Tom Whalen knows how to tell a rollicking good tale. This is more than an account of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, it is also a moving tale of what the Boston Celtics meant to their fans and a snapshot of a team that changed pro basketball forever. Whalen has a knack for finding meaning in the particulars of American life during the 1980s, not just on the basketball court but beyond. This book includes a colorful ensemble of larger than life characters, from Hall of Fame players to the reporters who covered them to the fans who bled Celtic green. This is a remarkably fun and insightful read.

Stephen F. Knott, author of Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy

Tom Whalen is a historian in Boston. Larry Bird and his teammates made Boston history three miles from his Boston University office. Together, in this book, they are a Dream Team of basketball (and cultural) history.

David Shribman, nationally syndicated columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner

A little remembered fact about the great Larry Bird dynasty with the Celtics is that only one of their three championship seasons included the defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers. Historian Thomas Whalen celebrates every part of that year in this riveting new book – the outsized drama, the on-court miracles, the everlasting impact. It’s a book about a series, yes, but it’s also a book about a league, a sport, and a culture, through exquisitely drawn characters that loom large some four decades later. All of it is a pure pleasure from a sports fanatic who happens to be a scholar.

Brian McGrory, professor and chair, Boston University Department of Journalism, columinist and former editor, The Boston Globe

Thomas Whalen has written a wonderfully descriptive account of the career of Boston Celtics' star Larry Bird. In chapter 1, a chapter about 1984, he discusses Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson, the Ghostbuster movie, Apple computers, Goose Gossage and Wayne Gretsky, and yes, Larry Bird. Whalen artfully describes important events and why they happened, and he gives us little-known facts about the likes of Red Auerbach, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell. Did you know that Auerbach was a terrible driver? He dishes info about the rival Los Angeles Lakers as well. Did you know that Lew Alcindor could have signed with the New York Nets? Did you know that Bird couldn't stand playing for Bobby Knight at Indiana U? Did you know that Bird's trash-talking drove his opponents crazy? I couldn't get enough. I love history from the inside, and so will you.

Peter Golenbock, author of Whispers of the Gods and Baseball Heaven

Dynasty Restored is more than a trip down memory lane – it is finely crafted narrative history that places the Boston Celtics’ 1984 championship into a wider context. Best of all, it is stuffed with insightful profiles of the Celtics and their rivals, lending a personal dimension to an exciting story about sports, the city of Boston, and American culture in the 1980s.

Aram Goudsouzian, author of King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution