Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin and Gunnin Phoenix Suns by Jack McCallum

Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin and Gunnin Phoenix Suns Reviews

• 
  Shivesh

  There is one thing about the Phoenix Suns back the in the middle of the last decade that is undeniable: they were a lot of fun to watch. As a lifelong Lakers fan, it was a little hard to see them lose to the Suns in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Man, I hated Raja Bell as much as I loved Kobe in that series. Eddie House and even Boris Diaw were also easy to hate. But what to feel about Steve Nash? A medium sized white guy from Canada became a two time MVP and the premier point guard in the game dominated by larger and quicker players, and was getting better with age. His wiliness was well matched with a consuming competitive drive that defined his success and his hardships. It was hard to dislike him. In fact, I wished the Lakers could have a PG like that.
  
  This book is the culmination of a sportswriter's season-long obsession with the Suns, with a major focus on personalities and philosophies rather than stats and strategies. In that vein, it is similar other basketball books I have loved, including Phil Jackson's memoirs. We all know what happened to this team: their run ended with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in an epic seven game series. But their methodology was revolutionary: their head coach relied on a simple rule: seven seconds is all they needed to get the ball upcourt and get a shot up. The creativity, athleticism and sheer talent of the players working together would be the engine that drove this run-and-gun system, and man... was it fun to watch. Much like a playground game of hoops, the Suns from 2004-2007 were the most entertaining team in the conference.
  
  McCallum is a great writer, and I have mostly read his stuff in Sports Illustrated since I was a kid following Magic and Kareem. A whole book allows much more room for introspection, reflection and thought than a magazine article. He has a deeply analytical style that approaches sports as a direct function of the personalities that make up the game. In this case, it is the pillars of the team — Nash and Mike D'Antoni — that the whole team and coaching staff pivot around. In this constellation, there are even more stronger personalities around, like Shawn Marion, whose insecurities are probably the saddest and most surprising part of this book. For a freakishly talented athlete who was able to touch the *top* of the backboard, it is curious to see how his self worth were constantly threatened by the laurels heaped on Nash. I guess the millions of dollars flowing into his bank account every month weren't enough to assuage his bruised ego.
  
  There are a lot of great moments in this book, and the vision it grants us into each player and into each member of the support staff (no matter how insignificant) makes this a required read for any NBA fan. You may never have liked the Suns in the past, but after this book you will find yourself strangely attached to them as players and as normal guys just trying to win a game, or win precious playing time. I miss those days of seven seconds or less.
• 
  Caleb Smith

  Always enjoy Jack McCallum, but i found it a little difficult to maintain motivation to finish this one. In part because I read it 16 years after the 2005 season, but also because I found it a bit repetitive. It pretty much only follows the postseason, with just some regular season bits sprinkled in here and there. Ended up being just broad game summaries over and over. Still, 3 stars because McCallum is that great
• 
  g

  3.75
  A very charming look at a team that has since proved a sort of bellwether of the modern league. Not a deep cut on D’Antoni or Nash by any means but instead a heartfelt mental portrait of this group…12 years later with Nash in Brooklyn and the way the Suns season ended it’s a hell of a retrospective.
• 
  Judd Vance

  My favorite type of hoops book involves a writer writing about a team for a year. If the writer is on the inside, it is even better.
  
  McCallum's rep as a NBA writer was established a long time ago in Sport's Illustrated. This book started out as an article for S.I, then turned into a book. McCallum was allowed into coaches meetings and allowed to travel with the team.
  
  The cast of characters is intriguing. There is 2-time MVP Steve Nash, 6th man of year Boris Diaw, insecure superstar Snawn Marion, defensive ace Raja Bell, and injured superstar Amare' Stoudermire, among others. The coaches are the stars: head coach Mike D'antoni (architect of the fast-paced Phoenix offense that stresses putting up the shot within 7 seconds), his brother Dan, defensive coach Marc Iavaroni, well traveled Alvin Gentry, and the ever-optimistic Phil Weber. There planning, strategy sessions, personalities, and interactions shine through.
  
