I finished Jack McCallum's
book, Unfinished Business. The book chronicles the 1990-1991 Boston
Celtic Season. During that time frame I wasn't a Celtics fan as they
continually beat up on my Hawks. That said I did respect them and that respect
has only grown throughout the years. The Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and
Robert Parish era was truly a great time in Boston and the NBA for that
matter. The book provided me more insight into the players than I've ever
gotten before. During their playing days my only view of the players came
from their games on cable or the NBA publications I subscribed to (Hoop
Magazine & NBA Digest). Local papers in small towns where I lived
didn't carry much NBA coverage, if any. So it wasn't until later in life
that I learned how funny Kevin McHale is, how much of a loner Parish was, or
that Larry Bird really was this big trash talker. That is where these
books are great. You get that insight. I wish I had read this book
in 1992 when it was published. It would have helped me to know who these
greats of the NBA were while I could still see them live.
I've known this book was
held in great regard among NBA books and it quickly moved to the top of my reading list when I found it for $5 at a collectibles show in October. This was
one
of the last years of the Larry-Kevin-Robert trio. In fact this would be
Bird's next to last season in the NBA. It details Chris Ford's first year
as the Boston coach and an era of when the younger Celtics were looked to to
make a contribution as that of Larry-Kevin-Robert declined. Injuries
played a big part of the big three's issues as well as age itself. For
his part, Parish actually stayed healthy in the regular season. It was an
unlikely season where Boston entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in the Eastern
Conference after a year in which they started strong but injuries derailed the season. In the playoffs they reached the
second round only to lose to bitter rival Detroit. Again injuries took
their toll. Back to the title of the book, these Celtics were so good that until injuries did them in, it looked like they were a true title
contender.
While that is the
framework of the book, the fun is in the details. The behind the scenes
stuff about the players, coaches and management. McCallum does a good job
giving each their space in the book and letting us get to know them while
keeping a good pace. Sometimes it is hard because I may have seen players
in a different light in 1991-1992 even though I really didn't know much about
them. Again it is a good book, and a fun read and I expect anyone who
likes the NBA should enjoy this book.
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