OK, but docked a star for errors
This is an entertaining look at the Lakers historic title run in 1972; however, it is filled with errors of fact (Neal walk a rookie in 1961?) and spelling (Dave Debusschere is a Hall of Famer - spell his name correctly)! There are more examples, and they're pretty disctracting - it's tough to see that a major publisher wouldn't do a better editorial job.
Check facts before criticizing
While reviewer Judd Vance seems to take perverse pleasure in verbally castigating the author for his notable errors, Mr. Vance is himself guilty of falsifying the truth in his review. Examples:
1) Of the 1969 Finals in game 7, Mr. Vance writes: "Counts was 4-for-13 shooting with 5 points. " If Counts made 4 baskets, then he would have totaled at least 8 points (2 points per basket, as there was no allwance for the 3-point shot in 1969-70).
2) Of the 1970 Finals in game 5, Mr. Vance writes: "...when Reed went down in game 5, the Lakers collapsed on Chamberlain and Rosen's idol Jerry West took only 2 shots the 2nd half, missing both, while the Lakers committed 30 turnovers, trying to force the ball into Wilt, rather than taking the open shot." In reality, it was the KNICKS who collapsed on Chamberlain, not the Lakers. Indeed, why would the Lakers collapse on their own teammate?!
Before writing another condemnatory review, Mr. Vance should fact-check his verbal rocks before he tosses them again from his glass house.
A VERY NICE READ
I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK CONCERNING THE GREAT 1971-72 SEASON OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS. THE BOOK GOES INTO GREAT DETAIL HOW THE LAKERS ASSEMBLED THIS AWESOME TEAM AND GIVES US A NICE GAME BY GAME SUMMARY. I FOUND SOME GREAT FACTS ABOUT ALL THE LAKERS, ESPECIALLY WILT, WEST, BAYLOR AND SHARMAN. I KNOW SOME ARE ERRORS APPEAR IN THIS BOOK BUT OVERALL I REALLY ENJOYED IT. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL LAKER FANS WHO WANT TO READ ABOUT THE FIRST NBA TITLE THIS GREAT FRANCHISE WON. WORTH IT.
Great Team, Lousy Writer
First off, hats off to Judd Vance for his wonderful review. My comments are similar, there are so many lazy errors in this book that it diminishes a wonderful team.
Page 1 compares the Laker-Buck series of that year to rivalries like Dodgers-Yankees, Hatfields-McCoys, Louis-Schmeling and Michigan-Michigan State.
First off, comparing two good teams that met a couple of times does not make a rivalry. Second, Michigan-Michigan State is a big rivalry? I thought it was Michigan and Ohio State.
Rosen repeats the old cliche that LA anything is style and no substance. What a schlocky and wrong stereotype. I am a born and bred New Yorker and even I think it is a stereotype.
Page 3, if the Bucks double-teamed West and Goodrich, that leaves one man to cover Hairston, McMillan and Chamberlain. Is that ridiculous?
Page 62, Chamberlain and Russell were two vastly different people off the court and on. They were good friends.
Page 247, eastern teams do not play fast-break basketball. I guess the Celtics in the 50s and 60s never ran the ball.
Page 273, the Knicks in the early 70s were not a 1-hit wonder. In 70 they won it, 71 had them in the divisional finals, 72 had them lose to Lakers in finals, 73 they were champions, with the same core team.
It is a shame that this great team received such a careless and slipshod book like this.
Flawed
I was looking forward to this book based on my enjoyment of Rosen's book on Jack Molinas (Wizard of Odds). I was severely disappointed and question my own judgment of the Molinas book. There are a staggering number of factual errors in this book that could have been corrected by thumbing through a copy of the Basketball Encyclopedia or any number of websites that include boxscores of playoff games. I wouldn't have done that but for my own recollections that were at odds with Rosen's reports. I now question whether anything in his other books is worth the paper its written on.
