behind a whole decade, get together to talk about their relationship, you will definitely whistle me.
The history of all final series between the Lakers and Boston
5. Playing for Keeps
What this book is supposed to be about : About Michael Jordan.
What this book is really about: No doubt about it. This is a book about Michael Jordan.
Review: “One of the best writers writes about the greatest player of all time, trying to best describe Jordan himself and understand what he personally did for our society. Most of these books end up as describing MJ as a regular celebrity.
There is nothing of the kind here. Shows all of Jordan's changes throughout his career, taking into account all the details. The story ends with the last Bulls title won at 98th.
This is the most honest book ever written about Jordan. Although the author is often ironic about Michael's dismissive attitude towards teammates, he pays a lot of attention to how focused Jordan was and how wise in making business decisions. However, I cannot call this book the best, since Jordan did not participate in its writing. According to Halberstam, he was promised two interviews, but they never happened. But that's the only downside."
Why you should read : Everything you need to know about the best player in basketball history in one place.
4. The Book of Basketball
Author : Bill Simmons
What this book is supposedly about : Rick Barry wearing a wig.
What the book is really about : In terms of book structure, Mr.
Simmons offers a short (for him) history of the league. It then "fixes" any bugs related to the MVP awards. Then he outlines the new and improved Basketball Hall of Fame to the smallest detail and introduces 96 players worthy of this honor. It then highlights the top 20 teams in history. Finally, he builds the perfect team to face the Martians in the battle for Earth's future with Magic Johnson in 1985, Michael Jordan in 1992 and Tim Duncan in 2003."
Review : “If you think The Book of Basketball is testosterone-infused, it is. The creation of Mr. Simmons would be quite interesting, and if he did not inflict mean blows on the women's NBA and, unfortunately, on his own wife. He recalls watching Michael Jordan smoking a cigar and playing cards and was suddenly taken aback when his then-wife showed up. Simmons then said to his friend: "Look, he's just like the rest of us." He then calls Jordan "an ordinary guy who is kept in check by his wife. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to be Mike.
" In a paragraph about 1970s shooting guard Gale Goodrich, there's bound to be room for a joke about Mr. Goodrich having a female name. Simmons is also quite free with statistics. Then he argues that statistical calculations cannot say anything about how important certain players were to their teams (in connection with Bill Russell). To explains that for some players, the numbers were more important than the success of the team (in connection with Allen Iverson).
While Simmons is trying hard to get rid of the label of "hard-core cheerleader", he is not succeeding. He puts Dennis Johnson ahead of Dwyane Wade, although he also puts the latter on the team that should play the Martians. His pro-Boston arguments are more solid on other occasions, such as when he argues that Bill Russell had a more successful career than Wilt Chamberlain.
Mr. Simmons might not settle every basketball dispute - who could? - but it makes up for this failure with a bunch of jokes and attention to detail.
Plus, he produced enough provocative arguments to add fire to the fans' controversy in the future."
…
“Simmons wouldn't be Simmons if he refrained from pointless passages. One of his biggest problems is that he's constantly trying to be funny: he'd be twice as funny - and certainly not as annoying - if he could restrain himself and keep half of the jokes to himself. Simmons is definitely turned on by the mixture of sex and sports. Three pages after the analogy between Moses Malone and Marilyn Chambers, he writes that Shaquille O'Neal is like porn star Peter North, "dominant but not the best." He compares Karl Malone to "an Asian stripper with fake boobs" and Jason Kidd to "a gorgeous girl... with the smallest breast size."
It's not exactly jarring on teenage humor, but the number of below the belt jokes that are completely unmotivated by the subject of discussion shows that the author is intoxicated with the freedom that he lacks when working on a sports site.
After all, all the jokes about boobs and strippers only create a negative impression on Simmons' audience - it seems that these are the guys who mainly interact with the female sex when they turn on pornography videos after the Utah-Atlanta game.
Why read : Because it's Bill Simmons. The man who essentially created (well, or helped formulate) the modern mythology of the NBA. Details and nuances in it are not as important as the overall canvas - who occupies what place in the pyramid of greatness.
