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Dynasty: The Rise of the Boston Celtics
Examines the rise of the Boston Celtics under the watchful eyes of coach Red Auerbach in the 1950s and the events, players, and training that led up to the team dominating the sport for more than a decade by winning eleven national titles in thirteen series.
- GenresSportsBasketballAmerican
229 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 10, 2021
Great account of the Boston Celtics’ amazing 11 NBA Championships in 13 years beginning in the 1950s.
May 18, 2022
When I gave this book to my son - I was looking for a way to teach my boy the Celtic lore- after he had chosen his mother's City's teams over mine or the city we had lived in, LA. When my ex-wife gave me this book as a wry re-gift- I determined to read it to see how good it was. I can tell you now that it is a boring and repetitive hagiography of all things Celtic and Bostonian, but probably a good read for the Junior Readers that I think it is aimed at. Boston and the Celtics are good- all other teams bad. All other cities are of questionable worth. Red Auerbach and our plucky boys finally learn to win when Russell arrives- then rattle off 10 championships, each one won by defense and guile. Along the way there are occasional timorous ventures into Civil Rights and other real schisms of the 60s and 70s- but it never amounts to much.
Lew Freedman a Chicago Sportswriter and non- fiction author wrote this book. It's a pretty bland retelling- but it does hit all the high notes. He's the king of oversimplification and can get a little fulsome in his praise of the Green. But the facts are there and I do give his some credit for at least trying to broach larger issues- even if his presentations are ham handed. If you give this to the kids and use it as a conversation starter, it might serve for purpose. If you have a little Celtic fan- I pity you- but this book might slake his thirst for green facts.
There are few adult themes beside those already discussed, and no graphic violence, so this is a fine book for the Junior Reader about 10/11 and up. My Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast audience gets bupkis out of this- not really on topic for them. But sports fans are made aware of this book or forewarned against it - depending on their allegiances. If this is your team- a book to read- if not you can skip at your leisure.
Lew Freedman a Chicago Sportswriter and non- fiction author wrote this book. It's a pretty bland retelling- but it does hit all the high notes. He's the king of oversimplification and can get a little fulsome in his praise of the Green. But the facts are there and I do give his some credit for at least trying to broach larger issues- even if his presentations are ham handed. If you give this to the kids and use it as a conversation starter, it might serve for purpose. If you have a little Celtic fan- I pity you- but this book might slake his thirst for green facts.
There are few adult themes beside those already discussed, and no graphic violence, so this is a fine book for the Junior Reader about 10/11 and up. My Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast audience gets bupkis out of this- not really on topic for them. But sports fans are made aware of this book or forewarned against it - depending on their allegiances. If this is your team- a book to read- if not you can skip at your leisure.
August 20, 2017
A good history of the start of the NBA and the Boston Celtics. An easy read and good discussion of the Celtics and their opponents. My only complaint is the use of repeated information in different chapters as is you had not read the previous chapters. a good book for the Celtic fan.
January 24, 2024
Lew Freedman has such a genteel way of stewarding us down a story's path that it almost feels like an privilege to read this book.
The story itself is one of excellence, of a group of athletes - and coaches and an owner - who came together to dominate a sport in a way that will never happen again. Growing up in the Boston area, born just as the Dynasty came to an end, I missed all the fun, but the names were still household words as I started to toddle around. One - Red Auerbach - would linger seemingly forever as he built the next two groups of championship groups.
Freedman focuses squarely on the stories of Auerbach, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell and many more in, as I said, a kindly and intelligent way. Yet, he knows, and lets us know, that to tell the story of the 1960s Celtics he has to include the events of the Civil Rights Era. The Celtics played through the Kennedy assassination and the Martin Luther King, Jr., murder, the latter of which shook many players, coaches and even the Celtics' favorite radio broadcaster, Johnny Most, to the core. His contextual backstory is succinct, but excellently arranged. The Celtics drafted the first Black player, hired the first Black coach, and sent the first Black starting lineup onto the court, all at a time when segregation was still common in the South and even towns like Framingham and Worcester (mentioned in the book) found ways to discriminate against Black people n a supposedly "enlightened" Massachusetts.
The Dynasty team members set the foundation for Celtics Pride. The NBA fans of the 190s wouldn't recognize today's game, where more than 80% of the athletes are Black. We have Russell, Auerbach, owner Walter Brown, K.C. Jones and so many others to thank for laying the groundwork.
The story itself is one of excellence, of a group of athletes - and coaches and an owner - who came together to dominate a sport in a way that will never happen again. Growing up in the Boston area, born just as the Dynasty came to an end, I missed all the fun, but the names were still household words as I started to toddle around. One - Red Auerbach - would linger seemingly forever as he built the next two groups of championship groups.
Freedman focuses squarely on the stories of Auerbach, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell and many more in, as I said, a kindly and intelligent way. Yet, he knows, and lets us know, that to tell the story of the 1960s Celtics he has to include the events of the Civil Rights Era. The Celtics played through the Kennedy assassination and the Martin Luther King, Jr., murder, the latter of which shook many players, coaches and even the Celtics' favorite radio broadcaster, Johnny Most, to the core. His contextual backstory is succinct, but excellently arranged. The Celtics drafted the first Black player, hired the first Black coach, and sent the first Black starting lineup onto the court, all at a time when segregation was still common in the South and even towns like Framingham and Worcester (mentioned in the book) found ways to discriminate against Black people n a supposedly "enlightened" Massachusetts.
The Dynasty team members set the foundation for Celtics Pride. The NBA fans of the 190s wouldn't recognize today's game, where more than 80% of the athletes are Black. We have Russell, Auerbach, owner Walter Brown, K.C. Jones and so many others to thank for laying the groundwork.
June 5, 2015
Oh my god, this book was amazing. Sure, I might be a little biased as I am an avid Celtics fan, but this book was spot on! The book was about the rise of the team, starting off with Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek. I would recommend this book to only Boston fans as many fans and sime non fans would probably have no clue who these people are. Overall, this book was a great read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews