Book Review: Readings

The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and The Golden Age Of Basketball

by John Taylor

Random House, 375 pp., $25.95

There was something absolutely regal and seemingly indomitable about the Boston Celtics during their dynastic reign of professional basketball during the 1950s and 1960s. From the dazzling kelly green uniforms and black high-top "chucks" that adorned their feet (when everyone else in the league wore white low-tops) to the elegant fast break they so effortlessly executed across the parquet floor at Boston Garden, the Celtics were arguably the greatest sports team of all time. This die-hard L.A. fan should know, having suffered through the annual ritual of the Lakers losing to the Celtics in countless championship series. It was basketball's Golden Age, and The Rivalry vividly captures those far more innocent and freewheeling times, when two players in particular towered over the competition. They were literally two titans who dominated the sport as almost complete opposites. Bill Russell was the game's greatest defensive player, the consummate team player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics, leading them to an unprecedented 11 NBA titles in 13 years. Conversely, Wilt Chamberlain was the foremost offensive player, egocentric, difficult to coach, bounced around to various teams, most often frustrated in his inability to lead his teams to a championship. As friends and foes, they forged the most ferocious rivalry in midcentury American sports and in the process turned a struggling, ragtag National Basketball Association into a thriving sports empire. Centering on the divergent careers and complex personalities of Russell and Chamberlain, as well as on watershed events like Chamberlain's 100-point game, sportswriter John Taylor re-creates the history of the NBA through colorful profiles of the league's star players, coaches, and team owners. Red Auerbach, the irascible, pugnacious, cigar-smoking coach/general manager of the Celtics, is perhaps the best-drawn character and certainly the most important nonplayer. Fellow Celtics Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn, along with Lakers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, are featured prominently. Other talented stars like Oscar Robertson, whose teams never challenged the Celtics, are unfortunately neglected. As basketball's Golden Age coincided with the American Civil Rights struggle, race relations on many levels are the subtexts of this fascinating book.