The Breaks of the Game

By: David Halberstam

Narrated by: Brian Troxell

A New York Times bestseller, David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game focuses on one grim season (1979-80) in the life of the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, a team that only three years before had been NBA champions.
More than six years after his death David Halberstam remains one of this country's most respected journalists and revered authorities on American life and history in the years since WWII. A Pulitzer Prize-winner for his groundbreaking reporting on the Vietnam War, Halberstam wrote more than 20 books, almost all of them bestsellers. His work has stood the test of time and has become the standard by which all journalists measure themselves.
The tactile authenticity of Halberstam's knowledge of the basketball world is unrivaled. Yet he is writing here about far more than just basketball. This is a story about a place in our society where power, money, and talent collide and sometimes corrupt, a place where both national obsessions and naked greed are exposed. It's about the influence of big media, the fans and the hype they subsist on, the clash of ethics, the terrible physical demands of modern sports (from drugs to body size), the unreal salaries, the conflicts of race and class, and the consequences of sport converted into mass entertainment and athletes transformed into superstars -- all presented in a way that puts the reader in the room and on the court, and The Breaks of the Game in a league of its own.

Exceptional book and performance.

A classic sports book and work of nonfiction, presented very well. Halberstam at his finest.

A look at the past in the NBA

Great look at the Blazers and the NBA era in the late 70s. Halberstam weaves in interesting stories on some famous and not so famous players while illustrating the challenges the league had prior to Bird and Magic coming into the league.

The greatest sports book ever written.

Extremely well written account of the NBA right before Magic and Bird changed the league.

Truly one of the all time great sports books

The fact that Halberstam, a world renown American historian, put as much effort into chronicling an era of the NBA as he did with wars and presidential administrations makes this a must read for any sports fan, even if basketball isn't your thing.

Early NBA Lore

Loved the book, especially the parts about Walton and the San Diego Clippers. I was first introduced to basketball in San Diego in late 1978 as a first grader. Was obsessed with the sport especially the high scores and the even taller players. Brought back excellent memories of my early years of fandom.

The writing was excellent and the back story on the players and the league was phenomenal.