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Customer Reviews (5)

Every basketball player should have this book
Every basketball player and coach should have this book!My sons AAU basketball coach recommended it and said that they base their skills and drills after the workouts in this book and he has been following it since he 1st got the book when it came out.I think they should re-publish it so it's easier to get.Well worth getting a used copy it and it came really fast from Amazon.

Gift for my son.
I gave this book to my son who is a big fan of "Bird".He has really enjoyed reading it and he doesn't read often!

Very good instructional book about the best all-around player in NBA history
[That'll get some 'haters' attention!] Bird,
not 'Be Like Mike Jordan' is the best ever.
So he didn't have Jordan's athletism? This
book will explain why Bird was 'the man'
for 13 years. After which he helped lead his
US Olympic team to the Gold on the first
(so-called) 'Dream Team.' Without him they
wouldn't have won it! This book breaks down
every faucet of winning basketball like L.B.
and Red's videos do as well. Jordan was about
as great but I'll take Birdman by three inches,
which is how much taller he was over Jordan.
Joradn had the advantage of a better bench and
Tex Winter's triangle, which is why he was in
six NBA Champiosnhips as compared to Bird's 5.
My Alltime NBA Team:
Centre - Bill Russell
F - Larry Bird
F - Julius Erving
G - Michael Jordan
G - John Stockton
6th - Detlef Schrempf
7th - Kevin McHale
8th - Kevin Willis
9th - Craig Ehlo
10th- Artis Gilmore
11th- Dan Issel
12th- Eric Piatkowski
[Hey, you can't PICK ALL Stars. You gotta have quality role players,too!]

MY REVIEW
A good book for learning basketball basics as well as a few other things useful on and off the court.

great
Want to learn fundementals on how to play better basketball this is the book for you ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

Very interesting premis and outstanding overview of difficult times for Boston
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It combined the decline and stagnation of the city of Boston thanks to forced busing with that of the Boston Celtics. The books also maps the return to glory of each thanks to the fact that competent leaders emerged and focused on excellence rather than their own selfish agendas. Michael Connolly does a great service to his work by showing these two environments as occurring on parallel tracks but not always related to each other.

He is also smart enough not to present the Celtics as a panache for what ailed the city but still shows the Celtics did have a positive impact. Connolly also presents the warts and all overview of how the busing issue was totally mismanaged by politicians who mortgaged the lives and educations of students for their own narrow minded ends. Connolly does a very good job of making it clear who was at fault without assigning blame. As is often said, he lets the facts speak for themselves.This is a very interesting history of a critical period and well worth reading.

Forced juxtaposition of two stories made worse by author bias
First, basketball and the Celtics didn't "save" Boston in 1981 any more than in 1974 and 1976. Ditto for Larry Bird vs. Dave Cowens. And, other than his hometown Celtic fandom and his anecdotal feelings about Boston, Connelly offers no proof of this anyway.

Second, to believe that any pro sport could have such an effect in saving or rebirthing a city is to trivialize the non-sports world, in my opinion.

Third, given that Kevin Garnett had certain conceptions about Boston as late as 2007 shows that even if "Basketball Jesus" DID save Boston inside Boston, the city still had an image problem elsewhere in the NBA's roster of black players. Hence, the "forced juxtaposition" part of my review title.

Fourth, you can find better coverage elsewhere of the Celtics in general, the 1974, 1976 or 1981 dynasties or ofBird's impact.

Fifth, Connelly seems to have a lot of negative baggage toward Judge Arthur Garrity, who penned the desegregation court order.

A. Eleven weeks was not that short of a time to get busing started. (Especially if put in the lens of, oh, 150 years or so before that.)

B. Even though Connelly notes Garrity got the case assigned to him by lot, he then engages in quasi-conspiracy thinking that Garrity was "chosen" for this case because of reason(s) X, Y and/or Z. Hogwash.

C. He engages in personal sniping at Garrity's judicial mien, etc., and seemingly can't find a single source favorable to Garrity.

D. In short, this book ain't any better on Boston's racial situation than it is on the Celtics.

A much, MUCH better angle for the book would have been to start with Bill Russell's comments, then move on to the 1970s Celtics, looking at black-white player relations, black player perceptions of Boston, black and white player comments, if any, on the schools issue, etc.

It would take somebody better than Michael Connelly to write that book, though.

Nothing New on Bird or Busing
For the first time on Amazon, I have to confess to writing a critical review with some trepidation. That is because REBOUND! author Michael Connelly lives in the same Boston neighborhood as I do, so for the first time, I criticize someone's commendable hard work with the possibility of having that person see me in the local Dunkin' Donuts and take his revenge.

