The Punch by John Feinstein
Rudy Tomjanovich, a forward for the Houston Rockets (Formerly known as the San Diego Rockets during most of his playing time there), who was also one of the enforcers of the league, was at the half court line making sure another player, Kevin Kunnert, didn't get hurt in a tie up between him and Abdul-Jabbar. Kermit sees the action ensuing at the half court line and goes over to help, and his mindset being an enforcer, is hit the first person you see. It just so happens the first person he sees was Tomjanovich, and he punches him hard. Later detailed after a brain scan, a specialist said the injuries Tomjanovich suffered were not unlike those suffered by someone thrown through the windshield of a car traveling 50 miles per hour. After the punch, there was spinal fluid in Tomjanovich's mouth. Something that should never happen.
This book recalls the tale of that fateful night, and the aftermath of it. It is the only time Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich agreed to do an interview to compile a book. While both still remember the incident clearly, Tomjanovich and Washington wish it never happened. This fight finally showed the commissioner of the NBA at the time, Larry O'Brien, that there needed to be consequences for fighting such as fines and suspensions. The fight changed the way the NBA operated too because now with less fights, there was more basketball to focus on instead of training like a boxer.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I would only recommend it if you like reading about sports, history, and influential events. The book is a very detailed retelling of a major event that is talked about less than it should be, since it shaped what the NBA is today. If you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
-Knox
Wow, that's intense. I never knew that the NBA used to have fighting in it, so that's really interesting. I really like the way you said that this was the only interview Tomjanovich and Washington ever gave together. That makes it sound really unique and worth reading. I also like how you gave a good synopsis without being wordy. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a really good job giving a summary so that makes it sound like the book might be an interesting read. Another thing I liked was how you explained the terminology that one might encounter when reading the book. I also found it really cool that you were able to incorporate some fun facts that had to do with the book such as explaining that this book was based off of true events and that it had a major lasting affect on a huge organization today.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that the NBA used to be a lot more fighting oriented. The way you wrote this post makes the book sound super interesting! The information you give about the book is just enough to explain what happens without giving too much away and it hooked me in.
ReplyDeleteI watched some of the Netflix basketball documentary "The Last Dance" so I was aware that there used to fighting in NBA. I wasn't, however, aware that they were so intense that there were Enforcers. I remember wondering what caused the transition from fighting into modern basketball, so this was a very concise explanation for me. I don't really enjoy books about sports so this might not be a book for me, but this was still an interesting review to read. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Detroit Pistons like before and during the Micheal Jordan era, they played super aggressive and it looked scary. But this book definitely sounds really interesting, and I think I going to check it out sometime soon. The thing that gets me though is how hard do you have to punch someone to get spinal fluid in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting. It's true that I don't hear about the history of sports very often, and I know more than a few basketball fans who would appreciate this.
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