Walt Frazier, one of the greatest guards ever to play the game, writes about "old school ball" and his ideas for reinvigorating the sport In The Game Within the Game, basketball legend Walt Frazier looks at basketball from both a historical and personal viewpoint. When Frazier first started playing the game, discipline and strategy were more highly valued than in today's game, which he describes as having devolved into "a playground fest of dunks and threes." The old-school style of Frazier's past emphasized substance over style, contrary to the current state of the game, where celebrity and flashy moves dominate. In lively and accessible language, Frazier writes about how important "the game within the game" really is. He emphasizes timing and mental skill, far more than dazzling moves, as the strengths that today's players need to hone in order to achieve success. Frazier makes some controversial points, aimed at new basketball players."The game within the game starts with players respecting their coaches, their teammates, and the opposing team. The Indiana Pacers had a good chance of winning the NBA championship last year before Artest erupted. They had a record of 16 wins and only 8 losses at the time the brawl occurred and were touted as the team with the best chance of dethroning the Pistons in the East.Artest had been out of control for a long time. The Pacers tried to rein him in by suspending him earlier in the season, but Artest didn't learn his lesson. He is a product of his times. Basketball is a microcosm of life. Walking down the street today, guys want their props. If you bump into a young guy, he might go off. It's carried over into the NBA. The guys in the league today are young and they often have a similar mindset."
Clyde gives it to you straight and he's right on the money - about the game itself and today's NBA.
Great Book for coaches to share
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Walt Frazier hits the nail on the head with his insights into the game as it is played today compared to the way it should be played.
Can Clyde Save the NBA?
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Everyone involved with the NBA should read this book. From my viewpoint, as a 40 year old fan and as someone who loved and played basketball through my freshman year of college, Clyde cogently points out the attraction of the game and most importantly where today's professional game has gone dangerously awry. I'm old enough to remember Clyde's championship Knick teams and still take inspiration from the way those incredible individuals all focused on teamwork. As the NBA stumbles and bumbles (a nod to Clyde) and becomes more and more irrelevant to a formerly passionate fan base, David Stern and company should take Clyde's analysis to heart. If things don't improve the NBA could soon stand for Nothing But an Afterthought in the world of professional sports.
Ira Berkow, the co-author of the first Clyde book, Rockin' Steady, says about The Game...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
"It's an excellent and provocative book." I don't think there's a former great with more cogent things to say about the game of basketball than Walt Frazier. I enjoyed this book immensely and I think it's great for old-timers who remember watching the grace and skill Clyde played the game with and "newbies," who want to learn how to play winning basketball. The chapters on Money, Race and The Players' League are particularly insightful and honest. If you like basketball and care about its evolution, then pick up this book and read it.
lighthearted fun
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
The Game Within the Game by Walt "Clyde" Frazier with Dan Markowitz is an entertaining, if lighthearted meditation on the game of basketball. Clyde takes modern ballplayers to task for the way they approach the game, but the book is at its best whenever he casually mentions his own youthful indiscretions, like the time he invited two women to the same game and was so worried they'd find out about each other that it wrecked his concentration on the court.
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