  Every game and almost every day of the playoffs are covered. A few regular season games are mentioned. The weaknesses of the book are that so little of the regular season is covered (numerous stories and insights were lost) and the players' histories could have been covered in more detail. The first may have been because the author did not travel with the team all season - perhaps because he was writing other articles for S.I. The last was because the book was more focused on the coaches. This is unfortunate, since the NBA is a player's league. That is why Stauth's book "The Franchise" is still my standard.
  
  However, the view from the coaches is unique and very well detailed.
• 
  Jay Rain

  Rating - 7.5
  
  A fresh perspective as allowing McCallum to sit in the meetings does provide some 'behind the scenes' learning (both players & coaches); However there is a lack of conflict & depth which seems fake
  
  Interesting way to weave the backstories in (the most interesting being the arrogant Amare & the insecure, under-appreciated Matrix) - a lot of props to D'Antoni & Nash for their Suns leadership
  
• 
  Sandi

  A well done season with a team book. The Phoenix Suns of nearly a decade ago were entertaining but seemed snake bit when it came to the playoffs. It was nice to remember how good Steve Nash was though his body was a bit creaky even back then.
• 
  Chi

  Charles Barkley is a punk.
  
  Shawn Marion is a head case.
  
  Amare' Stoudamire has huge issues.
• 
  Riley Haas

  For many people this is the definitive basketball book since The Breaks of the Game. It has been written and talked about so much that it was unavoidable that I would have preconceived notions about it and that it would inevitably not live up to those notions. Shock of all shocks, it is different than I thought it would be, mostly covering the playoff run with relatively little about the regular season (which makes sense).
  I should love this book because it is about a team I admire and includes at least three of my favourite basketball players ever: Steve Nash (my favourite), Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw. Because of the time difference I didn't watch enough of this team at the time (also: hockey) and I rooted against them in the Conference Finals (I'm a Mavericks fan because of Nash), a series I clearly barely remember. (I forgot about the Dirk 50 point game for example.) I enjoy experiencing them again from the inside, but something is missing. At least part of that is definitely not McCallum's fault: he talks a bit about how they "revolutionized" the league but, writing in 2006, he really had no idea. Still, I can't help but feel like this isn't quite nerdy enough - as someone who consumes a lot of basketball and basketball analysis, there isn't enough about how they were doing it beyond "this team takes more threes than everyone else" and "they run a lot". Maybe that's asking too much about a book written for the average sports fan at a time just prior to the analytics revolution, but I can't help but feel that way.
  My other nitpick is that this book was written before another so-called revolution, that of attempting to check your privilege and treat everyone with respect. I appreciate McCallum's seemingly unfiltered portrayal of what coaches and players say. I'm sure to this day there's a lot of this going on in all locker and coach rooms and that's fine. I don't have an issue with that even when some of these comments would be viewed as "offensive" in 2020. My issue is more with McCallum himself, who has some very funny ideas about the rest of the world and African Americans. I can't tell whether it's for the reader or whether it's real but it comes across as "Aw shucks, I'm just a humble American, what do I know about foreigners?" towards Nash and Diaw, especially early on, and "Why can't black people have some self-respect" for the black American forwards (Stoudemire particularly, but also comments about Iverson and some other African American players on other teams). Neither of these things would fly today if the book was released now; he would be heavily criticized for these takes - the latter more than the former - and I don't think that's a bad thing. You can write about an intelligent Canadian without suggesting he's a socialist. You can write about a French player without invoking cliches about French arrogance. You can write about African American players without implying and sometimes even explicitly saying they dress like children.
  All that being said, I still mostly enjoyed the book. McCallum does an excellent job with the daily banter and he does a good job with the tension. I know what happens and the test for me of a good narrative non-fiction book about something I know about it often "Do I still want to turn the page?" and McCallum absolutely made me want to do that. It's accessible and entertaining, which is probably much more of a blessing for most people than it being more wonkish (which I would have preferred).
  This team was important even though they didn't win, so I'm glad there's a document of it and I'm glad I read it.
• 
  Brendan Sheehan

