The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever - Hardcover

Feinstein, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316279722 ISBN 13: 9780316279727

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2002

Synopsis

In an incisive look at the dark side of the NBA, the author of The Last Amateurs describes a 1977 brawl between the Houston Rockets and L.A. Lakers and its repercussions, especially for two players--Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington--in terms of such issues as race, violence in sports, and conspiracy. 175,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

In 1977, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington became entwined in a single punch that would change not only their lives, but how professional basketball is played today. Because the punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull and nearly destroyed both men's careers, the scuffle never settled as a dusty bit of NBA trivia. Instead, it nearly superseded both men's notable achievements. The history of that punch (it could not, by any standards, be considered a fight) and the fate of the two men are the subjects of John Feinstein's The Punch.

In the early days of the NBA, teams had their stars and their "enforcers." Enforcers such as Washington protected star players on the court with their willingness to mix it up. With concise prose, Feinstein reports on this era, following strings of trades, drafts, and personal relationships to their nexus. Those who do not think about basketball on a statistical level may occasionally find themselves lost, but Feinstein, ever conscious of his subject, ties the tangents neatly to the core of the scuffle that led to the infamous punch.

Thorough and thoughtful, Feinstein does not make any excuses, nor does he vilify. He simply traces the web of both men's lives back to their adolescent years when it was not about the NBA, nor the punch, but about the game. Anyone who has ever wondered about these two men, or the history of the NBA, will want to read this book. --Karin Rosman

About the Author:

John Feinstein is the bestselling author of "The Last Amateurs," "The Majors," "A Good Walk Spoiled," "A Civil War," "A Season on the Brink," "Play Ball," "Hard Courts," and two novels. He writes for "Inside Sports," "Golf," "Tennis Magazine," and "Basketball America" and is a commentator on NPR and ESPN. He lives in Maryland and New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0316279722
• ISBN 13: 9780316279727
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 366