Basketball’s “Elastic Time” explored in New Book, Reflecting Sport’s 1984 Spanish Boom
Madrid, spain - A new book, Tri, Tri, Triple by journalist Javier Maestro, delves into teh surge of basketball’s popularity in Spain following the nation’s silver medal win at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.The book, published by Roca Editorial, reconstructs the era through the recollections of sports journalists who covered the sport’s rapid growth, a period that saw schoolyards across the country transformed by the addition of mini-basketball courts.
Maestro’s work explores not only the past context but also the unique perception of time within the game itself – the way seconds can stretch adn compress during crucial moments, allowing for complex plays like last-second shots or alley-oops. The book captures the excitement surrounding a period that ultimately fostered “one of the best teams in the history of basketball.”
Tri, Tri, Triple is comprised of stories, anecdotes, and insights into the personalities and passions that defined Spanish basketball’s golden age. It aims to encapsulate the “magic of basketball” - particularly the suspenseful arc of the ball traveling towards the basket from the 6.75 line.
Spain lost the 1984 Olympic final to the United States 96-65.