About a month ago some people were talking about a basketball book they had read. Everyone agreed it was a terrific book and I think it was written in 2016. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? No, don't answer that. Does anyone think they know the name of the book?

bosox bill's book is ok

but my favorite basketball book is The Punch by John Feinstein

The book you are referring to is Thinking Basketball by Ben Taylor. It’s awesome and a quick read. His podcast with the same name is probably the best basketball podcast out there too.

Posted by copernicus on 4/21/2020 6:06:00 PM (view original):
bosox bill's book is ok

but my favorite basketball book is The Punch by John Feinstein

Bill Simmons’ book, The Book of Basketball, is very enjoyable but you have to take everything he says and realize he is saying it as a fan and not as an analyst. The format is awesome and you will breeze through 800 pages and learn a lot, but don’t take it too seriously.

My favorite Feinstein book is “Let Me Tell You a Story.” It’s about Red Auerbach and is phenomenal.

yeah that's another good one

and you are right about Simmons being a fan boy - his pro Russell anti-Wilt argument is nonsense for instance

Other great books (in my opinion) are The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam, Loose Balls by Terry Pluto, Tall Tales by Terry Pluto, and Life on the Run by Bill Bradley.

Posted by copernicus on 4/24/2020 1:09:00 PM (view original):
yeah that's another good one

and you are right about Simmons being a fan boy - his pro Russell anti-Wilt argument is nonsense for instance

Well, it's one fan's opinion. I enjoyed that book immensely...but didn't he argue for Shaquille O'Neal as the best player of all time?

he compares 31 games over 3 seasons of broken down old Elgin Baylor to 9 seasons of prime Sam Jones - it's pure tosh

Posted by longtallbrad on 4/24/2020 1:18:00 PM (view original):

Posted by copernicus on 4/24/2020 1:09:00 PM (view original):
yeah that's another good one

and you are right about Simmons being a fan boy - his pro Russell anti-Wilt argument is nonsense for instance

Well, it's one fan's opinion. I enjoyed that book immensely...but didn't he argue for Shaquille O'Neal as the best player of all time?

No he has Shaq outside his top 10. Elliot Kalb had Shaq 1 in his book, which is interesting but uses per game and total statistics as gospel.

I actually love Simmons’ book, one of my favorites, you just have to read it from a super fan’s perspective rather than an analytical one.


Ben Taylor does have in my opinion the best analysis of Wilt of anyone. If you haven’t checked out his back-picks Top 40, it’s a treat. Easily the best list in my opinion. But be careful, he ranks based on total career value rather than best player.

Posted by longtallbrad on 4/24/2020 1:17:00 PM (view original):
Other great books (in my opinion) are The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam, Loose Balls by Terry Pluto, Tall Tales by Terry Pluto, and Life on the Run by Bill Bradley.

Yes to both Terry Pluto books!

Thanks guys. Thinking Basketball is the one I was trying to remember. I've read the Bill Simmons book, which is a pretty easy read for an 800 page book.

Posted by benhoidal on 4/24/2020 11:29:00 AM (view original):

Posted by copernicus on 4/21/2020 6:06:00 PM (view original):
bosox bill's book is ok

but my favorite basketball book is The Punch by John Feinstein

Bill Simmons’ book, The Book of Basketball, is very enjoyable but you have to take everything he says and realize he is saying it as a fan and not as an analyst. The format is awesome and you will breeze through 800 pages and learn a lot, but don’t take it too seriously.

My favorite Feinstein book is “Let Me Tell You a Story.” It’s about Red Auerbach and is phenomenal.

Exactly. It was a charming shtick in like 2007 but it is tired af in 2020.

Posted by copernicus on 4/25/2020 4:14:00 PM (view original):

Posted by longtallbrad on 4/24/2020 1:17:00 PM (view original):
Other great books (in my opinion) are The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam, Loose Balls by Terry Pluto, Tall Tales by Terry Pluto, and Life on the Run by Bill Bradley.

Yes to both Terry Pluto books!

This is an excellent list. I was just going to post about Loose Balls.

Posted by benhoidal on 4/24/2020 11:26:00 AM (view original):
The book you are referring to is Thinking Basketball by Ben Taylor. It’s awesome and a quick read. His podcast with the same name is probably the best basketball podcast out there too.

Love all Ben Taylor content.