Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Show your work!

 

Anyone else looking to buy the book now after watching the first episode?

Hey Jeff, since we all know you lurk, how about sending an autographed copy?

 

Being a Pistons fan before the Bad Boys I was pumped when Kareem mentioned Lanier

 

He'll make you go find it under a row of seats atop the highest point of a stadium or in the supermarket aisle between fava and waxed beans.

 

Funny thing is there's a fantastic Lakers book called... Winnin' Times, by Ostler and Springer. I haven't read many stories on the series; did HBO not want to call it Showtime because, I don't know, people would think of the rival cable network?

And @Songbird, the Chick call of Magic's hook might be my favorite of his. "He's got it, he didn't shoot it, 5 seconds left, Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot at 12 gooood." First he says all that perfectly in 5 seconds. But the talent/sort-of-arrogance to toss in parenthetical "just what I thought" is amazing.

 

And never mind his three NCAA titles, and only losing one game in college. Had freshmen been eligible, he would have won four titles.

 

Once people get past (or is it passed?) the reflex and recency bias of LeBron or Jordan there are a few players legitimately worthy of the GOAT conversation and nothing’s definitive. Jabbar and Wilt are as worthy as James and Jordan. And there must be something to Bill Russell that makes him the greatest winner in the history of the NBA of not team sports. In his prime, when it mattered to him, Shaq was as much of a force as any player. And while he is not the greatest player of all time, when Allen Iverson was on the floor, was there a player who impacted that game more? Maybe Magic.

 

We cannot compare the late 50s and 60s to today. Ain't happening.

 

Claire Rothman

 

Damn I’m old!!

 

Magic vs. Bird shone a brighter light on college basketball than anything before. But Alcindor vs. Hayes brought it from Point A to Point B, too. The drama of the eye patch, the hastily constructed national network, the surreal atmosphere of the Astrodome, the 11 p.m. game time that meant kids like me were staying up way past bedtime to see it ... it was a game-changer.

And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of this. I didn't realize that was Gaby Hoffman from "Dear John" for quite a while. And I love the portrayal of West as a crazy MF.

 

Honestly, I cannot get enough of Jerry West right now.