games icons … . I’m thinking, ‘Man, I love playing with this guy!’ And believe me, the crowd loved it too.”. The writers barely had time to remove their jackets before the right-handed Bird snared a rebound and started up the left side of the floor dribbling left-handed. Coach Hall placed five of his guys on the WIT roster: swingman Jack “Goose” Givens, who had poured in 41 points in the title game against Duke; Rick Robey, their rugged big man; point guard Kyle Macy; lefty forward James Lee; and guard Jay Shidler. A compelling, up-close-and-personal portrait of basketball’s most inimitable duo, When the Game Was Ours is a reevaluation of three decades in counterpoint. Great gift for basketball fans. Johnson saw the game differently than the other players, almost as if he were watching the action unfold in slow motion. Read "When the Game Was Ours" by Larry Bird available from Rakuten Kobo. Liked how they compared their differences and similarities. Before I began to write this review, I looked at a couple of three star reviews on AmazonUSA. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Indiana State’s star barely aligned the seams before his touch pass was back to Magic, leaving no time for the overmatched Soviet player to react. “I never did. Magic had just finished his first year at Michigan State, a third-team All-America pick who had dazzled the Big Ten with his array of no-look feeds, alley-oops, and backdoor bounce passes. The title of this book is hardly an exaggeration. No Kindle device required. When it was over i was sad that there wasn't more book to read. Magic and Larry are very honest throughout this book, and their memories are skilfully stitched together by co-author Jackie McMullan. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Read his guest review of When the Game Was Ours: Einhorn enlisted the help of Brandeis athletic director Dick Rodis and Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt, prominent members of the Amateur Basketball Association of the United States (later renamed USA Basketball), to fill out the roster around the Kentucky players. Gavitt was painfully aware of the abilities of Michigan State’s imposing point guard. He played professionally in UK and for GB in the 80's. “I guess he’s not going to give it to me,” he murmured. Einhorn had already successfully televised exhibition games against Russians and felt that a competition with some international flavor would prove to be successful. -- Kirkus Reviews "Highly entertaining . . Bird slapped the teenager’s hand, and the two jogged back down the floor, side by side, one skipping, clapping, and celebrating as he went, the other, head down, expressionless, as if nothing remarkable had occurred. Beautiful front cover and a brilliant book to boot, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2013. When the Game Was Ours Hardcover – 1 October 2010 by BIRD LARRY (Author) 4.7 out of 5 stars 355 ratings. It was ‘Good morning,’ and don’t expect a lot more.”. . He was playing at a small school in a small conference, which, they surmised, accounted for his prolific offensive numbers. In When the Game Was Ours you will enjoy an exhilarating ride down one of the most competitive rivalries ever.” —Pat Riley "Finally—a book that tells the story of Magic and Larry from their vantage point. “It was boom, boom, boom! . Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Unabridged edition (Sept. 3 2013), When it was over i was sad that there wasn't more book to read. . Their book is alive with truth—it's a story of brilliance, brilliantly told with the help of prize-winning writer Jackie MacMullan." When the Game Was Ours. – Boston Globe "Fascinating . —Leigh Montville, bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam "Unprecedented insight and commentary from the stars themselves on their unique relationship, a compelling mixture of bitter rivalry and mutual admiration... Offers a captivating look at the NBA’s greatest era." Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2017. Good factual info? This can be frustrating in one or two places, but generally works well. It is also a rollicking ride through professional basketball''s best times. 1-Click ordering is not available for this item. “Hall wanted to go around the country and show off his guys.”. He played like he loved the game. The game of basketball has never been better than when it was theirs." Thus, the WIT was born. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. It is a compelling portrait of two giants of the game, during professional basketball’s best times. They're funny, frank, anecdotal and just plain interesting. The irony of Bird and Magic commencing their storied relationship as teammates did not register because their parallel careers had not yet evolved into one of the compelling rivalries in basketball history. A particular delight, was the backstory behind the Converse commercial and how their friendship developed from there. .The book is at its most powerful when it hews close to its premise: the evolution of perhaps sports' greatest rivalry . Even though he was just a freshman, he barked orders to his older teammates and after every successful play slapped hands, whooped, and celebrated with his teammates. In Magic we see a star struggle with the sting of defeat, not just as a player but as a team leader. I find that a little choppy in the story line. