Dynasty Restored, Thomas J. Whalen
Dynasty Restored, Thomas J. Whalen
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Dynasty Restored
How Larry Bird and the 1984 Boston Celtics Conquered the NBA and Changed Basketball

Author: Thomas J. Whalen

Narrator: Asa Siegel

Unabridged: 9 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/24/2024


Synopsis

Ronald Reagan declares the Soviet Union an Evil Empire. The Apple Macintosh personal computer makes its debut. Michael Jackson's Thriller dominates the charts. And Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics capture the NBA championship over the Los Angeles Lakers. It was 1984, and for the NBA and the nation, the year was full of milestone moments.

In Dynasty Restored, Thomas J. Whalen explores this dramatic season. The NBA had been struggling, seen as a minor sports league and suffering from poor attendance, lagging ratings, and drug scandals. The Celtics were beset by locker room turmoil, disruptive coaching, ownership changes, and underperforming stars. But Whalen reveals how that all changed when Bird and his fellow "Big Three" teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, along with newcomer Dennis Johnson, banded together to lift the franchise to its fifteenth world championship and helped transform the league into a global entertainment brand.

Dynasty Restored offers insight into the barriers Larry Bird had to overcome to achieve NBA stardom, discusses the tensions that existed between Bird and McHale, and gives a probing analysis of the unique pressures Black Celtics players faced in a post-Boston Busing Crisis environment. And it shows how this singular season turbocharged the Celtics and the professional game to unprecedented heights.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ken on January 21, 2025

I may be a little biased on this book. The era that Thomas Whalen writes about is my favorite of the NBA. I once drove to Kansas City in November 1984 to watch the Kings host the Celtics. I worked for a weekly newspaper in western Arkansas and snuck down onto the floor at halftime and shot the secon......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on August 20, 2024

Incredibly well-written, with Lazenby levels of storytelling and research. I love the way he introduces the “characters” with quick features about their background and their role in the story of the ‘84 Celtics. My only gripe is that the ending felt rushed after the lead-up felt so carefully crafted......more