  Jack McCallum continues to be one of my favourite sports writers. Regardless of the subject, including this ultimately disappointing year for the Phoenix Suns, you understand that the characters make the NBA so entertaining. The author always knows how to portray the characters involved with tremendous detail especially telling the stories of their careers. This book is less entertaining than Dream Team but the author's work is an incisive look into everyone from the superstars to the end of the bench players. More crucially for those who are not involved in the NBA, we learn about the immense workload of a coaching staff. Early on it is noted that the perception that basketball is an undisciplined game is further from the truth it is often overcoached.
  
  The book was at is strongest when it is in those coaching rooms preparing gameplans and telling stories. It was also a joy to learn more about Shawn Marion's complex relationship with fame and status, Dan D'Antoni and the blur, and everything involving the world's most interesting man, Boris Diaw.
  
  I only disliked the author's takes on Amar'e Stoudmaire since they seemed more of the traditional critiques of many basketball players gifted but stupid. This could be true, but it was treated without some of the richness that McCallum treats everyone else, well except maybe Kobe Bryant.
  
  I appreciated the author's honesty about the now universally derided dress code that it was somewhat racist but he prefered when players like Iverson did not dress the way they did. I disagree but it was at least a frank accounting of a contentious issue at the time.
• 
  Clayton Porter

  As a fan I must give both this book and the 2005-2006 Phoenix Suns season, 5 stars.
  
  That postseason I had gone to several home games of the Suns and most watched the rest live on TV. Apologies to my family who at the time had to witness my frustration with the team and the refs during some tough loses (and probably wins as well). I've toned it down a bit more recently, but strong emotions still arise when I watch basketball. I remember driving home from a concert with some friends on the night of Game 6 against the Lakers. The radio was on in the car and I remember the moment where Tim Thomas hits the overtime 3 pointer to keep the suns alive and push a game seven back in Phoenix. I can't recall specifically which game I went to in person, but I am pretty sure I went to game 5 or 7 of the Clippers there in Phoenix- or maybe both. We had dinner at a restaurant in downtown Phoenix before the game. The wait staff was so happy that the Suns season had extended a series again. As it was good for business. We were happy about the Suns success as well, but for a different reason.
  
  With such a connection to that postseason it was comforting to relive the moments from each playoff series. This while peeking behind the scenes into the locker room, the closed doors meetings and strategies of the Phoenix Suns. I give a tip of the hat to Jack McCallum for spending his time on the road and back at America West Arena for an entire season and postseason.
  
  There is no critique of the book's writing itself. If you are a Suns fan or basketball fan- go read it.
  
  Go Suns!
• 
  Джан Тефик

  Пичуи ( и пички ), провъзгласявам се за кралят на НБА книгите т.е. като човекът изчел най-много НБА биографии и книги ... & still counting !
  
  Този шедьовър отдавна ми се въртеше в баскетболната глава и най-накрая успях да си лепна баскетболното IQ върху него ( нея -> книгата ). Автор е небезизвестния Джак Макълъм, спортен журналист за Sports Illustrated и автор на няколко книги , някои от които са за Dream Team 92 и Unfinished Business: on & off the court with Boston Celtics ( също прочетени :P ). Проекта тук е завъртян около отборът на Слънцата от Финикс през сезон 2005-2006. Сезон в който Финикс имат шампионски амбиции, но е без една от звездите си Амаре Студемайър почти през целия сезон и силите им стигат до финал на запад срещу Далас Маверикс. По принцип обичам биографии от първо лице, но това което може да извлечете от тази книга е доста дълбок и обширен поглед вътре...в съблекалнята, под душа, в офиса на треньора и на терена. Един поглед през който може наистина да надникните какво се случва с един отбър извън терена, техните емоции, разговори, шеги, скандали и т.н. Авторът прави и много добри психологични портрети на играчи и треньори, леки резюмета за живота им и как са стигнали до този момент, както и анализ на характерите им. Една наистина поучителна, трогателна и любопитна книга относно баскетбол ... и нещо повече ;)
• 
  Nate