Translations from Basketball Book on Sport and Philosophy Blog
3. Loose Balls
Author: Terry Pluto
What this book is as if : About the fact that about how Marvin Barnes missed his plane, then drunk ran to the very beginning, took off his coat, under which he was wearing a game uniform, ate fried wings in the locker room, went out on the court and scored under 40 points.
What this book is really about : The most complete history of the ABA, told by participants and eyewitnesses of this most ridiculous basketball attraction.
Review : “Loose Balls readers will quickly change their minds about the NBA. Focusing on individuals rather than players, the emotion of a dunk or a 3-pointer at the end, these are all things that start with the ABA. You will quickly recognize the features of modern basketball that began to develop from here.
The American Basketball Association was, of course, American in essence. Entrepreneurial spirit and unique creativity reigned here - the ABA evoked all the best aspects of American innovation, even if it was done by accident. Loose Balls ties these happy accidents together and tells a league story that shouldn't have happened, from the perspective of players who otherwise would never have been remembered."
Why you should read:
First, because this is the funniest book about basketball.
Secondly, because it describes the origin of the most attractive tricks for fans. These innovations did not save the ABA, but they turned out to be integral components of modern NBA basketball.
This book should be a reference for any basketball functionary. For it explains the difference between an official who believes that everything is bad, and therefore there is no need to worry, and an entrepreneur who himself goes to dance in front of an audience, only to have three more people come to his team.
Thirdly, Loose Balls is hundreds of cool stories about stars like Julius Irving, Connie Hawkins and David Thompson, as well as legendary characters like Warren Jabali, John Brisker and Wendell Ladner.
2. Jordan Rules
Author : Sam Smith
What this book seems to be about : About how everyone hated Jerry Krause.
What this book is really about : About the birth of one of the best teams in basketball history and its phenomenal leader.
Review: “When you read the Jordan Rules now, you do not understand the main thing: things that can be called negative about Jordan are no longer surprising. It is now generally accepted that 1) Jordan is the greatest basketball player in history and possibly the greatest athlete; 2) He was a rare asshole. These facts are not mutually exclusive.
In the center, of course, is Jordan, who has taken the NBA and basketball to previously unattainable heights. Jordan wasn't close to his partners, not even Scotty Pippen (who was close friends with Horace Grant) and complained about them most of the time because he thought they weren't good enough to help him win the title. He humiliated them, told them not to interfere with him, wouldn't give the ball to teammates he didn't like, and even beat Will Perdue in practice. Plus he hated Phil Jackson's triangular attack. But Jordan's thirst for victory was incomparable even with his incredible talent, although I was surprised to find that he only started working out in the gym at 1990th and at the same time loved fast food.
I don't think Smith was trying to paint a negative image of Jordan. He clearly admires Jordan's talents on the court, although he does not understand why he requires special treatment. Despite his basketball merits, Jordan is far from ideal, but he always tried to create just such an image for himself. He always sought to get away from the attention of the press and was tired of being too meticulous about himself.
Jordan is at the center of the story, but the rest of the team gets plenty of attention as well. Almost everyone in the line-up shows their doubts about contracts, and about playing time and the number of shots. They look at Jordan with a mixture of admiration, resentment, envy and anger, but they can't help but admit that he's the greatest they've ever played with."
Why you should read : Jordan Rules is a book deeply connected to the history of the league. Even Phil Jackson admitted that to some extent it was she who helped the Bulls build a dynasty - after the release of Smith's work, Jordan tried to improve relations with partners and trust them more.
Immediately after its release, the players tried to show that everything that was displayed there was not true. As Stacey King said: “This is one of the best fairy tales since Mother Goose. Just bullshit." But time put everything in its place. Both direct confessions at the end of a career and circumstantial evidence suggest that a lot, if not all, of the life of the Bulls in season 90/91 is captured very accurately: Smith built the text on conversations with the team's players, which made it possible to achieve the effect of maximum immersion in the life of the bulls and the problems that they had to overcome.
