Thumbnail Sketches xi
Introduction xix
Prologue: The Dream Team Gets a Name xxiii
BEFORE THE DREAM
Chapter 1 The Inspector of Meat---Pros in the Olympics? It Was His Idea, and Don't Let Anyone Tell You Different
5(5)
Chapter 2 The Chosen One---Sneaker Porn Is Born
10(5)
Chapter 3 The Commissioner and the Inspector of Meat---The NBA Sticks a Tentative Toe into International Waters
15(4)
Chapter 4 The Legend---"I'm the Three-Point King"
19(6)
Chapter 5 The Outcast---Isiah Throws It Away . . . Then Throws It All Away
25(3)
Chapter 6 The Magic Man---With a Junior Skyhook, He Claims His Place on Top
28(6)
Chapter 7 The Shooter---Mullin Puts Down the Bottle and Puts Up the Numbers
34(4)
Chapter 8 The Christian Soldier---The Admiral Takes an Olympic Fall
38(6)
Chapter 9 The Chosen One---And So Does a Fork Become a Holy Relic
44(4)
Chapter 10 The Old Guard---Here Today . . . Gone Real Soon
48(7)
Chapter 11 The Shadow Man---For the Kid from Nowheresville, Arkansas, Playing Alongside Michael Could Be a Real Headache
55(11)
Interlude, 2011: The Shadow Man---"Michael Got Away with a Lot of Things"
61(5)
Chapter 12 The Coach---A Man of Both Style and Substance
66(8)
Chapter 13 The Jester---Sir Charles Wants to Be an Olympian . . . He Just Doesn't Always Act Like One
74(7)
Chapter 14 The Committee and the Dream Team---Okay, Superstars, Prepare for Deification. . . . Uh, Isiah? Not So Fast
81(9)
Chapter 15 The Chosen One---Michael Seems to Have It All . . . But "All" Comes with a Burden
90(5)
Chapter 16 The Spokane Kid and the Outcast---Isiah Sends an Olympic Message . . . and the Mailman Follows with a Special Delivery
95(8)
Chapter 17 The Dukie---Wanted: College All-American . . . Must Perform Scut Duty on Summer Vacation
103(6)
Chapter 18 The Glide---Clyde's on the Team, and Jordan Shrugs
109(12)
Interlude, 2011: The Glide---"Jordan Was Damn Good . . . But Was He Better Than Me?"
114(7)
THE DREAM UNFOLDS
Chapter 19 The Writer---And So It Begins . . . at a Cattle Call in San Diego
121(7)
Chapter 20 The Magic Man---For a Man Who's Dying, He Sure Looks Pretty Alive
128(15)
Interlude, 2011: The Magic Man---"It's My Mind-Set That's Kept Me Alive"
138(5)
Chapter 21 The Coach---Chuck Has a Message for His Assistants: Make Sure to Ignore
143(7)
Chapter 22 The One-Day Wonders---These Were the Best Days of His Life. . . . Surely Grant Hill's Wife Understands
150(6)
Chapter 23 The Writer---The Action Begins in Portland and Everyone Wants a Piece
156(8)
Chapter 24 The Legend---Larry Shoots and Scores . . . and at Night Lies Awake in Pain
164(12)
Chapter 25 The Kid from Spokane---Daly Had a Pistons Phone Number in His Hand . . . and It Wasn't Isiah's
176(8)
Interlude, 2011: The Kid from Spokane---"You're Not Writing That Down, Are You?"
181(3)
Chapter 26 The Chosen One---So Many Balls to Sign . . . and Jordan Almost Reaches His Breaking Point
184(8)
Chapter 27 The Writer, the Jester, and the Christian Soldier---Monsieur Barkley Will Indeed Take a Hit on 19
192(18)
Interlude, 2011: The Christian Soldier---And What Shall a Man Do with All His Gifts?
204(6)
Chapter 28 The Greatest Game That Nobody Ever Saw---"They Just Moved Chicago Stadium to Monte Carlo. That's All They Did"
210(21)
Chapter 29 The Writer---"There's Helicopters Up There---This Shit Is Serious!"
231(10)
Chapter 30 The Jester and the Angolan---"I Did Not Know That He Would Make Violence with Me"
241(9)
Chapter 31 The Kukoc Game---"They Were Like Mad Dogs on Toni"
250(8)
Chapter 32 The Coolest Room in the World---"Charles, We're Sorry, but This Is a Ring Table. . . ."
258(20)
Interlude, 2011: The Chosen One---"I Know My Father Was Up There Watching Me"
272(6)
Chapter 33 The Tie-Dyed Darlings---Sabonis Wins Bronze, Then Sleeps It Off
278(8)
Chapter 34 The Gold, the Flag, and the Chosen One---Some Wear Old Glory . . . Though Not in the Service of Patriotism
286(11)
Chapter 35 The Aftermath---Michael/Magic/Larry . . . and Then There Were None
297(14)
Chapter 36 The Impact---"We Were Like Actors in a Play"
311(15)
Epilogue: The Legend---"I Would've Like to Have Touched Gold When I Was a Kid" 326(5)
Acknowledgments 331(4)
Index 335