  What a missed opportunity! This Suns team basically invented modern basketball and had an embedded reporter for the entire season and what we mostly get is page upon page of Shawn Marion bitching that he doesn't get enough credit and some homeless man's version of John Fienstien's prose. This book is basically a glorified gamer, that day after column your dad used to read from the sports section at breakfast. What this could and should have been is The Blindside or Moneyball for the NBA. Here was an organization, the Phoenix Suns, exploiting the inefficiencies and wrongheaded thinking of basketball executives to remarkable results and all McCallum seems to want to do is pick fights with Charles Barkley. What a waste!
• 
  Favian

  With the reunion of Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Mike D'Antoni on the Brooklyn Nets, I decided to pick up this book and appreciate a season frozen in time. This is one of the last books released before 24/7 NBA coverage became vogue. Jack McCallum had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cover the breakneck "Seven Seconds or Less" Phoenix Suns down to the team's inner workings and machinations. Though the team exuded joy on the court, there was turmoil in the locker room with the ownership change. The Suns eventually fell in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 Western Conference Finals but they catalyzed basketball's fun-and-gun approach into what it is today.
• 
  Anthony

  jack mccallum is a wonderful writer devoid of pretension but without annoying fake humility. this book is very good and i still love steve nash the same i did as i was 16 years old and got a swingman dallas mavericks steve nash jersey. i grew my hair out and patterned my game after him at the local ymca, where i'd dribble from the top of the key down the lane and then under the hoop, bypass the reverse layup then dribble back up to the foul line and shoot off the dribble swish, bang. anyways, yeah like i said. very good book.
• 
  Steve

  Great behind the scenes look at a team that wasn’t a super exciting personality team. Interesting to consider what this level of access would look like today, and whether teams allowing this close of access could be a compromise in replacing the current daily deluge of media availability that feels unnecessary.
• 
  Jack

  "At one point late in the season, a radio interviewer asked me, quite seriously: “You’ve been close to him all year now—is Mike D’Antoni a genius?”"
  
  Entertaining semi-insider perspective on Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash's revolutionary Phoenix Suns team. Can't help but feel like the author wasted most of his time/access by only writing about the playoffs...
• 
  J.C.

  3 1/2 stars. Slightly more fun, but not as well written as
  Breaks of the Game for my personal tastes. The great thing about this book is that it has all the same structure as Breaks, but is a bit shorter, and the tangents don't veer too far away from the main subject. Very entertaining.
• 
  Colin

  If you grew up watching the NBA in the late 90's/early 2000's, there are plenty of memorable names, games, and coaches in this book to bring back some serious nostalgia. A great read for any basketball fan looking for a glimpse into the locker room of an NBA team.
• 
  B

  Largely forgettable account of a special-ish season played by a special team. The author's overall outlook (jump shooting teams are soft and can't win, lots of mildly sexist quips, etc) did not age well.
• 
  William Torgerson

  McCallum had a lot of access to the locker room and staff. He has a good sense of humor and isn't afraid to to be blunt about what he sees. I felt like I really got to know the coaching staff and I enjoying "meeting" them in the book. Although it's not a coaching strategy book, there are still some nice details, especially about D'Antoni's offensive philosophy.
• 
  Nat Olson

  5-Star read for a basketball fan. The Suns were the harbinger of modern NBA strategy. The insider look gives you an idea of how a pro basketball team really functions, for better and for worse.
• 
  Tadek

  ain't half bad but I'm not sure why I started with this one
  
  stoudemire's pretty funny
• 
  Mattia Riva

  I read it in 2020 but still loved it.
  I liked how the book was written and some of the behind the scene details.
  Not much to say except is a good book .