It is clear that the two things that made Smith's book a bestseller in 1992 are no longer clear to us. First, the dark side of Jordan, fueling himself by confrontation with the rest, is already more or less familiar to everyone and is not a revelation. Secondly, modern coverage of basketball 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which allows you to study the smallest details in the life of the team and players, makes it difficult to understand that this was far from always the case.
It was with the Jordan Rules that a fundamentally different coverage of basketball began and the transformation of the NBA into a huge reality show.
Top NBA teams. Chicago-91
1. The Breaks of the Game
Author of : David Haebelstram
What this book is about, as it were, the champions: , and then, no less surprisingly, fell apart.
What this book is really about: How the NBA became one of the major American leagues.
Review : “Most importantly, I didn't understand how to write. As a child, I wrote stories, read every book I could find, and beat the entire Hardy Brothers series before I was ten. But I didn't know how to write. "The Breaks of the Game" is the first "adult" book that I fell in love with. Within a few pages, I realized that he had written it especially for me. I devoured it in one weekend and re-read it a few months later.
In the end, I read it so many times that it fell apart and I had to buy a hardcover book.
After high school and university, I still couldn't decide on a career path. And every year I reread this book to remind myself of how to write - how to choose words, how to construct sentences, how to tell about someone's life without resorting to quotes, how to tell stories in such a way that their characters revived. It was my personal seminar on the author's craft. When the hardcover was tragically damaged in an unexpected accident on the beach, I bought another book from a second-hand bookstore on Newbury Street. I paid $5.95 and it was the best purchase of my life. I re-read it every two years to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Like a golfer going back to an old instructor to correct his shot." (Bill Simmons)
Why you should read : Bill Simmons's review of his ongoing love for the book and the impact on his life and career is especially amusing when you consider that purists find two flaws in Halberstam's work: The Breaks of the Game has been criticized for being too long and lacking any structure.
(In general, Simmons is a bright student.)
Why then is it considered the best basketball book of all time? Because style and structure are absolutely secondary. Halberstam spent one of the biggest seasons in NBA history (1979-80) with the Blazers and caught every major trend in the league. The narrative is almost chaotic and consists of one chapter, during which the author jumps from one subject to another and does not help the reader to restore the chronology of the event and the factual outline. But on the other hand, he does something else: he creates the effect of immersion in the life of the league, introduces problems that are relevant to this day, explains why the title is magic that is born out of thin air and then disappears under the winds of ambition, ego, too different interests, personal resentment, money. His characters are far from being NBA superstars, but they become familiar and familiar literary characters, ones that are more vivid and vivid than more familiar real people.
It is this artistic effect, showing the origin of the league from the inside, that is the main advantage of The Breaks of the Game.
Photo: Fotobank/Getty Images/Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
Found the rules book and decided to play. Where did Russian basketball come from
The history of Russian basketball began in 1901. Georgy Duperron, the founder of the Olympic movement in Russia, a sports journalist, as well as a theorist and bibliographer of Russian sports, mentioned basketball in his writings.
Rich American James Stokes played an equally important role in the development of national basketball. He came to Russia after learning about the death of his sons in the Caucasus. In memory of them at 19In 2002, the Mayak sports society was organized. It was here that the first basketball competitions were held.
Another person, without whom, perhaps, we would not have learned about basketball is Stepan Vasiliev. Once he found a book with basketball rules and invited his comrades to play.
This is how basketball began to spread. The very first competition was organized by the American Erich Moraller - he was a visiting specialist in physical education.
Among the four Mayak teams, the best was the Lilovye team (it was so named after the color of the T-shirts), whose captain was Vasiliev.
At the dawn of the development of domestic basketball, the first international match in Russia is considered to be the main event. It happened in 1909. The Purples played against a team of Americans from the Christian Youth Union, in whose training center basketball was created. The team of our compatriots won the match with a score of 28:19.
In 1910, in addition to "Mayak", basketball developed in another sports society - "Bogatyr". And three years later, the first basketball rules were already published in our country.
In the 1920s, basketball became an integral part of sports holidays, and in 1923 the first USSR basketball championship was held, but its winner was not determined.
