Reading books by Red Holzman or Bob Cousy describe playground basketball before World War II and the early days of the Association with enough detail to provide one with an excellent appreciation of the game’s history.
Basketball Is My Life: Quaintly narrated in a conversational tone, Bob Cousy’s first literary effort was written after the Boston Celtics’ first Association title in 1957. The book lacks meaningful insight into basketball but the key theme is work ethic: in basketball, business, or life. Obviously, Cousy devoted significant time to the sport but basketball is not his life. Nevertheless, given the obstacles that he faced, his drive was as critical to his success as his skill.
Cousy – one of the greatest ballhandlers of all-time – struggled to make his high school team because of his size and experienced difficulties catching on with a professional team after his career at Holy Cross. Boston passed on Cousy in the draft and Tri-Cities traded him to Chicago which folded, allowing the Celtics to draw his name out of a hat in a dispersal draft.
He also experienced a number of failures in the business world before starting a successful sports camp. One chapter describes the trials and tribulations faced by the nascent N.B.A. Players’ Association — initially the idea was opposed by both players and owners. Without the efforts of Cousy and his contemporaries, today’s players would not have the salaries and lifestyle that they do.
The Loud Last Roar: Cousy recounts his final game, Game 6 of the 1963 Association Finals vs. Los Angeles. The text is somewhat dated and not as memorable as his first book. The point guard makes several astute points about the importance of reading the defence and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of teammates.
After winning the championship in his final game, Cousy would coach at Boston College for six years successfully and would later coach the Cincinnati Royals franchise with inauspicious results, although he did originate a number of strategic tactics that are now commonplace, for example using timeouts to save possessions.