The Game Within the Game (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Dan Markowitz (Author) "A few years ago at Madison Square Garden, a father came up to me with his son and asked him, "Do you know who this..." (more)
Key Phrases: game within the game, league today, guards today, New York, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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Frazier, an all-star guard with the New York Knicks in the 1970s, was the floor leader of the famously unselfish teams that won NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. Here he offers an evenhanded comparison of professional basketball in his era and today, finding today's game lacking in teamwork and basketball IQ--no surprise to most fans whose interest has spanned the eras. He concedes the modern players' increased size and athleticism but feels those attributes could be put to more efficient--and more entertaining--use with the relatively simple application of some old-school concepts, among them, the idea of the point guard as orchestrator rather than scorer. Frazier also discusses the effect of big money on the players, noting that those who respond positively to multimillion-dollar deals (Michael Jordan and LeBron James, for example) are the exception rather than the rule. Peppering his account with anecdotes from his playing days and observations of the current state of NBA affairs (he is now a Knicks broadcaster), Frazier displays the same qualities as an analyst that he demonstrated as a player--consistency and intelligence. Wes Lukowsky
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Review

"If ever there was a Baryshnikov of basketball, it was Walt Clyde Frazier." -- Senator Bill Bradley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140130253X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401302535
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,204,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ira Berkow, the co-author of the first Clyde book, Rockin' Steady, says about The Game..., December 15, 2006

By	Jeanne Tang - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lighthearted fun, October 19, 2006

By	Jacob Weisman (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for coaches to share, January 25, 2007

By	Thomas Collier (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.