HOT CORNER

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What: “NBA’s Greatest: The NBA’s Best Players, Teams and Games”

Author: Group project by NBA Publishing (editor, Anja Schmidt); foreword by John Havlicek

Publisher: DK Publishing

Price: $30

This slick, 160-page coffee table book delivers exactly what the title implies. It contains more than 300 photographs, provides biographies on 51 great players and details many memorable moments.

Although the foreword is written by former Boston Celtic John Havlicek, it includes a tribute to the Lakers and Jerry West.

“The Lakers faced the Celtics seven times in the NBA Finals from 1959-69 and lost all seven series, some in heart-wrenching fashion,” Havlicek writes. “I respected West so much that after we defeated them in 1969, I went up to him and said, ‘Jerry, you are one of the greatest players who ever lived. I love you and I hope you win a championship.’ ”

Havlicek also writes, “Kareem-Abdul Jabbar says to this day that his biggest personal victory occurred at Boston Garden in 1985 when the Lakers defeated the Celtics for the NBA championship.”

The Lakers’ current Big Four are all profiled in the book, as are former Lakers Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Bob McAdoo, George Mikan, West and James Worthy, along with former Laker coach Bill Sharman -- but as a player for the Celtics. Phil Jackson and Pat Riley are included among the “Great Coaches.”

Among the “Virtuoso Performances” are Johnson’s Game 6 performance in the 1980 NBA Finals at Philadelphia and Kobe Bryant’s record 12 three-point shots against Seattle last season. -- Larry Stewart