I doubt that such an event will occur, or that Mr. Connelly would even take such a tact if he were able to recognize me in the event of such an interaction; but, the closeness does give me pause to qualify the rather low rating with the caveat that in assigning 2 stars I don't mean to impugn Mr. Connelly's work itself. Clearly he has worked long and hard to get this book researched, get it written and -- perhaps above all else -- get it published. For that he take pride justly.

Anyway, to the substance of the review:

Connelly approaches the subject "Basketball, Busing, Larry Bird and the Rebirth of Boston" as a mirror on himself and not as much a lens on society or a window on the city. In other words, this book is a memoir in other clothes.

Nothing wrong with that in and of itself; but, if you want a book about Boston's busing era (which continues today in less flagrantly contested form), about the Celtics, about Larry Bird or about Boston's history, there are better choices out there on any and all of the above. Connelly's work does nothing to add to that library of writing and does precious little even to make for a particularly compelling or worthwhile aggregation of that work.

In the historical context he leans heavily on previously released works, especially definitive works by BC professor Thomas O'Connor. There is precious little new analysis or interpretation of the city's historical events and their impacts on cultural identity, political formation, or social context.

It's clear that Celtics basketball plays a major role in Connelly's own life and in the way he sees the city, and it is from that reality that the memoir style emerges. Connelly's thesis never really plays out convincingly. Instead of the emergence of a clear story about the significant and independent role that basketball and Bird played in the events around busing in the 70s and the rapprochement of the 80s, Connelly tells his own story of the ways to see connectedness in these two things.

The premise itself doesn't really survive scrutiny. The notion that Bird himself was any kind of cultural or political force in Boston - even if only through the transmogrification of his play on the court as a symbolic statement about Boston and its denizens - is laughable at first blush and remains so in the end. In fact, one needn't look much further than Seth Davis' upcoming NCAA-tournament tie-in release "When March Went Mad" to get the full picture of exactly how crude Bird was and how ludicrous Connelly's premise is.

That is to say nothing of the fact that Connelly is playing fast-and-loose with the timeline. The busing riots and other political strife - best described in the late J. Anthony Lukas' "COMMON GROUND" - were centered around the 1974 busing order. In fact, even eariler in 1968, Boston was contending with mounting socioeconomic, political and racial strife that is covered in great detail in the NPR presentation of "The Night James Brown Saved Boston." But, Bird did not even arrive in Boston until 1979, the Celtics didn't win a championship until 1982, and - while the city was by no means restored to its past glory as a beacon of equality and civil rights (as the wellspring of William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist movement, the frequent resting place for Harriet Tubman and her riders, or as the chosen home of Frederick Douglass) - the riots, secessionist movements, and other remnants of the mid-70s upheaval had dissipated.

If you want a book about Boston during this era, look to Lehr's BLACK MASS as - in my opinion - the rise of still-at-large underworld boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his subsequent reign of terror over the city make a more apt historical marker for the city during the "Bird Era."

Again, I don't deprive Mr. Connelly of the credit he deserves for a book that is obviously the result of a hard won labor of love, but REBOUND! breaks no new ground and strains a pretty tenuous premise beyond the breaking point.

Kind of Corny
A somewhat cheesy book based on a ridiculous premise: Larry Bird and the Celtics healed racial problems in Boston. The author desperately tries to relate busing with the Boston Celtics, but the connection is tenuous at best. The author never presents any evidence that the Celtics championship in 1981 provided anything but a very temporary reprise from the racial problems plaguing Boston. This conclusion seems to exist only in the author's mind, and perhaps in this regard the author is idealizing the events of his own childhood for the sake of a story, without regard to reality. The reality of the situation is that most whites fled Boston in the aftermath of busing, and Boston to this day remains a very segregated city. The author conveniently leaves any discussion of post-1981 Boston out, seemingly resting his case for this Celtic-led reconciliation in the fact that Bostonians turned out in droves to celebrate the 1981 NBA championship.

If you want a good history of busing, read Common Ground. If you want a good history of the Celtics, read Dynasty. If you want an overly idealized, bordering on pathetic, attempt to connect these two themes, then read Rebound.

