Publication Date September 5, 2023

One of my vivid memories from childhood is watching the NBA playoffs at my aunt’s house. My brother and I were the only 2 really interested in the games, but I loved it despite the fact that “our” team, the Lakers, seemed to be perennial runners-up to the Celtics. During the 1980s, after I had moved away from Southern California, I went to games when I could, and still loved watching the amazing players perform…and possibly the best years for me as a fan were the Showtime Laker teams that peaked in the latter half of the 1980s. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Rich Cohen’s When the Game Was War, thanks to Random House and netGalley who provided a copy in exchange for this honest review. 

As well as being a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Rich Cohen is a  bestselling author who is about twenty years younger than I am, so he has a generationally different view of the NBA. Despite his Chicago roots, he appreciates the game in geneal and chose to tell the story of the 1987-88 season, focusing on four teams:  the Boston Celtics (with Larry Bird), the Showtime Lakers (Magic Johnson), the Detroit Pistons (Isiah Thomas), and the Chicago Bulls with young Michael Jordan. These four superstars all took  different routes to the NBA, and Cohen traces each of them. In addition to the big four named above, Cohen covers Bill Laimbeer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Danny Ainge, and Charles Oakley – all terrific players in their own right, each of whom played a huge role in the success of the more celebrated individuals with whom they played. Cohen also includes fascinating details about how those players made their way to successful careers, both as individual stars and members of champIonship teams.  

Cohen was 11 years old in 1988, and his favorite player of those listed above was Larry Bird. Rather than cover every single game of the season, he went in depth to bring four individual games to life: Lakers – Celtics 12/11/1987, Pistons – Bulls 01/16/1988, Pistons – Lakers 02/21/1988, and Bulls – Pistons 04/03/1988. Finally, he goes over the playoffs and the finals between the Lakers and the Pistons.

I loved it. I’m curious as to how the book will be received by people who didn’t experience that season, or don’t particularly care for any of the four teams or their superstars. It’s a fun read, and I’m sure any basketball fan would enjoy it. (I’ve always said that anyone who says they don’t like professional basketball has never been to a GOOD NBA game). Four stars.