From Set Shot to Slam Dunk: The Glory Days of Basketball in the Words of Those Who Played It

by Charles Salzberg

Book Overview

Basketball in its early years was rough and rowdy, on the courts and off. Players had names like Feets Broudy, Sweetwater Clifton, and Easy Ed Macauley. There was no twenty-four-second clock, no jump shot, and only one referee, and fouls were called only for real injury. But from the very start the game won fans. From Set Shot to Slam Dunk brings back the glory days of basketball as lived by fifteen old-time players and officials.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803292503
• ISBN13: 9780803292505
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Unp - Bison Books
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Life in the early NBA

If teams such as the Syracuse Nationals, Rochester Royals, and Fort Wayne Pistons mean anything to you, or names such as Dolph Schayes, Bob Pettit, Bill Sharman, and Bob Cousy ring a bell - or merely wonder why they do for many people - you will enjoy this book. It's a look at what professional basketball was like in the '40s and '50s, when the NBA was first coming to light (a mix of teams from various regional leagues) and developing. Charles Salzberg conducted 15 interviews with players from that era, asking them to relate their experiences - how they got started, what they thought of their teammates and opposing players, highlights of their careers, how they think the game has changed, what they think of basketball today (1980s) - and the results are interesting and informative. The game was played differently back then, before the 24-second clock went into effect: it was a much more deliberate game, slower in execution, lots of passing, the set shot the main weapon. Just about all the interviewees note how the 24-second clock changed the game, made it more exciting (especially near the end of the game), some thinking it actually saved the NBA from extinction. Bill Russell is someone mentioned by many of them as having a profound influence on the game, too, and the reason for the Boston Celtic dynasty in the 50s-60s. Most of those interviewed believe that players today have more talent, especially when it comes to shooting the ball, but regret the loss of team play the way it was for them. There aren't a whole lot of surprises here (most of the interviews talk in generalities rather than specifics) and no skeletons in the closet are revealed, but for anyone getting a little long in the tooth it's a nostalgic look back at the game before multi-million dollar contracts and schoolyard antics became the mainstay. And for younger fans it's a reminder that there was basketball before Michael Jordan.

Witty, Informative and fun

I love basketball, and I love this book. It's got great nuggets of stories, and it's fun to read, too. I've given it for gifts to friends of mine who enjoy the raucous stories and humor. If you love basketball, you'll love this book--in fact, you'll love it even if you don't