Seven Seconds or Less - by Jack McCallum (Paperback)

About the Book

Sports Illustrateds" chief NBA writer offers an insiders view of the Phoenix Suns and takes a season-long look at the NBAs most exciting and controversial team.

Book Synopsis

Sports Illustrated's chief NBA writer Jack McCallum gets in the paint with the Phoenix Suns and takes a season-long look at the NBA's most exciting and controversial team.

Jack McCallum--NBA writer for Sports Illustrated--only planned to spend the preseason with the Phoenix Suns as an "assistant coach" and then write a story about his experiences. Instead, he stayed on with the Suns throughout their exciting and controversial 2005 to 2006 season. McCallum describes in detail his year trying to keep up with the fast-breaking Suns on and off the court. He takes readers inside the heads of Steve Nash, the team's mercurial floor general; the maverick Mike D'Antoni; and dozens of others who make up the close-knit Suns family. On the court, there's excitement as the Suns overcome a rash of injuries to once again battle for a conference title. Off the court, controversy rages as the team endures a major front-office change in midseason. Throughout it all, the team continues to bedevil opponents and challenge the status quo with their throwback style.

In the spirit of Buzz Bissinger's Three Nights in August and John Feinstein's A Season on the Brink, Seven Seconds or Less is an in-depth look at one of the greatest shows in sports.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating and funny book, a fly-on-the-wall account of what life is really like in the NBA." -- Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated

"A fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at how coach Mike D'Antoni and his staff led an injury-plagued team to the Western Conference Finals." -- Sports Illustrated

"A glimpse into NBA life that should be cherished by hoops fans for years to come." -- Toronto Star

"A great read for Suns and NBA fans, and great insight into life beyond the locker room door." -- Scottsdale Tribune

"A must-read for NBA fans. . . . The most detailed view yet of what really transpires to make, or break, an NBA team." -- San Antonio Express-News

"A Hall of Fame Book by a Hall of Fame writer." -- Mike Breen, ABC/ESPN broadcaster

"McCallum delivers again!" -- Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, espn.com

"McCallum writes about basketball the way only a few have ever played it: With a grace and insight that changes the way you look at the game." -- Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated

"This is one of the best NBA books I've read, and I am pretty sure I have read them all." -- Detroit News

About the Author

Jack Mccallum began at Sports Illustrated since 1981 and became the chief NBA writer in 1985. His work has appeared in the Best American Sports Writing Anthology, and in 2004 he won the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award for outstanding writing. He is the author of Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court with the 1990-91 Boston Celtics and coauthor of Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.