A fairly interesting basketball book co-authored (in alternating chapters) by Phil Jackson and Charlie Rosen. Jackson's prose is kind of wooden but they both have some interesting stories from basketball history. The centerpiece is Jackson's account of the Laker's first championship under his coaching.

As a Lakers fan, I found the book very interesting as it describes the journey towards the first championship won by Shaq and Kobe.

Phil Jackson, coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, offers his observations and experiences, including the first championship season he had with the team. I actually abhor the Lakers but I enjoyed reading about the coaching aspect of things.

Classic PJ. Didn't really enjoy the parts with the co-author, but there wasn't that many of them.

As a huge basketball fanatic and the obsession I have with reading/watching anything about Phil Jackson. I really enjoyed this book.

This book completely feels like Rosen's idea, but knowing that no one cares about him tapped his friend Phil to includes a few chapters (and to put a photo of Phil on the cover with his name in HUGE FONT).

Phil's chapters are really interesting, Rosen's are not. Rosen talks about himself a lot and his history as a player and coach, blah blah, who cares? Does anyone want to hear from a mediocre player and a worse coach who only realized years later how he should have handled himself professionally?

Phil on the other hand could get away with talking about himself since his life has actually been interesting (and successful), but instead he is quite humble. Phil mostly talks about the game of basketball-both as a coach and a player-and the various challenges he has faced over the years.

Overall I liked the book, but only because of the chapters done by Phil Jackson. It's nice that Rosen is fulfilling his dream as a writer and all, but ... well he's not very good at it-this should be obvious to you when the publisher puts your name in tiny font even though you wrote most of the book and did all of the research.

I'd recommend renting this from the library and only reading Phil's chapters.

Give and go between Jackson and his old warhorse buddy. I read this while fighting off a light cold and it was perfect for that, so the rating is admittedly skewed. Atwood's "Payback" is a better written book, but for its purpose this was alright.

I am not a former Bulls' fan or current Lakers' fan and I think Jackson is lucky as he is talented, and maybe even more so. I like them giving props to Tex Winter, and loved the idea that Winter still hoards bread from Jackson's four-star meals. There was a little talk of some of the famous assignments that Jackson would give his players, watching "American History X"...interesting choice to say the least.

Mostly Jackson reveals less over more, what else would a Zen-master do? He does briefly cover his marriage collapsing, and his isolation in hooray for Hollywood-land. This just goes up through the first Lakers' championship, so there's not dating of the boss' daughter or other People magazine bits. There's some Krause stuff that might whet that appetite.

I think I enjoyed the older anecdotes the most, especially life in the CBA. As for Rosen, well he gets half the book, so that's more than generous of Phil, and I got off on the wrong foot with Rosen as he talks about his dirty play, throwing elbows and such. Oddly I never thought I could feel sorry for Craig Kilborn, till Rosen...kidding, kind of. But Rosen also mentioned the idea of working past the grind of the game, and rising above the competition to appreciate the art of basketball, which I can completely relate to. Something about a 1-inch vertical keeps an aging player grounded.

At the end there are some diagrams for the triangle's variations. I've never thought that much about it, but anything that forces multiple simultaneous motion into an office is welcome to me. I do agree that the NBA lives way too much off iso and two-man games, so it was nice to hear these guys chat about that.

Anyways, thanks Dad for sharing this book with me, and more so for sharing your love of hoops too!

For anyone wishing to understand the game of basketball and/or an in-depth look at the Lakers' championship runs during the early 2000s, you will not be disappointed. Especially as a Lakers fan, I learned more about the early 2000s Lakers and overall enjoyed this book. I recommend this book.

"More than a Game" is a non-fiction book set mainly during the early 2000s. However, it also jumps around during the 70s and 90s. It was written by both Phil Jackson and Charley Rosen. Although Jackson is the main star in the book, Rosen also shares his perspective. Phil Jackson was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA during the early 2000s. Already having experience in coaching in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in the 90s, Jackson brings on a new style of coaching to the young and talented Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquile O'Neal. Charley Rosen, similar to Jackson, was a former basketball player in high school and college. Rosen was the assistant coach to Phil Jackson during Jackson's coaching career in the CBA. Rosen continued to coach in the CBA and later coached in a New York college.

