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"The best description of basketball played in New York City streets during the sixties and seventies."—Bill Bradley, The New Yorker
— Bill Bradley
"Superb . . . [Axthelm] combines Knick history, player backgrounds, seasonal anecdotes and court triumphs with another phenomenon—city basketball in the crowded ghettoes of the nation. The areas he focuses on primarily are the asphalt playgrounds of Harlem and Bedford Stuyvesant. There basketball has its special code of behavior, its pecking order and its own culture heroes. . . . A few city playground aces have made it to college . . . , and a few have found an escape route to the Harlem Globetrotters or the Eastern League. But many others have become strung out on poverty or drugs or have been imprisoned. . . . The book offers absorbing insights into the most unique and gripping of all city sports."—Rex Lardner, New York Times
— Rex Lardner
"The master prose stylist portrays parallel basketball worlds in New York City: Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks won the 1969-1970 championship, and the playgrounds of Harlem, where stars such as Earl (the Goat) Manigault burned brightly but too briefly."—Sports Illustrated
"Superb . . . [Axthelm] combines Knick history, player backgrounds, seasonal anecdotes and court triumphs with another phenomenon—city basketball in the crowded ghettoes of the nation. The areas he focuses on primarily are the asphalt playgrounds of Harlem and Bedford Stuyvesant. There basketball has its special code of behavior, its pecking order and its own culture heroes. . . . A few city playground aces have made it to college . . . , and a few have found an escape route to the Harlem Globetrotters or the Eastern League. But many others have become strung out on poverty or drugs or have been imprisoned. . . . The book offers absorbing insights into the most unique and gripping of all city sports."—Rex Lardner, New York Times
"The best description of basketball played in New York City streets during the sixties and seventies."—Bill Bradley, The New Yorker
| Acknowledgments | ||
| Introduction | ||
| Bk. I | The Knick Phenomenon | |
| Ch. 1 | Two Games: The Challenge of Basketball | 3 |
| Ch. 2 | "It Makes It Fun": The Game as It Should Be Played | 12 |
| Ch. 3 | The Tradition: At Last, a Winner for New York | 21 |
| Ch. 4 | Winning Streak | 37 |
| Bk. II | The Cast of Characters | |
| Ch. 5 | A Matter of Respect: Willis Reed | 57 |
| Ch. 6 | The Backcourts of New York: Walt Frazier, Dick Barnett, and Lesser-Known Stars | 67 |
| Ch. 7 | In the Glare of the Media: Cazzie Russell and Bill Bradley | 84 |
| Ch. 8 | The Bit Players: Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth, Nate Bowman | 102 |
| Ch. 9 | The Men Who Made It Jell: Dave DeBusschere, the Catalyst, Red Holzman, the Coach | 113 |
| Bk. III | Playground Profiles | |
| Ch. 10 | "People Wonder Why": The Stars Who Never Made It | 125 |
| Ch. 11 | The Fallen Idol: The Harlem Tragedy of Earl Manigault | 134 |
| Ch. 12 | "You Grow Up Quick": The Comeback of Duane Smith | 145 |
| Ch. 13 | "Searching for Myself": An Athlete Called Funny | 149 |
| Bk. IV | The Giant Killers | |
| Ch. 14 | Approaching the Playoffs | 159 |
| Ch. 15 | The Baltimore Scare | 163 |
| Ch. 16 | The Bucks: Holding Off the Future | 178 |
| Ch. 17 | Champions | 192 |
Anonymous
Posted July 4, 2001
I reccommend anyone that read this book to watch the movie 'Rebound' which entales Earl Manigault's life in urban NY. This book is mentioned in the movie, from whence I came about reading it. A great movie and a great book.
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Posted July 28, 2001
There is nothing more amazing than watching the legends play at their best. This book gives you the great park legends that made it, and the ones that were drivin away by drugs. Definite satisfaction!!!
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Posted March 23, 2000
If you love the Knicks, you'll love this book. Very informative and interesting.
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Posted September 10, 2010
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