Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns [Paperback]

Jack McCallum (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2007

Sports Illustrated's chief NBA writer, Jack McCallum, only planned to spend the preseason with the Phoenix Suns as an "assistant coach" -- and then write a story about his experiences. Instead, he stayed on with the Suns throughout their exciting and controversial 2005-2006 season. Gaining access to everything from locker-room chats with superstar point guard Steve Nash, to coaches' meetings with maverick coach Mike D'Antoni, McCallum learned what makes this wildly popular, innovative, and international assemblage of talented players and brilliant coaches tick -- making Seven Seconds or Less an all-access look at one of the greatest shows in sports.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fascinating and funny book, a fly-on-the-ball account of what life is really like in the NBA. McCallum writes about basketball the way only a few have ever played it: with a grace and insight that change the way you look at the game. My one complaint: The book, like the season it describes, ends too soon." -- Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated

"No team on the NBA map runs like the Suns or has fun like the Suns. And I can't think of another NBA team that would grant this kind of behind-the-scenes access to a scribe. If you like watching the Suns play -- and how can you not? -- you'll love reading the untold stories from the inside from Basketball Hall of Famer Jack McCallum." -- Marc Stein, NBA columnist and analyst, ESPN.com and ESPN

"Seven Seconds or Less is a fascinating inside look at the NBA by one of the all-time great basketball writers. Jack McCallum makes you feel like you're part of the Phoenix Suns and their remarkable season. A Hall of Fame book by a Hall of Fame writer. I absolutely loved it!" -- Mike Breen, ABC/ESPN broadcaster

About the Author

Jack Mccallum has been at Sports Illustrated since 1981 and the chief NBA writer since 1985. His work has appeared in the Best American Sports Writing Anthology, and in 2004 he won the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award for outstanding writing. He is the author of Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court with the 1990-91 Boston Celtics and coauthor of Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Reprint edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743298136
• ISBN-13: 978-0743298131
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

--I make a nice tomato sauce, using bell peppers and vinegar.
--Our family used to have two waverunners that I drove too wildly and served as a poor example for my sons, who also drove too wildly. We don't have them anymore.
--My wife is smarter than I. One of my sons is a farmer and the other is a professor of sociology and both are also smarter than I.
--I'm not sure what else I would've done if I weren't a journalist. I always dreamed about having a TastyKake route at the Jersey shore. I am at the shore much of the summer but have no route, though I do enjoy Tastykakes.
--I played a lot of pickup basketball until I tore my Achilles. My knees aren't great either.
--Though it is more in the romantic tradition of journalism to have an eccentric two-fingered typing style, I type well, owing to a background in piano and a typing class in high school. I now suck at the piano.
--I will talk about my grandson, Oliver, all day. He is also smarter than I even though he's not yet 3.
--My golf game is just good enough to be ultimately disappointing.
--I count myself lucky to have been covering the NBA in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ":07 Seconds" takes a two-fisted grab of your attention and never lets go December 28, 2006

By Andy Orrock TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jack McCallum's outstanding ":07 Seconds or Less" chronicles a season (2005-2006) spent inside the Phoenix Suns organization. McCallum uses 40 years of journalism skills and his decades as SI's top NBA writer to give us a compelling story of the Sun's tremendous achievements last year. Beset by season-ending injuries to stalwarts Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni and his staff somehow piece together 54 victories and two already-classic 4-3 series victories against the Lakers and Clippers before simply running out of gas against the Mavs. The centerpiece of the book are the three playoff series, especially the stirring comeback from a 1-3 hole against the Lakers. There's probably 100+ pages on those games alone. Whoever made the editing decision to front-load and spotlight that material deserves an award. By starting out with that series, the book takes a two-fisted grab of your attention and never lets go.

For those curious about the title, it alludes to Coach D'Antoni's philosophy that his offense has the best chance to score if it gets a shot off within the first seven seconds of its 24-second possession. It's that philosophy that makes the Suns so exciting and refreshing to watch. McCallum and the coaching staff make the point that the NBA is, in general, over-coached and, well, flat-out boring. Let's hope more teams see the product and the results that D'Antoni is getting and sign up. [Eddie Jordan's Wizards look to be on pace this year.] I'm sure players around the league are dying to play for D'Antoni. McCallum's book can only reinforce that perception. He comes across as a good guy and a talented coach who has the respect of his players.

The one eye-opening surprise in the book is the fragility of Shawn Marion's ego and psyche. The staff has to spend a lot of time and emotional energy stroking the guy because he seems to feel slighted by, well, just about everything.

If you like basketball, you'll love this book. And there's no better team to cover than the Suns, the most exciting team in the NBA. I love the quote McCallum elicits from Lawrence Frank, coach of the Nets: "Playing the Suns is like being a passenger in a car going 75 miles an hour. When you're driving, like they are, you feel comfortable. But when you're the passenger, you feel uncomfortable. The trick is to figure out how to be the a driver. But they don't let you do that."

And that, boiled down to its essence, is what makes Mike D'Antoni a successful coach.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read into the inter-workings of an NBA team. November 15, 2006

By Darryl L. Cottier

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Finished the book in 2 days, amazing read, and well written. You laugh at the pranks,and player banter, and you see the daily struggles of life within a bright spotlight. You see Nash crying at a long season of overcoming doubters and pouring everything into this team and still coming up short of the NBA finals. You see a team, that was always doubted in there skills, there ability and there desire, but rising to challenge after challenge.

This book makes you feel apart of the team, and part of the inner circle and of a very special season. Jack McCallum is one of the best sports writers in my generation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best sports books I have ever read February 9, 2007

By David Jankowski

Format:Hardcover

I grew up in Phoenix and was seven years old when the Suns played their first game. I have many fond memories of this team, and just as many agonizing memories. The team has usually played a very entertaining game, and has received great support from the city. The fact that so many ex-Suns players continue to be affiliated with the team is a testament to the special nature of this franchise.

I think the author did a great of reporting the good (and not so good) aspects of the 2005-2006 season. He really hit the nail on the head as he described the team's lack of a killer instinct. I wonder if there is any team that has blown more double-digit leads over the years than the Suns. Certainly the Suns have pulled some major chokes in the playoffs, being one of only a handful of teams to give-up a 3-1 edge in a series as well as losing a series (more than once) by having a 2-0 lead (and winning both on the road).

This is an excellent chronicle of a season that exceeded the expectations of the fans - I highly recommend this book.