Overview

A historic look at the fabled 1983–84 Boston Celtics and an unforgettable season. Ronald Reagan declares the Soviet Union an Evil Empire. The Apple Macintosh personal computer makes its debut. Michael Jackson’s Thriller album dominates the pop charts. And Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics capture the NBA championship over Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was 1984, and for the NBA and the nation, the year was full of milestone moments. In Dynasty Restored: How Larry Bird and the 1984 Boston Celtics Conquered the NBA and Changed Basketball, Thomas J. Whalen explores this fascinating and dramatic season. The NBA had been struggling, seen as a minor sports league and suffering from poor attendance, lagging television ratings, and embarrassing 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” frontcourt teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, along with newcomer Dennis Johnson, banded together to lift the venerable franchise to its fifteenth world championship and helped to transform the league into a global entertainment brand. Dynasty Restored offers insight into the personal barriers Larry Bird had to overcome to achieve NBA stardom, discusses the personal tensions that existed on the team 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.

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9781538159712

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Reviews

Thomas Whalen has written a wonderfully descriptive account of the career of Boston Celtics' star Larry Bird. In chapter 1, a chapter about 1984, he discusses Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson, the Ghostbuster movie, Apple computers, Goose Gossage and Wayne Gretsky, and yes, Larry Bird. Whalen artfully describes important events and why they happened, and he gives us little-known facts about the likes of Red Auerbach, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell. Did you know that Auerbach was a terrible driver? He dishes info about the rival Los Angeles Lakers as well. Did you know that Lew Alcindor could have signed with the New York Nets? Did you know that Bird couldn't stand playing for Bobby Knight at Indiana U? Did you know that Bird's trash-talking drove his opponents crazy? I couldn't get enough. I love history from the inside, and so will you. --Peter Golenbock, author of Whispers of the Gods and Baseball Heaven Tom Whalen knows how to tell a rollicking good tale. This is more than an account of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, it is also a moving tale of what the Boston Celtics meant to their fans and a snapshot of a team that changed pro basketball forever. Whalen has a knack for finding meaning in the particulars of American life during the 1980s, not just on the basketball court but beyond. This book includes a colorful ensemble of larger than life characters, from Hall of Fame players to the reporters who covered them to the fans who bled Celtic green. This is a remarkably fun and insightful read. --Stephen F. Knott, author of Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy

Tom Whalen knows how to tell a rollicking good tale. This is more than an account of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, it is also a moving tale of what the Boston Celtics meant to their fans and a snapshot of a team that changed pro basketball forever. Whalen has a knack for finding meaning in the particulars of American life during the 1980s, not just on the basketball court but beyond. This book includes a colorful ensemble of larger than life characters, from Hall of Fame players to the reporters who covered them to the fans who bled Celtic green. This is a remarkably fun and insightful read. --Stephen F. Knott, author of Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy

Author Information

Thomas J. Whalen is the author of many sports books and is associate professor of social science at Boston University. Whalen’s work has appeared in the New York Times, ABCNews.com, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and the AP. He has also appeared on several national broadcast outlets including CNN, NPR and Reuters TV. Whalen's books include Dynasty’s End: Bill Russell and the 1968-69 World Champion Boston Celtics, Spirit of ’67: The Cardiac Kids, El Birdos, and the World Series That Captivated American, and Kooks and Degenerates on Ice: Bobby Orr, the Big Bad Bruins, and the Stanley Cup Championship That Transformed Hockey.

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