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA―East vs. West, physical vs. finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each chapter starts with a climax, then goes back in time and sketches in the detail. From the heady days of trading championships to the darker days of injury and illness, we come to understand Larry’s obsessive devotion to winning and how his demons drove him on the court. Beautiful front cover and a brilliant book to boot, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2013. You May Also Like LeBron's Dream … To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} cartoon game background - when the game was ours stock illustrations . Bird and Magic spent a total of eight days together during the WIT. Skip to main content.ca Hello, Sign in. “Magic was nonstop chatter,” said Rutgers star James Bailey. Ryan was in Indianapolis to cover Providence but informed Gavitt he also was driving to Terre Haute to check out the Sycamores and this mysterious hidden gem, whom Celtics scouts assured him was a legitimate NBA prospect. There aren’t any major revelations in WHEN THE GAME WAS OURS (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26). So often with books by two authors, they alternate chapters. This book is terrific." He wasn’t the only one. Please try again. When the Game Was Ours: Amazon.ca: Bird, Larry, Johnson, Earvin Magic, MacMullan, Jackie, Hill, Dick: Books Myths and Masters of The Recreation Overview Introduced virtually a few times in the past, Myths and Masters of The Game has already managed to phone out a storm of controversial assessments. Good factual info? With this book, it seems as if MacMullan did detailed interviews with both former players and then melded the story into a single, cohesive story line. Liked how they compared their differences and similarities. Johnson had never met Bird before the tournament. Probably one of the top ten sports book I've read and I've read quite a lot. Magic scored 14 points and dished out 7 assists, but his ability to push tempo and provide his teammates with high-percentage shots (Michigan State hit 61 percent of its field goals) was what caught Gavitt’s eye. Earvin Johnson had already begun to head down the court the moment the ball was in flight. We hear him talk with candor about playing through chronic pain. "When The Game Was Ours" provides an intimate look into the evolution of the relationship between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. When it was over i was sad that there wasn't more book to read. During the 1980s, the National Basketball Association was Magic and Larry, Larry and Magic. “I would venture to say most other people didn’t either.”. He’d been playing with Bird for only six days on a team of college All-Stars in this international roundrobin competition, yet already Johnson had determined that Bird was the most resourceful rebounder they had. Lexington, Kentucky The errant shot came off the glass at a sharp angle, but Larry Bird, charting the flight of the ball, pulled down the rebound and advanced without hesitation, swiveling his head as he examined his options. On par with the my favourite basketball book about Pistol Pete. Perfect read. Amazon Exclusive: Bill Walton Reviews When the Game Was Ours Bill Walton played in the NBA for 13 years, and in 1996, was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history. At the start they were bitter rivals, but along the way they became lifelong friends. . © 2008-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him. “We were coming at him so fast that his head was going around and around, and he ended up in a circle. This can be frustrating in one or two places, but generally works well. . Magic was a whirling dervish of energy and enthusiasm. Previous page of related Sponsored Products, Mariner Books; None edition (Oct. 1 2010), When it was over i was sad that there wasn't more book to read. If ever there was a two-man Dream Team, they were it." With intimate detail, When the Game Was Ours transports readers to an electric era and reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting each other. “It’s Magic Johnson.” ### The World Invitational Tournament was a whirlwind, made-for-television event that assembled a group of top college players and held three games in five days against the Soviets, Cuba, and Yugoslavia at rotating venues: the Omni in Atlanta, Carmichael Auditorium on the campus of North Carolina, and Rupp Arena in Lexington. It is also a rollicking ride through professional basketball’s best times. Hall and his Kentucky Wildcats, who had beaten Duke 94– 88 the previous week to capture the NCAA championship. A thrill-packed, lively and moving dual memoir." (The one where you picked Gandhi, Babe Ruth, Li'l Wayne and, who was it, Jenna Jameson?) When he learns he has contracted HIV we hear in his own words how that devastating news affected his relationships in basketball and beyond. I find that a little choppy in the story line. The "melding" of the voices that the other reviewer DIDN'T like was exactly what I DID like about it! Please try your request again later. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. When the Game Was Ours NPR coverage of When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird, Earvin Johnson, and Jackie Macmullan. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2017. When the Game Was Ours: Books - Amazon.ca. It's been one of the most well-documented and popular rivalries in sports history. If you're a basketball fanatic you'd want more on the Magic/Isiaah Thomas rift, but Thomas clearly didn't want to contribute. “They were certainly good,” noted Michael O’Koren, their tournament teammate, “but they weren’t Magic and Larry — not yet.”. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Magic turned and charged toward Bird to offer him his signature high-five. Please try your request again later. “There were the Kentucky players, and the rest of us were fillers,” Bird said. Prime Cart. Bought this as a gift for my Boston-Celtics obsessed husband. --Tom Verducci, author with Joe Torre of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Yankee Years "You know that game where you pick a certain number of characters for your favorite dinner … Just shy of midcourt, he fired an underhand rocket pass to his guard off the dribble for a lay-up. Ryan was so animated talking about his performance on the way back to Indianapolis, he was driving 75 miles per hour when the state police pulled him over. When the Game Was Ours is a very good novel/read which gives us an in depth look into the legendary rivalry of two basketball greats Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. 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