Customer Reviews

Loose Balls

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If you remember the ABA, and loved the red, white and blue ball, the original 3-point line, and what it all brought to the game of basketball, then consider this required reading.

I cannot remember when I have laughed so hard while reading a documentary. The depictions of the players, and the unusual antics the owners tried to get people to come watch is simply too funny to describe here. Whether it was making a big deal out of $100,000 contracts (really just "very" long annuities) or getting the whole crowd to move to one side of the arena (the side shown on TV) the league went to new lengths to promote the product. Cow milking at halftime? Whatever the means, there is no doubt that the ABA changed the game forever. The first slam dunk contest, the 3-point line, and the creativity of the play itself were brand new.

While the league may have been a circus act compared to the classic NBA who had the Laker's, Celtic's, Wilt, Russell, West, Oscar and others, make no mistake that some of the best to ever play came not out of the NBA but the ABA. Connie Hawkins was MJ long before MJ himself followed in the footsteps of another ABA great; Dr. J. The ABA started the early college exodus with the legal decision "hardship" rule applied to the great Spencer Haywood. If you think Rasheed Wallace with his 28 technicals a season is a strange act to follow, he pales in comparison with some of the bruisers in the "other" league. One story about a player/coach, who had benched himself for fighting, ends with the coach putting himself in as a player and decking someone not 30 seconds into the game! Who can forget the famous Marvin Barnes? Here was a guy so talented he could arrive at the game 5 minutes before tip-off wearing nothing but his uniform and a full length mink coat and carrying a sack full of take out hamburgers. His coach is so mad he benches him for the start of first quarter. Marvin gets in the game, yet manages to pay his charter pilot from his checkbook during a time-out! Final stat line for the game for the late arriving Barnes: 49 points and 19 rebounds.

If the stories and no-way-you-can-make-this-up depictions are not enough, then how about a chapter written by Bob Costas on his first assignment - the announcer for the ABA's "Spirit's of St. Louis". The chapter about the wild antics and totally undisciplined plays, including some of the classic on-air gaffes that Costas makes, will leave you laughing until your sides hurt. Who can forget "Fly" Williams? A street player so out of control he tried a 360 dunk on a fast break all by himself and ended up so spun around he threw the ball over the backboard. It was a close game at that!

If you are at all a fan of basketball, you have to read this book. 10 stars!!

Like many others who grew up in the late 60s/early 70s, I wondered about what was really going on behind the scenes of this "upstart league" that wound up ultimately changing the way pro basketball is played (and not just the 3 pointer either!). Pluto took a great approach with this book, letting the former players, coaches and execs tell their own stories of what really happened.

From the league's start to its ultimate merger with the "enemy," (ie the NBA) it also showcases the successful (Indiana, Denver, Kentucky, San Antonio, NY Nets) and the "flameouts" (Spirits of St Louis, LA/Utah Stars and esp the ill-fated Baltimore Claws and San Diego Sails). It talks about the bidding wars for players, the personalities from each team, and what ultimately led to the merger with the NBA.

This book contains a wealth of humorous and virtually unbeleivable stories about the ABA. What little I did see on TV of the ABA I always enjoyed and finally sitting down to read this book brought back some memories.

There is a "new ABA" now called "ABA 2000," but it's strictly a developmental league. While at times the ABA could be "rinky dink," it was never a "minor league" for the NBA.

If you want to know what the ABA was really like in its heyday, get this book. It's a keeper!

Terry Pluto's book is a very funny look at the American Basketball Association. He interviewed several people who were involved with the league and told the story of the league through their stories.

The ABA had some great players and introduced the three-point shot and slam dunk contest, which later became popular in the NBA, but the league was not run well and didn't have enough money invested in it to be a real success. They did manage to hold on long enough to force a merger with the NBA.

This was a league where a game was postponed once when two different airlines lost the luggage of the two teams that were supposed to play, leaving neither team with uniforms for the game. One team gave away something like 500 free tickets to a playoff game and had a crowd of about 520.

The league had its share of characters, and this is a great place to read all about them. It's also the place where Dr. J, George Gervin and some other great players got their start, and you can read about that here too.

Hey, if you don't take MY word that this is an excellent read, refer to the 2002 Sportsman of the Year issue of Sports Illustrated. It has this in the top 100 sports books of all time.

As a kid who had one of those ABA basketballs in the 70's this brought back a LOT of memories...

