To The Brink: Stockton Malone And The Utah Jazzs Climb To The Edge Of Glory [Hardcover]

Michael Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 1998

"To the Brink" is a no-holds-barred look behind the scenes at the sports world's favorite oxymoron--the Utah Jazz--as they make one final fight for that elusive championship ring in the 1997-98 season. 8-page photo insert.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What separates To the Brink from most annals of a team's season is the ending: the Jazz ultimately failed. All the tumult, anxiety, and excitement that led to this failure make Brink a far more textured tale than the one that would have been written had they prevailed over the Bulls in the 1998 NBA championships. Lewis naturally centers on the often brilliant play and moody personalities of future Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone, but he works all sides of the court here, and good stories emerge, from Coach Jerry Sloan's metamorphosis in the face of his wife's cancer to the tense bickering over Greg Ostertag's inflated salary and deflated performance. Regularly counted out and always underestimated, the Jazz surprised the NBA by doing what they do best: playing solid ball and prevailing in the West on what often seemed like a triumvirate of heart, perseverance, and Malone's charismatically gargantuan will. They shocked the talented Lakers, sweeping them in the conference finals 4-0 to earn a return trip to face the Bulls in the title round, where they succumbed, a game too soon, to one of Michael Jordan's more sublime moments. That the loss is preordained riffs; like a bad date with destiny, you keep hoping for the best, but a sad air of resignation prevails. --Jeff Silverman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684856867
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856865
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great overall view on the great Utah Jazz, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: To The Brink: Stockton Malone And The Utah Jazzs Climb To The Edge Of Glory (Hardcover)

I bought this book recently and I must say that I love it! The author is honest about the team, writing about the good times, bad times and how players react to all kind of distraction. I strongly recommend this book for all the Jazz fans out there. This is a well written book which alows the reader to travel with the team, hear what they have to say and see how they react to reporters for example. Just buy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COULD BE A HISTORY BOOK, October 18, 2003

By 

"bkerkmansprint2" (WEST JORDAN, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To The Brink: Stockton Malone And The Utah Jazzs Climb To The Edge Of Glory (Hardcover)

Not only does this book give a remarkable description of the 97'/98' season but also a in depth look at the previous seasons and how the Jazz came to be in Utah. It is the best written Jazz book I have ever read and I will read it over and over. Michael Lewis as wrote the book in away that all the memorable moments come rushing back to you as if you were still in front of the T.V. celebrating with your friends. It brings it back to life.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a book!, January 23, 2000

By 

Cris Carter (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To The Brink: Stockton Malone And The Utah Jazzs Climb To The Edge Of Glory (Hardcover)

I just finished this book and I can't say enough about it. It describes the Jazz's season perfectly! If you get 1 book this year make it this one.