Rating: 
Summary: The ABA had it goin' on!
Review: A must read for "old school" hoopers like me. I consider myself an expert on basketball history (larry rembert-oroville, Al., Kenny "Sky" Walker--Roberta, GA., and Delray Brooks, Michigan City Rogers, Mark Macon--Saginaw Buena Vista H.S., Darrell Griffith--Louisville Male H.S...are there any doubters?) and this is one book that provided me with much additonal knowledge. It is a must read and I would give it 10 STARS if there was such a rating!
Rating:
Summary: The most amusing sports book since Ball Four
Review: A riot!! A must for any fan of basketball. This "interview style" cradle to grave history of the ABA is full of amusing stories of the "unique" characters that made up the league with the red, white and blue ball
Rating: 
Summary: Humorous and easy to read
Review: An excellent book for the car or the bathroom, and I mean that as high praise. This is an oral history of the ABA, made up of short vignettes about teams, players, coaches and the league's background in general. Because of its structure -- it is written in short bursts -- it is easy to read over time, although (cliche warning) once you pick it up it isn't easy to put down. What I especially appreciated were the stories and information on some of the ABA's obscure yet notable players (Willie Wise and John Silas), its thugs (John Brisker, Warren Jabali), and its characters (Wendell Ladner, Bob Netolicky, Marvin Barnes). There's also a fair amount of information about league owners, executives and announcers, which isn't as boring as it sounds (Bob Costas worked games for the Spirits of St. Louis). I was afraid the book would be mostly about players like Julius Erving, George Gervin etc., whose exploits are fairly well chronicled elsewhere. That's not true. You will recognize much of the material in this book as the basis for the HBO documentary on the ABA, which also is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: If you missed the 60's & 70's it's a must read
Review: As a kid in junior high school, high school and freshman year of college, I got to follow closely the Denver Rockets/Nuggets of the old ABA. I have many fond memories of the cast of characters written in this book. When I was in high school, my high school coach frequently ridiculed the ABA when it came up in discussions or we had a chance to go see a game. To show what little my coach knew, he thought Dr. J was "weak" and would never survive if he played in the NBA. It goes to show how much he knew (Dee, if you ever read this, you know it's true)! But we all had the "hair" wore the high tube socks and played with the Adidas shoes (the official shoe of the ABA, by the way). Pluto takes the time to write the story from each interviewed persons' point of view. He then coupled it with an assortment of great pictures (Get a load of Snapper Jones' before-and-after picture). I came to know some of the people associated with the Denver franchise, and when you read the words of the interview, I can hear those people (Larry Brown, Carl Scheer, Dan Issel, Doug Moe), as if they were right before me. It is a fun and nostalgic read. It bought back many great memories. If you were not around in the 60's or 70's when the ABA was around, you must read this book. After the ABA-NBA merger, and we watched those old ABA teams compete, you knew the ABA was just as good as the NBA. Pick up the book! I'd give it six red-white-and-blue stars if they'd let me.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Book About A Classic League
Review: As someone who witness most of the New York Nets games played at Island Garden, this book brought back great memories of a bygone time. Due to the league's lower profile, there was a great bond between the players, team officials and fans. Everyone was in this together. That is why the fans that saw the ABA were fans for life, including beyond the NBA-ABA Merger. Two of my close friends were ballboys with the Nets, so I got to know some of the players outside of the arena. Some of whom were quoted in this excellent oral history of the league. The love of the league comes shining through in this book. I can't recommend it enough to fans of the game of basketball who have a bit of the non-conformist spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining anecdotes covering rise and fall of the ABA
Review: Basically, an anecdotal history of the ABA. Pluto is an
NBA columnist for the Cavs (if I remember correctly) and
he interviews a myriad of folks regarding the players,
coaches and owners. Larry Brown, Doug Moe, Pat Boone,
Bob Costas, Fly Williams... they're all here in tragicomedy
that ends up being coalesced into the NBA.
Rating:
Summary: basketball historian's dream
Review: Great version of the renegade leagues story. Fascinating for anyone who loves pro basketball history, especially anyone who lived during the late sixties and early seventies.
Rating:
Summary: Among the Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports books
Review: Hey, if you don't take MY word that this is an excellent read, refer to the 2002 Sportsman of the Year issue of Sports Illustrated. It has this in the top 100 sports books of all time.As a kid who had one of those ABA basketballs in the 70's this brought back a LOT of memories... It is the perfect book for someone on the go, or on a plane, or in other situations where a long drawn out read is not possible. It consists of short stories, woven together around various themes (the barnstorming nature of the ABA, tough guys in the league, etc.) The most AMAZING thing about this book is a picture of Julius Erving, during his rookie year, shooting a free throw for the Virginia Squires. If you look in the background, you can count the number of fans in the stands on ONE HAND. Can you imagine? The chance to see Julius Erving (who gets his own special section of this book) in his ROOKIE YEAR? Also, I never really knew the Connie Hawkins story until this book. Larry Brown, Dan Issel, Doug Moe, Zelmo Beaty, all your old ABA faves are here. Plus, for stat geeks, a list of all the seasons, the standings, playoff results, etc are contained. And pictures of the Miami Floridian 'ball girls' in tight-tights! :)
Rating:
Summary: Fun Light Reading
Review: I remember reading this book many years ago. Then I came accross a Mr. Maxx review that I actually agreed with and figured why not put in my two cents. The story of the wild days of ABA is told in a very witty easy to read manner that will have any reader comming back for more. Even though the ABA was around for a short time, it had a strong impact on today's NBA. Many players, coaches, and announcers contributed to this book which makes it a worthy read for any sports fan.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic account of a by-gone era...
Review: I was probably the number one George Gervin fan in my younger days, but knew very little about his start in the ABA until I read this book. You won't find a more comprehensive account of that fun league and this book, with all it's character interviews and anecdotal accounts, is highly entertaining to boot. The previous reviewer is right...it's written in sections so that you can read it over time, but I had trouble putting it down and I suspect that you will too.
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