The Game Within the Game by Walt Frazier

The Game Within the Game Reviews

• 
  Marty Monforte

  Walt Frazier is currently a commentator for the New York Knicks' telecasts on MSG Networks.
  
  He provides insight about basketball and colorful and fun comments during the game. He also dresses with distinction and approaches his job with a sense of humor.
  
  In "The Game Within the Game" Frazier discusses his playing career and his opinion regarding the game today. He also discusses some of the coaches he played for and some of the teammates that he played with.
  
  It is an enjoyable book to read if you like basketball. It is easy reading and light reading for a basketball fan.
  
  Frazier emphasizes the importance of playing as a team. He stresses the importance of playing good defense and sharing the basketball.
  
  He says that the game of basketball has changed in many ways. First, he points out that when he played, finesse and leg work was emphasized, whereas now there is a greater emphasis on physical and upper body strength. Secondly, he says that the three point shot has changed the game as well. When he played, players tried to get close to the basket, whereas now there is more of an attempt to shoot an open three point shot.
  
  Frazier says that the Knicks' teams that he played for had a lot of camaraderie and a strong bond. He says that they got along on and off the court.
  
  Frazier says good things about the playground leagues such as the Harlem Rucker League. However, Frazier also emphasizes the importance of fundamentals and suggests that the playground leagues have sometimes taken players away from the fundamentals.
  
  He emphasizes how discipline played a role in his career. He always tried to get rest before games. Frazier says "My definition of discipline is for a player to put his team first and to play under control at all times." Frazier also points out that Red Holtzman was a good coach for the Knicks because he helped the team to become more disciplined.
  
  He also emphasizes the importance of overcoming adversity. Frazier says "Almost every standout player in the league has had to fight through tough times." He says that when he was growing up, he had to overcome much adversity. Frazier says that this helped him to overcome challenges on the court.
  
  Frazier also discusses different championship teams from the history of the NBA. He said the fans, the head coach and the players all played a role in the Knicks' championship teams from 1970 and 1973. He also discusses other championship teams such as the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs.
  
  He discusses the individual talents of various players. He refers to Jason Kidd's two handed overhead passes; Allen Iverson's dribbling skills and a famous scoop shot made by Larry Bird in 1981. He mentioned the finger rolls of George Gervin and George McGinnis, as well.
  
  Frazier discusses his role as a playmaking guard for the Knicks. He refers to some of the plays that the Knicks ran and implemented during his career. Frazier emphasizes that "The playmaker's job is not to shoot; it's to create. He has to use his feline quickness to penetrate and create havoc for the defense." He talks about the importance of the pick and roll, as well as the modern tendency for point guards to play in isolation.
  
  Frazier also addresses the money in today's game as well as the different coaches. He said the money in the game has helped the sport, but it is also "responsible for some of the problems" in the NBA today as well. He said that sometimes when players get paid a lot of money they get "complacent." He said that he was one of the first players in the league to get a lot of attention, but that in today's game players get even more attention. He points out that the players have more power than they did in the past.
  
  Frazier said that he learned by watching other players. He said "I learned from Willis Reed and other veterans on my squad during my rookie year just by watching and listening." He said that he learned that stars often receive privileged treatment.
  
  In the book, Frazier also addresses modern day coaches; gamesmanship and trash talking; trust; the issue of race in the NBA; motivation and work ethic; and the greatest teams and hall of fame players.
  
  In "The Game Within the Game", Frazier expresses his views on many issues pertaining to the NBA. The book represents his own experiences and view points. He often contrasts today's game with his era. Frazier highlights the differences between today's players and the players of his own time period. However, Frazier always remains respectful toward today's players and the players of his own era.
• 
  Evan Pienh

