Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Hope you demanded a screen credit.

 

Latest trailer

 

I understand there’s a lot of liberties taken with this show. But I’m hooked.

First episode of the second season is out. Loved it.

 

Noticed the disclaimer at the beginning to appease West and the rest. Don't remember that from season 1.

 

Yes, this year they have "Jerry West" saying some crazy shit I can't imagine the real West saying.
The chronological hopping bsck and forth is a little hard to keep track of. We open in 1984, no wait, we're back in '80, perky Jeannie observes, "once Reagan takes office everything will change," oops wait we're forward to '81, hang on a minute. Some of the music is way out of sequence.
At least at one point they have the Buss family playing a 4-person Monopoly game, as opposed to the running one-on-one 2-person Monopoly games that were recurring scenes in Season 1. Who the hell ever plays 2-person Monopoly? After three turns around the board, it's utterly obvious who's going to win -- unless one player makes a disastrous mistake. So 2-person Monopoly is an exercise guaranteed to turn out frustrating for everybody. The loser is gonna be pissed and the winner can feel no pride.

Provided some context on Magic's second session knee injury and why that was probably the worst time in his career to be largely confined to bed for several months.

Also provides some back story about Magic's cutting ties with his early career mentor/agent, Charles Tucker (they call him "Dr Day" here, I assume to head off any potential legal problems), although I always heard the main motivation for Magic to cut loose Tucker was dissatisfaction at being left behind by Michael Jordan and NIKE in the great basketball shoe marketing bonanza of the 80s/90s.
The thing was, that Magic's deal with Converse -- they had assembled a virtual NBA All Star team of Magic, Bird, Isiah and Dr. J (I think Aguirre and McHale were 'associate members') to endorse their flagship Weapons shoes -- was a real good deal for the time. Nobody anticipated -- probably nobody could have-- the way the market was going to explode.

An on target exchange between Magic and his hot-babe lawyer as they get up out of bed and they're discussing a *new* paternity suit:
Hot babe lawyer: "Do you ever take just a second to consider the consequences before you stick your dick in somebody?"
Magic; "Well, I like to fuck."

 

Same thing. I know it's 50% bullshit, but it's a guilty pleasure show for me.

 

Some of you may not be watching hard enough.

 

The UX on “Max” is fucking dreadful. Can’t be helping.

The plan seemed to be “let’s throw all this unrelated shit together without a useful navigation tool.”

It’s not being promoted much either, but that’s the strike.

 

I would love it to have like 10 seasons, since I'm probably the only person in the world who wants to see how they depict Mike Dunleavy turning the team around after the 1-4 start in 1990-1991.

That said, it remains as absurd as ever and I spend 48 minutes of every episode rolling my eyes. Starting with season two and the Lakers running off the court and out of the arena like they were going to be murdered in Boston Garden. It will not surprise you to know they instead just very calmly walked off after the Game 1 victory in the '84 Finals. It's just that literally every little thing is exaggerated to such a degree. Like, there were real-life people named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Pat Riley. The 1979-1991 Lakers did in fact exist. Pretty much everything else in any given episode is fabricated or blown up to ludicrous proportions. And the basketball scenes are awful.

Hoping for an origin scene with Riley where he slicks back his hair and emerges, a la Oppie donning his famed hat and pipe in Oppenheimer.

The strike and inability of actors to promote it certainly hurts it but that's every show now and season 2 definitely seems to have less buzz overall online, whether that's lack of marketing from HBO or maybe the summer slot instead of season 1, which aired when there were also NBA games going on so you had hoops fans more engaged overall on social media and Winning Time was able to ride some of that.

It at least has to get a Season 3. Because if 2 is ending with the nightmare of '84 Finals, the redemption of '85 would be sensational (and could be exciting to see how it gets exaggerated. Instead of Kareem simply asking Riley if his dad can ride the team bus before Game 2, after the Memorial Day Massacre, maybe he actually gives the team a speech in the locker room and then punches Red).

 

I'm thinking that in a perfect world, the producers would like five seasons. Each covering a couple of years, culminating with the HIV announcement in 1991.

I'm part of the group that, regardless of it's not factual to a T, it's still a great blast to watch. And I do appreciate a lot of the background details, like the proper-era advertisement boards.

 

I think at the least they would get a Season 3 knowing that would be it to squeeze in everything to reach the AIDS announcement and wrap it up.

I agree their perfect schedule is season 3 covers 85 and 86; Season 4 is 87 and 88 and Season 5 is the "downfall of the dynasty leading into Magic retiring.

 

I would think Season three covers 1985-87 because they shit the bed in 1986. Then move the focus from Larry to Zeke for 1988-1989 in Season 4 and then close with the Bulls loss and subsequent HIV announcement in Season 5...possibly end it with Magic in the 1992 All-Star Game or on the Dream Team.

No reason they can't pull out five seasons of this.