Wish It Lasted Forever

September 13, 2021
Boston Globe sports columnist Shaughnessy (At Fenway) recalls his time covering the extraordinary rise of the Boston Celtics in the 1980s in this less-than-extraordinary account. Shaughnessy—who grew up during the team’s dynastic championship run in the ’50s and ’60s—was assigned by the Globe to report on the team in 1981, two seasons after Larry Bird joined the squad and established himself as a superstar, securing the franchise another title. Shaughnessy became friendly with team members—even earning the nickname “Scoop”—and fondly recalls his time going for beers and shooting baskets with Bird. Utilizing his access to the players and coaches, Shaughnessy shares behind-the-scenes looks at the heyday of Bird’s time with the Celtics (which included three championships), as well as tensions between the team and coach Bill Fitch, and the bitterness engendered by business decisions that led to trades of popular players. The reporting, however, varies in depth; those expecting insights into what happened on the court won’t find many, and Shaughnessy’s self-proclaimed penchant for cheap shots—he compares an executive who made an undisputed major draft mistake to Neville Chamberlain—likely won’t endear him to readers. Even die-hards who bleed Celtic green will be underwhelmed. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary.

November 1, 2021
A veteran Boston-based sports journalist writes of the glory days of the Celtics. Dubbed "Scoop" for his abilities to dig out stories no one else got, Shaughnessy, an associate editor at the Boston Globe, takes his title from an exhortation by Hall of Fame player Bill Walton. Said Walton of the Celtics in the 1980s, "You cannot overemphasize in your book how much fun this was....It was what you dream about and I wish it lasted forever." Long since retired, Larry Bird would agree. He had a hardscrabble youth in a small town in southern Indiana, quit college and a sports scholarship, and clawed his way back into play by finding the right NCAA team and the right coach, all of which brought him to the Celtics. The team had long since served as a model for other NBA teams for its low-ego play and ethnic inclusiveness, and it took seriously an ethos about which Shaughnessy writes, simply, "Basketball is the game for everyman." True, it's catholic and forgiving, but basketball of the sort that Bird and teammates, such as the irrepressible M.L. Carr, played was a different matter entirely. Shaughnessy's high point is the championship run of 1984, when the Celtics defied a powerful Los Angeles Lakers to take the crown. Throughout, the author is amiable and self-effacing, but the best parts of his book are the you-are-there accounts of the on-the-hardwood battling in a contest so fierce that Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was forced into an oxygen mask to recover, "a disturbing visual for folks watching back home in LA." Goofy and often funny, Shaughnessy's book offers considerable insight into the making of a winning team in the hands of players whom some consider to be the greatest in the history of the game. A treat for fans of the old Boston Celtics and for roundball fans generally.

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November 1, 2021

The latest by sports journalist Shaughnessy could be considered a companion to Leigh Montville's Tall Men, Short Shorts. Both are by Boston Globe sportswriters; both feature Celtics-Lakers duels, separated by a decade and a half; both insert the authors squarely into their stories; and both rely on well-placed insider anecdotes. Centered on the powerful Celtics teams of the mid-1980s, one might expect this to be the story of Larry Bird, Boston's transcendent star, but Bird shares the spotlight with Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton (from whose observation Shaughnessy titled the book), and other Celtics down to the end of the bench. This, one could argue, explains their greatness. Despite putting on the floor numerous stars, they were a team, whether interacting as one on the court or enjoying themselves after the buzzer sounded. And Shaughnessy, like Montville before him, was essentially embedded with them, both a blessing (his many anecdotes) and a curse (players' feelings of betrayal when he wrote critical stories). Despite telling it like it was, Shaughnessy isn't interested in settling old scores here, and thereby holds up his place as a part of the team. VERDICT All basketball fans should enjoy this romp with one of the NBA's all-time great teams.--Jim Burns, formerly at Jacksonville P.L., FL

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2021
Longtime Boston Globe sportswriter (and Boston-area native) Shaughnessy returns to the years he covered the Celtics for the paper, 1982-86, to deliver a surprisingly detailed, candid, ultimately affectionate behind-the-scenes account of one of the greatest NBA teams of any era. While his focus is on team leader Larry Bird and his relationships with his teammates, his opponents, and even the press, including Shaughnessy himself, the author gives ample space to how master architect Red Auerbach built the team, piece by piece, and to Bird's supporting cast, including Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Bill Walton, Cedric Maxwell, and M. L. Carr, many of whom provided insightful interviews for the book. Of particular note is just how informal relations were between players and the media back in the day--beat reporters like Shaughnessy traveling, breakfasting, drinking, even shooting occasional hoops with the players--before the league exploded into the international colossus it's become. Recommended for the strong sports collection.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.