  Walt Frazier is a good thinking man. I was really amazed on his thoughts about how the NBA has changed. It seemed like he didnt like the evolution of basketball. In the beginning of the book, page 2 he said "Today's players are unlike anything the game has ever seen before. You've got Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-footer with infinite range. There's LeBron James, who is as strong as Willis Reed and as quick as Bob Cousy. And you've got Kobe Bryant, who can jump out of the gym and can score from anywhere on the court." This clearly explained how the game has evolved. Back in the 50-60's the game was dominated by white men but now it's dominated by african americans. In the middle of book, on page 139 Larry bird said "When I played you had me and Kevin Mchale and some others throughout the league. I think it's good for a fan base because, as we all know, the majority of the fans are white in America. And if you just had a little couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited. But it is a black man's game, and it will be for ever. I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African American." I was shocked when Larry Bird said this because at first I thought he was being racist but he was complimenting on how athletic African Americans were. Walt Frazier rants a lot about the new basketball play cause they don't live up to their expectations. Walt has to realize that basketball has evolved im sure he realizes it but he just talks a lot about old school basketball. At the near end of the book he gives tips to his readers about "Clydes Keys to success" they were "1. Setting goals 2.Confidence 3.Utilization of time 4.Motivation 5.Work ethnic 6.Communication 7.Teamwork 8.Luck 9.Worship" After seeing this it gave me some confidence in basketball. This whole book was a motivation for me.
• 
  Kevin Nguyen

  First of all i would like to say thanks to Evan Pienh for recommending this book to me. I don’t know many legends from the time but Walt Frazier aka “Clyde” would definitely be in the top 20. Before I read this book I didn’t know anything about this man. My favorite Hall of Famer is Larry Bird but not a big fan of the Celtics. I like how there’s a lot of anecdotes about his life such as him playing against my favorite hall of famer. He was one of those are that people that gave it 101 percent to show people that he deserve to be where’s he’s at. He showed that he could step up in 1970 NBA Finals against the LA Lakers, Willis Reed's was injured and it was Clyde who was stepped up putting up an 36 points and 19 assists leading the Knicks to their first NBA championship. He gained a lot of respect for bringing a championship trophy to New York. In the beginning of the book, page 2 he said "Today's players are unlike anything the game has ever seen before. You've got Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-footer with infinite range. There's LeBron James, who is as strong as Willis Reed and as quick as Bob Cousy. And you've got Kobe Bryant, who can jump out of the gym and can score from anywhere on the court." This is funny to me because it’s true. Basketball players back than seem to all have the hook shot and the mid-range game. Now you have football players playing basketball with incredible speed. When people ask “Whose better Dream Team or The Redeem Team” it’s really hard to tell because the tempo of the games were different Dream Team seem like it was more a fundamental game but now it’s more an athletic game. I would recommend this to all the basketball players and fan of the game.
  
  
• 
  Shawn

  Walt "Clyde" Frazier is the epitome of cool with a great personality. Every time I see him on TV he always seems to be a very happy-go-lucky guy.
  But with this writing he comes across as one of those bitter old men where everything was great when he was young and 90% of everything in today's world sucks.
  Most of his sentences that began with, "When I was playing", was followed by something positive (or how much they suffered because they didn't have it as good as the young kids today).
  And the sentences that began with, "These guys playing today", was typically followed by something negative (or how easy that have it nowadays).
  Not everything in this book was like that. I enjoyed some topics. But a good chunk of it was and it became annoying.
  
• 
  Michael

  this book is one of the top books i have read. it talks alot about basetkball such as things people dont see. he talks about background stuff that goes on in the league. he always says play your hardist beacsue you never know who is watching you. he also talks about how the NBA has cahnged from when he was playing to now. i recommend this book to everyone who likes basketball in genaral or wants to learn alittle about basektball.
• 
  Big

  Many astute basketball fans knew that Frazier was a great basketball player. Many familiar with the pop culture of the 70's remember him as "Clyde", the stylish pimp daddy. Very few, however, realized that this flashy star was extremely intelligent and dedicated to his craft. His edge over his opponents came from his mental preparation, which is outlined in this book.
• 
  Thomas

  Lots of whining from Clyde about how today's players don't measure up to the grittier, more defensive-minded, more team oriented NBAers of the past. While I agree that the game was more fun to watch then, that fact seems patently obvious to all of us without needing this particular rejoinder. The second to the last chapter on the greats of the game almost, but not quite, redeems the book.
• 
  flow boy

  this book is great mainly the parts about improving players and the prat about him never having a tech