Nice

Entertaining but (as a big fan) not a lot of new information. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
informative medium-paced

This just makes me want to run through a wall for the Celtics. Great backstories on the run of the big three. Hope Celts can raise banner 18 some day soon.

If you’re looking for an easy going read, this book delivers. The story of the Big Three is not a mystery as it played out in real time for all Celtics fans. The book highlights the trials and tribulations of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen through their tenure in Boston.

Where the book really comes alive is after their championship season. You get insight into Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, the recruitment of Brad Stevens, and much more.

Kudos to Michael Holley for a well written account of this period of Celtics history. If you love the Celtics or the NBA, you’ll love this read.

Fun read about the legendary 2008 Championship Celtics team with all the buildup and aftermath. Full of interesting tidbits about Boston’s best team in years and the business and team dynamics that went into it. Received as a Christmas gift and read it in a week and a half. How long til the next C’s banner will be raised in the Garden?

“Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen. On the same team.
Winning, at the highest level, was suddenly all around them. In their excitement, they couldn't stop smiling, interrupting each other with ideas, and promising that this would never be about egos. They couldn't wait to meet and share and train and mentor. They all wanted to win, and it wouldn't be long before they were told and shown exactly how it would be done.”

“It could be summarized in a single word. Ubuntu.
Tutu, the famous South African archbishop, described the concept as the height of interdependence and interconnectedness. It was one person's acceptance that their success, their very personhood was linked to another's. As Tutu described it, "A person is a person
through other persons." It was a way of being that didn't ask the individuals to lose themselves. Rather, the idea was to see individuality thrive when it was tied to a collective, and, therefore, it helped everyone. That outlook could be applied to education, polities, the economy, and basketball. Ubuntu. Rivers had Matungulu speak to the team about it, and its essence became the foundation on which they’d build their season.”

“Pierce was grimacing in that wheelchair, pointing to his knee, as the group hurried him to the locker room… The Garden crowd continued to watch the game and, now,
their phones. Any updates on Pierce? Was this it? The Celtics had torn through the regular season, survived the Eastern playoffs, and been brought to the doorstep against the Lakers, only to lose Pierce? It didn't take long for the dire thoughts to be replaced by cynical ones. Just a few minutes of game time later, Pierce could be seen bouncing out of the tunnel, shouting and clapping his hands.”

“It was all over now, and Garnett stood for an interview.
"Anything is possible!' he said, tilting his head back. He
said it again, this time louder and more melodious:
"Anything is possi-buuuulll!”

“There was a banner. An African word that centered them. A dispute that splintered them. A phrase, Anything is possible, that rallied them and their city. A Gatorade-stained dress shirt. A 3-point form so perfect it was worthy of records and movies. There was something different about being a Celtic.”

I love the Celtics, but I did not love this book. It just felt lite and not substantial.

I'm biased, I'm a Celtics fan.

Absolutely loved that the book not only covered The Big Three, but everything before, during, and after - including up to the 21-22 season. 

It's easy to make games exciting. Holley made everything that goes on in a front office exciting as well. If you are a fan of basketball, I highly recommend this book (even if you hate the Celtics).

Am I biased in writing this review? Yes. I became a Celtics fan a year before KG and Ray Allen came to Boston. I lived this book in real time. I knew I would enjoy the insider information the book would hold, and I did. But I didn’t expect to emotionally re-live the excitement of the Big Three, the rise of Rondo, the championship, the frustration of the years after the championship, the Heat hatred, and the devastation of the relationship disintegration and watching the team I loved more than any other basketball team in history go separate ways. My heart raced at times. I audibly cheered at times. I read through tears several times. It was an emotional rollercoaster that only sports can take you in and only the passion of Boston teams could kick into high gear. When the Celtics team I loved broke in many directions, my heart was also broken. I mourned the loss of that team and struggled to get on board with a new Celtics team. The book gives a different spin. Knowing what happened behind the scenes of the trades made it easier to accept. The book ended with an optimism that I was too short sighted to see at the time. And that’s really the heart of this book...a man willing to look at the long game when forming a team and not getting caught up in the here and now. I cannot recommend this book more for any Celtics fan, but it is also a great read for any basketball or sports fan in general. The money ball of basketball told through a more personal and less clinical lens. I loved it immensely!

I have received this title via NetGalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review
This book covered the history of how the Celtics rebuild began, what sparked it, and what followed after the championship. It covered the relationships between the players, coaches and management. It covered how other teams viewed the Celtics. I love how in depth this book dove. It covered topics that most sports biographies miss. Learning about the connections between everyone on the team was fascinating. When I think of sports, I don't really think of the connections between players and management but this book covered it.