When the Game Was Ours

Great book for any basketball fan.

I really enjoyed the ebook. It is well written, informative & entertaining. And a great read for any basketball fan no matter what team they're a fan of.

The book includes a number of photos & tables which do NOT display well in the Nook - cut off, captions missing, etc; this is a big negative as far as I'm concerned and makes me wish I had bought the book. B&N - do something about that please!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Detailed, Insightful Walk Down Memory Lane

Magic and Bird, Bird and Magic...These names dominated basketball in the late 1970's and early 1980's, with good reason. The basketball landscape was very different back then, both in college and in the pros. This book starts with their early relationship and wonderfully retells the story of the clash between Larry Bird's Indiana State team and Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Michigan State team in the 1978 NCAA title game. This game is the functional equivalent of the famous Colts-Giants 1958 NFL title game (known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played") in that it gave birth to a new era of television and fan poularity for its sport. The Indiana State-Michigan State game essentially gave birth to what we affectionately call "March Madness," especially in terms of scale.

The book also explores the evolution of the intense rivalry between Magic and Bird as their respective professional careers unfolded. It touches on famous events and some little known ones as well. Ultimately, this book, which on one level is a joyride for sports fans from the era, chroncles the changes in their personal relationship with each other as these two very different players, with very different backgrounds, go from heated rivals, to HATED rivals, to deep and sincere friends.

It shouldn't be missed.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a must read for laker and celtics fans!

I grew up a laker fan & have always detested the celtics. I found myself reliving those days of glory, finding myself saying,"I hate you Larry bird, mchale, parish, insert Celtic player name here." there's a docu on magic & bird on hbo right now. This book is a good compliment to the docu, in fact I think one of the authors is interviewed throughout the film. The best part was learning that through all that competiton & strife there was a deep respect between the players. The book highlights how they pushed each other to be great and the fans will never see a rivalry like that again. It was a different game and a different time and to hear it from the men who lived it makes for a great read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Subilme read...

MacMullan does a phenomenal job transporting the reader back to the good ole days when basketball was all about the love of the game. Hands down the best sports book I've ever read! Go Lakers!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Catching

Insider information not made known to the general public through newspaper and magazine articles

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Interesting Sports Story

Very interesting reading about the events and behind the scenes stories of two great athletes. Brought back memories of the excitement of some of the games and tournaments. Good to read about the human side of people that we only normally see in the spotlight.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great text but photos and appendices poorly formatted

This title deserves better treatment in ebook format than photos clipped in half and stat charts you can't read. Otherwise, it's an engaging read.

Great book

This was when basketball was in its glory years. It was so well written i was sad when i was done. This is a awesome book

Entertaining look at basketball's Golden Age

Really enjoyed this look at Bird and Johnson.

Robby young

Best book to learn about two of the greats that played basketball. Also great to learn about the history of the NBA

Great Book

Took me back to when the NBA was great

Great

this is a great book about one of the greatest rivalrys in sports. Grat read

Good book but too many factual errors

I liked the book as it helped me relive the greatest moments from my childhood but i saw many factual errors reading the book. ONE WOULD THINK A SPORSTWRITER LIKE JACKIE MAC WOULD REMEMBER THE ROCKETS BEAT THE LAKERS IN 5 GAMES IN 1986 NOT 6 GAMES? VERY MINOR ERRORS BUT IF I CAN REMEMBER THESE STATS FROM 25 YEARS AGO YOU WOULD HOPE A FACT CHECKER WOULD GET IT RIGHT

Good book

This is a great read for any bball fan, it contains many pictures and captions that are clearly not made for the nook though.

When the game was ours book review

I finished when the game was ours this book got off to a little bit of a slow start compared to other books that I have read once it got going it was awesome this gave the reader a unique look at two of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball at the collegiate and professional levels I was astounded at the time span this book covers. It talks about the NBA from the early 80s all the way up to now with some key stops along the way some good some bad and some ugly instances which include the formation of the dream team in their dominance in Barcelona Spain in the Summer Olympics of 1992 to Magic's HIV diagnosis and the now infamous Palace brawl which was a black mark on the NBA. Throughout this book Larry and Magic talk about the relationship they developed through the years which went from being principal rivals at the center of the greatest rivalry in NBA basketball the Celtics and the Lakers to best of friends away from the hardwood and how these different instances affected their lives. This is an awesome book if you want to know what went through the minds of two of the greatest NBA legends

Two Legends Square Off

Ever wonder about the Bird and Magic years? Ever wonder about what they were thinking as they prepared to play against each other. This book takes you inside the minds of two of the NBA's best, from the NCAA Championshipof 1979 to their final NBA game and beyond, this book does what no other book I have ever read does. It let's you know what these two highly competitive atheletes really thought of each other and how, from Boston and Los Angeles they made not only their teammates better but each other better. This is a one of a kind book and I simply couldn't put down.

A Good Read for Any Basketball Fan

If you're a fan of NBA basketball, you will find this to be an enjoyable book.

If you're a Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers fan, however, it is an absoulte must-read -- especially if you were a fan during the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 1980s. The insights are fascinating and fun to read.

And, on another level, the competitiveness of both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson -- their tenacity and determination -- is enviable. There's a lesson for us all in their resolve.

When the game was ours: Larry Bird & Earvin "Magic" Johnson

I found the book to be as I expected it to be. Very informative as to how the rivalry and relationship between these two great players developed and grew over their years in college and the pro's. I particularly enjoyed reading their own accounts of how they followed each others success through each game and drove themselves to top the others statistics.

"When the Game was Ours" - a keeper

Author Jackie MacMullan is a well respected sports writer who's written for the Boston Globe and is currently working as an ESPN analyst. Knowing her basketball expertise and being a long-time basketball fan myself, my interest was piqued when I read that she had just completed a book about the lives of two of professional basketball's greatest players, Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Following the careers of both players. I was hoping that the book would be both insightful and well-written. I wasn't disappointed. Player and team information was enlightening, and the writing had a wonderful flow that kept me turning pages until the end. Older fans (1980's and 1990's)of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers will love this book. Basketball fans will enjoy this book. Sports fans in general won't be disappointed. All I can say is that this book is not a "lender," it's a "keeper."

book review

my non-reading basketball-loving husband is really enjoying this book, It was a great Christmas gift.