The final match between the teams of Moscow and Petrograd began half an hour late - one player from the Moscow team was missing, as he participated in the pentathlon competition. The team eventually started the match in the minority and won, and the opponents filed a protest. But Petrograd did not take revenge, because the second meeting between the teams did not take place.
Since 1937 club competitions have been held instead of the USSR Championship. The first champions were the Dynamo men's and women's teams.
In 1940-1941, the theory and methodology of domestic basketball developed - programs for sections and the first teaching aids were created. By 1941, there were more than 82,000 basketball players in the USSR.
In 1947, the USSR team was recognized at the international level - it became part of FIBA. The men's team has won 9 medals each at the Olympic Games and the World Championships, as well as 21 medals at the European Championships. Outcome - 39medals for 40 international tournaments.
Outstanding players:
Alexander Belov - the author of the winning throw in the final match of the 72 Olympics against the US team. This match brought Belov historical fame - he was even invited to the NBA and put up for the draft. Also, due to Belov's superiority over other players in terms of jumping, FIBA introduced the gol tending rule. It prohibits touching a ball that has touched the backboard and is on a descending trajectory.
Sergei Belov - 11-time champion of the USSR, the most productive player in the same match against the USA (scored 20 points out of 51). At 19In 1992, the Americans included him in the Hall of Fame - this was the first time that a non-American basketball player was honored with such an honor.
Ivan Edeshko entered the history of basketball thanks to the transfer through the entire court to Alexander Belov. Interestingly, at the Olympic Games, the site was two meters longer than the classical one.
Edeshko was included in the European team three times. He has also been compared to NBA legend Magic Johnson.
Outstanding coaches:
Alexander Gomelsky - led the USSR national team for 18 years. Member of the Basketball Hall of Fame since 1995 and the FIBA Hall of Fame since 2007, as well as three-time Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, the team became the Olympic champion, won the World Championship twice and the European Championship seven times.
Stepan Spandaryan - coached the team in 1951-1952, 1956-1962; one of the founders of Soviet basketball. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1943), Honored Coach of the USSR (1957), as well as a referee of the all-Union category (1976). The starting point in the development of his successful career was the organization of a youth sports club in the printing house of Rabochaya Gazeta, where Spandaryan worked as a loader.
Vladimir Kondrashin - under his leadership the team won the Olympic Games for the first time in 1972.
He was included in the FIBA Hall of Fame on the day of its opening - March 1, 2007.
As for the women's team, it did not lag behind the men's team in terms of success, despite the fact that women's basketball was included in the Olympic Games program only in 1976. The USSR team won the Olympic tournament twice, became the world champion six times and European champion 21 times (silver was won only once).
Outstanding players:
Ulyana Semyonova is the best Latvian basketball player of the 20th century. She was included in the Hall of Fame in Springfield (1993), as well as in the Hall of Fame of the International Basketball Federation in Spain (2007). One of the tallest women in the USSR - her height is 210 cm, and her shoe size is 58.
Tatyana Ovechkina (mother of hockey player Alexander Ovechkin) is a two-time Olympic champion, world and European champion. She played for Dynamo throughout her career (1967-1982), then she was the head coach of the team: under her leadership, the club won the Russian championship four times and reached the Euroleague final in the 1999-2000 season.
Natalya Zasulskaya - Olympic champion in 1992, three-time European champion, best player in the Super League (1999), participant in six Final Fours of the European Championship, best basketball player of the decade in Russia, seven-time champion of Spain.
Outstanding coaches:
Lidia Alekseeva – coached the national team for 22 years. Under her leadership, the team twice became the Olympic champion, won the World Championship five times and the European Championship 12 times. Inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2012, before the NBA All-Star Game, Lidia Alekseeva was automatically included in the Basketball Hall of Fame. James Naismith.
Evgeny Gomelsky - Honored Coach of the RSFSR and the USSR. He is considered the best coach of women's basketball teams. The main award that the team received under his leadership was the gold of the 1992 Olympic Games. In 1998, the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia named Gomelsky the best coach in the country.