This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Not only because I am a basketball fan but also because of the way the book is structured. Since there are two authors, the chapters alternate between Jackson and Rosen. For example, the first chapter is written by Rosen and the second by Jackson. This pattern repeats itself throughout the book. In the chapters written by Jackson, it is written in first person. However, in chapters written by Rosen, most are third person while a few are in first person. Some earlier parts of the book feel like you are reading a biography of Phil Jackson while other parts feel like you are reading a part of history. Although most of the insight is from Phil Jackson, there is dialogue in the book with the players, which I found to be interesting.

The book starts off with Rosen retelling Jackson's coaching years in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in Puerto Rico. Jackson continues to tell his years as a basketball player in high school and college. After being drafted in the NBA, he won two championships and ended his career in the early 80s. We also get to learn about Charley's days as a basketball player in college. Jackson highlighted his coaching career with the Lakers and what he did to become a champion with them. It was not easy; the Lakers had many problems prior to Jackson's arrival. Jackson claimed that in order to win the championship, the team had to let go of their ego as he would be introducing his triangle offense. This type of offense required that the players of a team be selfless. This was hard to do in a team with egotistical players like Shaq and Kobe. In fact, Kobe stated that the triangle offense was "boring" and that"the triangle doesn't do anything for me" (Jackson and Rosen 9). However, after working hard to bond with the players and introducing a holistic approach to basketball, Jackson was able to make the triangle offense work and earned a championship with the Lakers in his first year as head coach. This book focuses mainly on the hardships faced by Jackson in his first year as head coach of the Lakers.

The main character in the book is Phil Jackson as well as Shaq and Kobe who are a big part of the book. All of the characters are compelling because throughout the book Jackson's goal is to get the triangle offense working in the Lakers. However, it is very hard to adapt that type of offense with Shaq and Kobe, who are very egotistical. What makes the characters even more compelling is the fact that the general public sees these players as nice and humble individuals. However, we can tell by reading the book that Shaq and Kobe were filled with ego and sometimes did not get along. That is very interesting because we are not used to seeing them as egotistical individuals and this totally changes our perspective. People can relate to them because it is usually hard to let go of your ego for the greater good. Many of us have trouble doing that and this book shows us why it is important to do so. In the book, Kobe and Shaq let go of their ego to win the championship.

After reading the book, I was reminded of ESPN's latest documentary "The Last Dance". "The Last Dance" highlights Phil Jackson's coaching years with the Chicago Bulls in the 90s. It is very similar to this book because the conflicts Jackson comes across in the both teams are essentially the same; some players are too egotistical to adapt the type of play of the triangle offense. In "The Last Dance", Bulls player Michael Jordan has to let go of his ego and trust his teammates in order to win championships. This is similar to Shaq and Kobe and their ego. In both instances, Jackson had to work hard to bond with the players and make them adapt to the triangle offense. The only difference is that they were two different teams and were different time periods.

The main theme and central idea of "More than a Game" is that in order to achieve your goal, you have to let go of any ego that you have. By doing so, you are being selfless and a part of something bigger than yourself. This book also highlights the idea (as stated in the title) that basketball is more than a game. The public usually watches basketball games and views them as a form of entertainment. However, basketball is much more than that. Players have to work very hard to be in shape and be part of a team, which involves being selfless. As shown by Jackson and the Lakers, winning a championship takes more than being good at basketball. It is bonding with your fellow teammates and coach.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know what goes on behind the scene in the basketball world. It will further increase your knowledge of basketball. This means that anyone can pick up this book and enjoy it, not just basketball fans. However, if you are a basketball fan, you will not be disappointed. This book will teach about how basketball was different back in the early 2000s and take you inside the mind of a legendary coach like Phil Jackson.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were few parts of the book that were written by Rosen that were a bit uninteresting. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and all it had to offer. Since the book was written and before Shaq left the Lakers, the Lakers went off to win two more championships with Jackson, Shaq and Kobe. However, one question has been in my mind ever since I finished this book; how many more championships would Jackson, Shaq, and Kobe have gotten together if Shaq had stayed?

Un libro da leggere se si è appassionati della NBA. Phil Jackson racconta la sua prima stagione da allenatore ai Lakers (1999-2000), culminata con la vittoria del titolo, parlando anche di sé e del suo passato, personale e professionale. Belli anche i capitoli firmati dall'amico Charley Rosen, ex collega di Jackson poi divenuto scrittore a tempo pieno.

What the game is truly about

Championships are great, but they don't last. What is more valuable is the evolution of consciousness that a team enjoys.

I don't recommend it for anyone who isn't a considerable basketball fan. I was probably about 13 when I read this so I don't have a very vivid recollection of it, but I remember being satisfied with it. I do remember that the potrayal of the progession of the NBA seasons is well done.