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The Punch
One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever
- Author:
- By John Feinstein
- Format:
- Hardback (Paperback)
- Availability:
- Out of print. Try our second hand search facility.
- Price:
- £16.99
- Tagged with:
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Further Details
- Published: 1st Nov 2002
- ISBN: 0316279722
- Pages: 384
From Word of Sport:
Arguably the best, certainly the most successful, sportswriter in the world now turns his attention to the fight between the Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers in 1977 which culminated in a punch thrown by Kermit Washington which almost killed Rudy Tomjanovich. It's a mesmerising account of the dark side of sport.
From the Publisher:
When a fistfight broke out between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers one night in 1977, All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich raced to break it up. He was met by Kermit Washington, a good player with a great reputation, and by an astonishingly ferocious punch, a single blow that has reverberated in both men's lives ever since.
The punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull and nearly killed him. Neither man was ever quite the same again. The consequences of this single act of aggression are still being felt, affecting not only two lives but the game of basketball itself. Now Tomjanovich has won two NBA titles as head coach of the Rockets, and in 2000 he coached the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team to a gold medal. In the years since the fight, Washington has had one difficulty after another, his life haunted and shaped by that single moment.
With his unerring insight into the deeper truths of professional sports, John Feinstein reveals what really happened that night and traces the remarkable trajectories of both men's careers before and after the punch. Through this one cataclysmic event he casts a light on the NBA's darkest secrets, exploring violence, race, and the true price men pay when they choose a career and a life in sports
From the Critics:
“A sport hasn't really arrived until Feinstein has spent a season with it”
Bob Ford, Philadelphia Inquirer
“The best writer of sports books in America today”
Will McDonough, Boston Globe
“The talent that separates Mr. Feinstein from so many others is an unparalleled knack among sportswriters for recognizing a good story”
Mike DeCourcy, Cincinnati Enquirer
“When it comes to matchups, John Feinstein and basketball are a great one”
John Greenya, Washington Post
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It's A Fact!
At 6 foot 7 Kevin Francis was the tallest player in the football league. And so said every newspaper article and programme feature written about him throughout his career. He's now a long distance lorry driver.
Submitted by: JacquesClaw