Basketball Road Trip Reading – The Art of A Beautiful Game

In Chris Ballard’s, “The Art of a Beautiful Game” Chris attempts to take us past the articles we read in magazines or short blurbs we read in blogs.  The sub-title of the book is “The thinking fan’s tour of the NBA”, and that is what Chris strives to do.  This book is an examination of things like killer instinct, pure shooting, the intricacies of shot blocking and rebounding, and the mental demands of free throw shooting.  Chris provides in depth insight from some of the leagues most intelligent players, hoops gurus, coaches, and others to get into the nitty gritty.  Why does one older gentleman hit 2,500 free throws in a row, but Shaq only makes 50% of his?  How did Steve Nash go from getting stripped over and over again as a freshman, to torching defenses today?  Chris does his bets to get into the details of some often overlooked basketball intricacies.