Chris Ballard's book, The Art of a Beautiful Game, was an interesting and pleasurable read for a hoops junkie like me. It took me only about a week to read. He goes in depth on the greatest athletes the NBA has. The book is broken down into chapters that focus on common themes - rebounding, free throws, Kobe's killer instinct, etc. I would recommend it for serious NBA fans. It is interesting enough for the casual fan to enjoy but the insight's Ballard offers are wouldn't be a well received without a strong base of basketball knowledge. I rate it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.Things I found interesting or notable
Kobe
-Ballard says he has the highest killer instinct in the NBA
-Kobe studied NBA tapes sent by his grandparents while he was in Italy w/ his father, who played professionally
-Kobe took the singer Brandy to his high school prom
-Brian Shaw said the only player he saw work as hard as Kobe was Larry Bird
-Ballard said deep down Kobe is a basketball nerd
Shooters
-Steve Kerr retired w/ the highest 3-point FG % (45.4)
-Legend has it that Brent Barry made 97/100 3s in practice. Additionally, Chris Mullin once made 194 consecutive jumpers in a workout
-In 2005 Antoine Walker shot 645 3s, 100 more than the next closest player in attempts, and made 34.4%
-Jordan made only 5 of 35 3s when he participated in the 3-point Shootout - the worst score in the history of the contest
-Rashard Lewis said he could beat Ray Allen "maybe one out of 100 times" in a shooting contest
Rebounding
-Dwight Howard is 7', 265 lbs and can bench 225lbs 25 times. He has a reach of 9 1/2 ft with his 37" vertical
-Bill Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds for his career and Wilt Chamberlain averged 27.2 rpg in his best rebounding season
-No NBA player has got 27 rebounds in a game since 2002
-Danny Fortson said Shaq is the hardest guy to box out in the NBA
-Phil Jackson said Dennis Rodman was the most remarkable athlete he ever coached - not Jordan or Kobe
Dunking
-Jason Kapono is 6'8" and has never dunked in an NBA game
-Only 4% of the American population is over 6'2"
-Shawn Kemp said dunking was "better than sex"
-The dunk was banned from NCAA basketball from 1967-76
Free Throws
-Wilt missed 10 of 10 from the free throw line one game - in his 100 point game, he made 28 of 32
-Nearly 1 of 5 points in the NBA is a free throw
-71 year old Tom Amberry made 2,750 consecutive free throws, a Guiness World Record. Amberry hit over 500 consecutive FTs on 431 separate occasions
-2 years in a row Dwight Howard shot better from the field than the free throw line
Shane Battier
-Shane Battier's goal is to limit the guy he is guarding to under 44% shooting.
-Battier does this by playing the %s and angles.
-His greatest defensive weapon is contesting without fouling
-Battier said Kevin Martin is the best in the league at getting to the free throw line
Idan Ravin
-Idan Ravin is the "Hoops Whisperer". He trains LeBron, Kevin Martin, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Loul Deng and more
-He doesn't kiss players ass or tell them how good they are. He told LeBron he can't dribble
-Some stablished coaches don't like him because he is not part of the hoops fraternity
-Ravin usually does 45 minute training sessions w/ drills focusing on game situations with an element of conditioning
The Evolution of the Center Position
David Robinson is 7'1", 265lbs with small forward skills and a 34 inch waist. He averaged 21.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg for his career
-Dirk Nowitzki was traded on draft day for Tractor Traylor and Pat Garrity. Steve Nash was also acquired by Dallas for Pat Garrity, a #1 draft pick and 2 other players. Essentially they acquired 2 future MVPs for bench players
-Dirk became the 1st 7-footer to be in the top ten in the NBA in 3-point attempts and makes. He was also the 1st 7-footer to win the 3-point Shootout
-Yao Ming's parents were encouraged to mate by the Chinese Government. His parents were both very good basketball players. Yao was 5'5" at age 10! Yao never dorve a ca before coming to the US and is known for erratic driving skills. He is also the best back-to-the-basket center at free throws (near 86%)
Blocks
-During typical NBA season there are nearly 8,000 dunks - more than 3 per game. Only an average of about 300 dunks get blocked per season
-Manute Bol, the 7'7" Sudenese player, once blocked 8 shots in 1 quarter. He had more blocks than points in 8 of his 10 years in the NBA
-Mark Eaton blocked 456 shots in 1994-95, an average of 5.6 per game
-Reggie Evans had 18% of his shots blocked in one season
-In 2005-06 Chris Bosh blocked 74 shots without 1 going out of bounds
-Alonzo Mourning blocked 27 shots in a high school game
LeBron
-LeBron was never dedicated to weight training until 2008, 5 years after he was in the NBA. Now he does mostly core exercises instead of bulk lifts like the bench press
-LeBron covers baseline to baseline in 9-10 steps. The average NBA player needs 11-14
-LeBron says he jumps half a foot higher of his left foot than off 2 legs
-LeBron's hands are 9 1/4 inches long and he has been able to palm a basketball since 10th grade
