David Halberstam didn't just write a basketball book. He wrote a eulogy for an era, a forensic autopsy of a failing team, and somehow, the most enduring piece of sports literature in the American canon. If you haven't read breaks of the game, you're basically missing the DNA of modern sports journalism. It’s gritty. It's long. It’s occasionally heartbreaking.
Most people think sports books are about stats or "the big game." They aren't. Not the good ones. This one is about the 1979-1980 Portland Trail Blazers, a team that was already falling apart before the first whistle blew. Bill Walton, the red-headed superstar with feet made of glass, was gone. Maurice Lucas, the "Enforcer," was disgruntled. Jack Ramsay, the coach who looked like he belonged on a beach in Florida rather than a sideline in Oregon, was trying to hold a ghost together.
Halberstam spent an entire season with them. He sat on the buses. He stayed in the cheap hotels. He watched the racial tensions, the contract disputes, and the sheer physical toll of 82 games. He captured the literal and metaphorical breaks of the game that dictate who wins and who gets forgotten.
The Tragedy of the 1977 Dream
To understand why this book matters, you have to look at 1977. The Blazers won it all. They were the "Blazermania" darlings. They played a brand of team basketball that felt like jazz—fluid, selfless, and perfect. But by 1979, the year Halberstam embedded himself, that dream was a rotting carcass.
It’s crazy how fast things sour.
Bill Walton’s feet are the central character here, even though he wasn't even playing for Portland anymore. His departure to the San Diego Clippers (now the LA Clippers) left a void that couldn't be filled. Halberstam explores the medical malpractice, the lawsuits, and the bitterness that followed. It wasn’t just a sports injury; it was a betrayal of a city’s trust.
Why Breaks of the Game Hits Different Today
Modern NBA Twitter would have a field day with the 1979 Blazers. You had Kermit Washington trying to outrun the reputation of "The Punch"—the moment he nearly killed Rudy Tomjanovich on the court years prior. Halberstam treats Washington with incredible empathy. He doesn't see a thug; he sees a man haunted by a single second of violence that defined his entire life.
🔗 Read more: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
Then there’s the money.
We see guys making $60 million a year now and think nothing of it. In breaks of the game, Halberstam documents the transition from the "old school" to the "big money" era. Players were starting to realize their worth. Owners were starting to realize they were losing control. The friction was everywhere. It’s basically the origin story of the modern NBA.
Honestly, the book is as much about labor relations as it is about fast breaks.
The Jack Ramsay Factor
Dr. Jack Ramsay was a fascinating guy. He was obsessed with fitness, obsessed with preparation, and deeply frustrated by the lack of discipline in the post-championship years. Halberstam paints him as a man trying to coach a game that was changing too fast for him to grasp.
The Blazers had talent. They had Jim Paxson. They had T.R. Dunn. But they lacked the "connective tissue."
Basketball is a game of chemistry. When you lose one piece, the whole thing vibrates incorrectly. Halberstam captures that vibration. He describes the silence on the team bus after a loss in a way that makes you feel the cold Pacific Northwest air.
💡 You might also like: Matthew Berry Positional Rankings: Why They Still Run the Fantasy Industry
A Masterclass in Narrative Non-Fiction
You won't find many "and then he scored" descriptions here. Halberstam was a Pulitzer Prize winner who covered the Vietnam War. He brought that same weight to the hardwood. He looked at the NBA as a microcosm of America: the racial dynamics, the corporate greed, the individual ego vs. the collective good.
He didn't care about the final score. He cared about why the score was what it was.
The Realities of the 1979-80 Season
The Blazers finished 38-44. They were mediocre. Usually, writers want to cover the champions. They want the champagne and the parades. By choosing to cover a mediocre, struggling team, Halberstam found more truth than he ever would have found in a locker room full of trophies.
Success masks problems. Failure reveals everything.
- The Maurice Lucas trade: A mid-season gut-punch that signaled the end of the championship core.
- The pressure on Billy Ray Bates: A playground legend who briefly electrified Portland but couldn't escape his own demons.
- The aging of the roster: Watching legends lose a step in real-time.
It’s a long read. It’s dense. But it’s the only book that explains why some teams "have it" and why most teams lose it forever.
How to Apply the Lessons of Halberstam’s Masterpiece
If you're a coach, a leader, or just a die-hard fan, there are actual takeaways here that aren't just "basketball stuff."
📖 Related: What Time Did the Cubs Game End Today? The Truth About the Off-Season
First, understand that talent isn't enough. The 1979 Blazers had talent. They didn't have alignment. Second, acknowledge that injuries aren't just "bad luck." They are organizational stressors that test the integrity of every person in the building. Third, realize that the "breaks" of the game—that lucky bounce, that referee's whistle, that contract negotiation—are often outside your control.
The only thing you can control is the culture. And as Halberstam shows, once a culture starts to rot, it’s almost impossible to stop the spread.
Reading It for the First Time
If you pick up a copy today, don't expect a fast-paced thriller. It’s a slow burn. It’s a study in human nature. You’ll see names you recognize and names that have been lost to time, but the emotions remain the same. The jealousy over a teammate's salary. The fear of being traded to a basement-dweller. The physical pain of a Tuesday night game in a half-empty arena.
It’s all there.
David Halberstam passed away in 2007, but this book remains his most human work. It isn't just about a ball going through a hoop. It's about what happens when the cheering stops and the reality of the business sets in. It’s the definitive look at the NBA’s awkward teenage years.
To truly appreciate the book, you need to look past the box scores. Start by researching the 1977 Blazers championship run. See what they were at their peak. Then, read the book to see how it all vanished. Pay attention to the way Halberstam describes the "city" of Portland; it was a different place back then, smaller, more insulated, and more obsessed with its team.
Understand that the "breaks" aren't just physical. They are the fractures in relationships that can never be mended. Once you see that, you'll never look at a sports broadcast the same way again. You won't just see athletes; you'll see people trying to survive a system that is designed to use them up and move on to the next big thing.
Get a physical copy. Turn off your phone. Lean into the 700 pages. It's worth every second.