It is the perfect book for someone on the go, or on a plane, or in other situations where a long drawn out read is not possible. It consists of short stories, woven together around various themes (the barnstorming nature of the ABA, tough guys in the league, etc.)

The most AMAZING thing about this book is a picture of Julius Erving, during his rookie year, shooting a free throw for the Virginia Squires. If you look in the background, you can count the number of fans in the stands on ONE HAND. Can you imagine? The chance to see Julius Erving (who gets his own special section of this book) in his ROOKIE YEAR?

Also, I never really knew the Connie Hawkins story until this book. Larry Brown, Dan Issel, Doug Moe, Zelmo Beaty, all your old ABA faves are here.

Plus, for stat geeks, a list of all the seasons, the standings, playoff results, etc are contained.

And pictures of the Miami Floridian 'ball girls' in tight-tights! :)

The ABA. Dr. J., McGinnis, Bad News Barnes, Moses and even Wilt! The ABA came along before ESPN, at a time when even the NBA was barely televised. This league was fantastic and Pluto tells a very detailed account of the history and stars of the ABA.
For the sake of nostalgia alone, I loved this book. Where else could I read about Randy Denton and the Memphis Tams/Sounds?
From an historical perspective, this is a great read about a very unappreciated, overlooked league. This is where Dr. J and David Thompson really mastered the art of dunking.
Even from a business or marketing view, this book proves itself to be quite insightful. For instance, the NBA adopted the 3 point shot after the merger, to increase the excitement of the game.
Pluto accomplishes quite a lot in this book, without ever getting boring. Every basketball fan should read this book.

This book is a pure gem capturing the years of the ABA and its cast of characters. One of the best basketball books i have read - full of history, laughs and bits of trivia that will get your attention from start to finish. I give this a 5 Afro rating

As someone who witness most of the New York Nets games played at Island Garden, this book brought back great memories of a bygone time. Due to the league's lower profile, there was a great bond between the players, team officials and fans. Everyone was in this together. That is why the fans that saw the ABA were fans for life, including beyond the NBA-ABA Merger. Two of my close friends were ballboys with the Nets, so I got to know some of the players outside of the arena. Some of whom were quoted in this excellent oral history of the league. The love of the league comes shining through in this book. I can't recommend it enough to fans of the game of basketball who have a bit of the non-conformist spirit.

I remember reading this book many years ago. Then I came accross a Mr. Maxx review that I actually agreed with and figured why not put in my two cents. The story of the wild days of ABA is told in a very witty easy to read manner that will have any reader comming back for more. Even though the ABA was around for a short time, it had a strong impact on today's NBA. Many players, coaches, and announcers contributed to this book which makes it a worthy read for any sports fan.

the aba was ahead of it's time.everything the nba is doing now was taboo back in the 70's.i'm a firm believer that another league can challenge the majors.this league paved the way for others in different sports.if the aba had the media that the nba has today it might not have been the same.cuz what you see nightly was done a 100% times better 25 years back.this book was great.and a book i couldn't put down.

Before 24-hour sports coverage on cable TV and back in the day when a basketball fan was lucky to get one nationally-televised NBA game per week, there was an upstart league with a flashy basketball, flashier players and paychecks that oftentimes bounced higher than the ball.

Terry Pluto, a long-time sports columnist for the Akron Beacon-Journal, captures the crazy times and legendary personalities on the court and in the front offices in this oral history of the American Basketball Association.

It was a league that hit the NBA where it was most vulnerable; signing players to contracts that were unheard of at the time. For example, Mel Daniels - a number one draft pick in both leagues - opted to play in the ABA and became one of the all-time greats. There were renegades like Rick Barry and the sky-walking dunks of "Dr. J," Julius Erving, arguably the greatest player of his era.

The league went straight to the heart of the NBA for its first commissioner, hiring George Mikan as a means to gain credibility in the eyes of the stodgy national sports media. Larry Brown and Doug Moe were ABA players before becoming pro coaches. And - if nothing else - who could beat franchise names like the New Orleans Buccaneers, Minnesota Muskies, the Spirits of St. Louis and the San Diego Conquistadors (with Wilt Chamberlain as player/coach)?

Though the final few years of operation - with a merger inevitable and the league consolidating its shrinking resources - became an abrupt climax to the ABA, the teams and players that made the jump to the NBA made for a dramatic leap in the quality of the game & it can be argued set the pace for the style and grace of Magic, Michael, Dominique and LeBron.