When the Game Was Ours
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Overview
A riveting portrait of two legendary players whose fierce rivalry came to define one of the most exciting periods of professional basketball
In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot—a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him and whose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime: young, indomitable, a magnetic personality with all the right moves, he was a pied piper in purple and gold and he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA—East vs. West, physical vs. finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each pushed the other to greatness, and together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards, helping to save a floundering NBA. When the Game Was Ours chronicles an electric era in sports history, revealing for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting each other.
Synopsis
From the moment these two legendary players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick, with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him and whose caustic wit left opponents quaking in their high-tops. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. And he burned with an inextinguishable desire to win.
Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA—East vs. West, physical vs. finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each pushed the other to greatness, and together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards, helping to save a floundering NBA. At the start they were bitter rivals, but along the way they became lifelong friends.
With intimate detail, When the Game Was Ours transports readers to an electric era and reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting each other. It is a compelling portrait of two giants of the game, during professional basketball’s best times.
The Washington Post - Dave Sheinin
Perhaps more than any other sports rivals (with the possible exception of boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier), Bird and Magic are intertwined in history, and that rivalry and that history (as well as the friendship, both unlikely and unavoidable, that developed between them) are at the heart of a fascinating new book, When the Game Was Ours. Though Bird and Johnson (with Jackie MacMullan) are credited as the authors, it is clearly MacMullan's book, as all but the introduction (by Bird and Johnson) is written in the third person, with the former Boston Globe reporter and columnist masterfully weaving the recollections of the two protagonists with those of dozens of observers, including teammates and family members.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Consider the matchup: Larry Bird; 13 seasons with Boston Celtics; 3 NBA titles; 3 MVP awards; Rookie of the Year; Olympic Gold Medal; Basketball Hall of Fame. "Magic" Johnson; 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakes; 5 NBA titles; 3 MVP awards; Olympic Gold Medal; Basketball Hall of Fame. The high-flying, one-on-one competition between these two behemoths generated excitement far beyond their arenas. Their friendly rivalry and the fierce competition between their teams sparked a pro basketball renaissance. In When The Game Was Ours, these two giants of the sport reveal the inner stories of their longstanding hoop struggles. High adrenaline excitement. Now in paperback.
From the Publisher
“MAGICBIRD, BIRDMAGIC really should be the titled “When the Game was Mine” because that is how they went after each other on the court. In When the Game Was Ours you will enjoy an exhilarating ride down one of the most competitive rivalries ever.”—Pat Riley
"Finally—a book that tells the story of Magic and Larry from their vantage point. When the Game Was Ours took me inside their fascinating rivalry with new insights and revealing details about two men who evolved from bitter competitors into lifelong friends."
—Denzel Washington
"At long last the great book on Bird and Magic—their own account, told from behind the scenes, inside huddles, confidential phone conversations, backseats of cars, and most importantly, from their inner hearts. Their book is alive with truth—it's a story of brilliance, brilliantly told with the help of prize-winning writer Jackie MacMullan."
—Sally Jenkins , author of The Real All Americans, Funny Cide, and It’s Not About the Bike with Lance Armstrong
"When The Game Was Ours is the ultimate insiders' account of the rivalry, the friendship, the tension and the bond between Bird and Magic that launched the modern NBA. A real treat for all hoops fans."
—Tom Verducci , author with Joe Torre of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Yankee Years
"You know that game where you pick a certain number of characters for your favorite dinner party of all time? (The one where you picked Gandhi, Babe Ruth, Li'l Wayne and, who was it, Jenna Jameson?) I just spent a couple of nights with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the lyrical When The Game Was Ours and they should be in the mix. They're funny, frank, anecdotal and just plain interesting. This book is terrific."
—Leigh Montville , bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam
"Unprecedented insight and commentary from the stars themselves on their unique relationship, a compelling mixture of bitter rivalry and mutual admiration... Offers a captivating look at the NBA’s greatest era."—Kirkus Reviews
"Highly entertaining . . . A thrill-packed, lively and moving dual memoir."—Shelf Awareness
"A terrific read."—Sports Illustrated
"Spectacular."—Dan Shaughnessy, The Boston Globe
"An unbelievable read."—Improper Bostonian
"You have to read this book!"—Conan O'Brien
"A must-have for any basketball fan."—Jimmy Kimmel
"A winner...Deftly explores the relationship between the former NBA superstars that started at arm's length [and] became a lasting friendship."—USA Today
"Greatness commands our attention . . . uplifting . . . If ever there was a two-man Dream Team, they were it."—New York Times Book Review
"In MacMullan’s capable hands, the tale is re-energized . . . a wonderful waltz down memory lane . . . A compelling and enjoyable read, every bit as entertaining as watching Magic and Bird battling on the parquet." – Boston Globe
"Fascinating . . .The former Boston Globe reporter and columnist masterfully weav[es] the recollections of the two protagonists with those of dozens of observers . . .The book is at its most powerful when it hews close to its premise: the evolution of perhaps sports' greatest rivalry . . . The game of basketball has never been better than when it was theirs."—Washington Post
Harvey Araton
Writing in The Boston Globe during the Bird-Magic era, the sports columnist Leigh Montville imagined them at a nursing home years into the future, engaged in a cutthroat game of checkers. Bird and Johnson aren't in a nursing home (yet), but in any case their collaborative memoir, written with Jackie MacMullan, is much more than checkers. It should satisfy both those who saw them play and younger fans inclined to snicker at television images of the legendary rivals in their tight short shorts. While Bird and Johnson do most of the reminiscing, MacMullan, a longtime Boston sportswriter, supplies enough reporting to enrich the narrative, drawing on others to help illustrate what the sport has come to lack, or fake.—The New York Times
Dave Sheinin
Perhaps more than any other sports rivals (with the possible exception of boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier), Bird and Magic are intertwined in history, and that rivalry and that history (as well as the friendship, both unlikely and unavoidable, that developed between them) are at the heart of a fascinating new book, When the Game Was Ours. Though Bird and Johnson (with Jackie MacMullan) are credited as the authors, it is clearly MacMullan's book, as all but the introduction (by Bird and Johnson) is written in the third person, with the former Boston Globe reporter and columnist masterfully weaving the recollections of the two protagonists with those of dozens of observers, including teammates and family members.—The Washington Post