Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built..

Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal sportswriter Pluto has been steadily building a reputation as one of the nation's top basketball writers with books like Forty-Eight Minutes and Loose Balls ; this fine oral history will surely enhance that reputation. After a brief account of the National Basketball Association's formative period, which ended in 1954 when the 24-second shot clock changed the game forever, Pluto describes the exciting events in basketball during 1956-66, when the Boston Celtics dominated the league. Unlike many comparable histories in which the superstars have declined to participate, this one includes contributions from Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Red Auerbach and dozens of other players almost as well known. Of course contemporary fans will argue that 1992, with the assembling of the Olympic ``Dream Team,'' was basketball's real glory year, but the debate should only aid sales of Pluto's book. Photos not seen by PW. (Dec.)