Boston or bust
A must read if you love Boston, live in Boston, love the Celtics, or simply like to know more about the history of one of our greatest cities.ENJOY. ... Read more

Product Description
When NBA superstar Lary Bird, one of the greatest players to ever perform in the NBA, decided to coach the Indiana Pacers, many wondered whether he could be successful. After all, Bird always gave 110% while many players simply went through the motions more interested in cashing a big paycheck. But Bird proved the naysayers wrong by leading the Pacers to the playoffs and a near upset of Michael Jordon's Chicago Bulls. Along the way, he showed that his work ethic could rub off on the players, and provide inspiration for them

Larry Legend is Larry Bird at his best both on the court and off. It also details his fabulous career from the streets of tiny French Lick, Indiana through Indiana State and on to fame with the Boston Celtics. Providing an inside look at Bird never presented before, this book is a collector's must.Amazon.com Review
Even without his masterful debut as coach of the 1997-1998Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird's brilliant, gutsy career with the BostonCeltics--three NBA championship rings and a trio of Most ValuablePlayer trophies--cries out for celebration and reassessment. He was adominant player, a thinking player who controlled the game as muchwith his leadership as his keen passing, tough "D," and the soft touchof his jumper. In Larry Legend, Shaw interweaves chapters ofBird's biography with chapters chronicling his Coach of the Yearseason to create a hybrid volume; rather than do both well, he doesboth adequately. Everything is here--Bird's French Lick, Indiana,childhood; why he left Bobby Knight and the Indiana Universitypressure cooker for lower profile Indiana State; the glory years withthe Celtics; the rivalry with Magic Johnson; the back problems; andthe ways he re-created the Pacers in his own court-burned image. Theproblem is presentation. As he jumps back and forth in time, Shawimpedes his own flow, a foul that Bird never committed. That's toobad, because Shaw is a capable reporter who loves his subject and doesan otherwise admirable job of fleshing out the life of a man beneaththe "Legend" of the title. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good Book
I always enjoy reading Books on Larry Bird.He is truly one of the Greatest Basketball Players that I have ever seen play.His Mind for Play&detail is showcased rather well here.

legendary journey to the top
Kevin VanSickle W131 "Book Review" Larry Legend is an interesting book about a boy who fell in love with the game of basketball and developed his own self-discipline as he became an adult.Larry Bird's success and consistent team management are his legendary qualities, according to author Shaw.Mark Shaw writes about Larry's roughneck childhood, what led to his triumphs in his high school basketball days, and through his professional career as a player, then a coach.Larry seemed to have gained confidence and self-esteem at a young age and by keeping those positive aspects he became an intimidator and motivator for many.This book will intoxicate your interest if you want to hear about the Legend's journey to the top.In Larry Legend, Mr. Shaw explains how the Legend himself was a role model, not only for young players, but also, his teammates and coaches around the league.

I learned a lot more about Larry Bird than I realized.
It was pretty indepth, and is a nice overview of his life from the time he was a legend in Indiana to coming full circle by coaching there. It also mentions his daughter, who has a distant relationship with his father. If you're a Bird fan, even if you're not, but you enjoy reading about basketball, this is worth the price. It paints a very balanced portrait of Bird. I like the fact that it isn't slanted one way or the other. It portrays the good and the bad. I'm a Bird fan, but I like objective journalism, which this seems to be. No schlock hero worship journalism here, nor is there any railing against him. Even though I like Bird, I will not condone his actions if they are perceived as wrong or controversial.

By Mark Shaw
as if it weren't popular enough, the author of this book is thestep-father of Kent Harvey.The boy Knight (Coach Knight) grabbed and wasthe spark that lit the flame of his being fired as IU Coach.

Superb sports book
Larry Legend covers the whole Bird story.Author Shaw has a knack for revealing the little things about Bird that intrigued me.I think this is a must book for any Larry fan. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from U.S. Kids, published by Children's Better Health Institute on July 1, 1994. The length of the article is 439 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Summertime is jammin' time. (basketball in Indiana; includes Larry Bird's basketball tips)
Publication: U.S. Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 1994
Publisher: Children's Better Health Institute
Volume: v7Issue: n5Page: p14(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Chapters: Larry Bird, Jim Thorpe, John Paxson, Pete Maravich, Jerry West, Tyler Hansbrough, Bill Bradley, Jason Kidd, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Brown, Rick Barry, Bill Walton, Kevin Love, Jason Williams, Joe Alexander, Steve Alford, Shane Battier, Keith Van Horn, Brent Barry, Christian Laettner, Drew Gooden, Al Mcguire, Scott Skiles, Wally Szczerbiak, John Stockton, Joakim Noah, Chris Kaman, Shavlik Randolph, Mike D'antoni, Steve Kerr, Matt Harpring, Kyle Korver, Chris Mullin, Kris Humphries, Troy Murphy, John Kuester, Jason Kapono, Joel Przybilla, Ryan Bowen, David Lee, Chris Andersen, Rex Chapman, Luke Walton, Chris Mihm, Dave Debusschere, Nick Collison, Vinny Del Negro, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Fred Roberts, Chris Quinn, Brian Scalabrine, Jeff Foster, Michael Doleac, Brad Lohaus, Goran Suton, Luke Ridnour, Kent Benson, Ryan Anderson, Josh Davis, Cole Aldrich, Dick Mcguire, Aaron Williams, Jon Barry, Jason Smith, Tom Tolbert, Craig Ehlo, Jeff Sheppard, Travis Knight, Mark Acres, John Abramovic, Drew Barry, Mark Alarie, Steve Henson, Brian Evans, Scooter Barry, Tom Abernethy. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 448. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Selected by Los Angeles Lakers Jerry Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames include "Mr. Clutch" for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation; "The Logo" in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the NBA logo; and "Zeke from Cabin Creek" after the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. Playing the small forward position early in his career, West was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, leading the WVU Mountaineers to the 19...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=331363 ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a retired American NBA basketball player. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently still holds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Warning
This book consists of Wikipedia downloads.This a a BIG price for Wikipedia downloads.

Wikipedia is on the net for free.

Larry Bird?If the "editors" of this "book" are an expert on that, then they are probably experts on lots of things, because they have "edited" hundreds of other "books".

I wonder if Alphapress has its own Wikipedia page? ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Selected by Boston Celtics Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a retired American NBA basketball player. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds. Larry Bird was born in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia (née Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood. Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." According to Bird, his being poor as a child "motivates me to this day". He sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird, who likely suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder from serving in the Korean War. Joe and Georgia Bird divorced in 1975; Joe Bird committed suicide the same year. In spite of his domesti... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=55029 ... Read more

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Great b/w photographs & story of one of the game's best players. ... Read more

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1992-93 Upper Deck 33A Larry Bird SP (Basketball Cards) ... Read more

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Sports Illustrated November 28, 1977 - College Basketball's Secret Weapon, Explosive Larry BirdFeaturing: Larry Bird while at Indiana State ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Indiana Business Magazine, published by Curtis Magazine Group, Inc. on June 1, 1997. The length of the article is 544 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Bird business. (former basketball player and entrepreneur Larry Bird)
Author: Tom Hayes
Publication: Indiana Business Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1997
Publisher: Curtis Magazine Group, Inc.
Volume: v41Issue: n6Page: p5(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Chapters: Larry Bird, John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, E'twaun Moore, George Hill, Steve Alford, Matt Painter, Bonzi Wells, Eric Gordon, Brad Miller, Rick Mount, Greg Oden, Shawn Kemp, Scott Skiles, Luke Harangody, Deshaun Thomas, Rodney Carney, Glenn Robinson, Todd Lickliter, Robbie Hummel, Terry Dischinger, Zach Randolph, Katie Douglas, Sean May, Leroy Edwards, Josh Mcroberts, Mike Conley, Jr., Vic Bubas, Bryce Drew, Robert Vaden, Jim Master, Jerry Sichting, Craig Neal, Randy Wittman, Louie Dampier, Tyler Zeller, Jared Jeffries, Courtney Lee, Jimmy King, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Macy, Mike Woodson, Lee Nailon, Dave Schellhase, Clyde Lovellette, Bobby Leonard, Calbert Cheaney, Kent Benson, Skylar Diggins, Dick Barnett, Joe Dean, Dominic James, Alan Henderson, Monte Towe, Ron Reed, Chris Thomas, Billy Keller, Michael Warren, David Teague, Eric Montross, Junior Bridgeman, George Mcginnis, Andre Owens, Alison Bales, Ken Barlow, Cliff Barker, Walter Mccarty, Frank Kendrick, Damon Bailey, Kevin Magee, Tommy Kron, Jeff Teague, Tony Barbee, Billy Shepherd, Harry Mehre, Larry Steele, Jon Mcglocklin, Dick Van Arsdale, Tellis Frank, Tom Van Arsdale, Don Buse, Vince Boryla, Bobby Plump, Doxie Moore, Greg Graham, Winston Garland, A. J. Graves, Chris Hunter, Darrell Elston, Roger Burkman, Milo Komenich, Jim Grandholm, Jason Gardner, Don Schlundt, Alfred Bergman, Marvin Huffman, Stretch Murphy, Willie Mccarter, Jay Edwards, Henry Williams, Ray Tolbert, John Barnhill, Richard Atha, Jimmy Rayl, John Laskowski, Bobby Wilson, Tom Abernethy, Wayne Radford, Scott Haffner, Leo Barnhorst, Bob Wilkerson, Tico Brown, Ron Bonham, Roy Danforth, Dick Farley, Roy Mcpipe, Mel Payton, Steve Downing, John Mengelt, Allen Leavell, Jim Davis, Ray Ragelis, Korie Lucious, Jim Bradley, Dan Godfread. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 481. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=505605 ... Read more