Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

CBS left it up to each of its affiliates as to whether they wanted to show it live. Among major markets, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle and Portland markets showed it live.

 

In all those other markets, you weren’t bumping Dallas during the May 1980 book.

CBS and ABC were each racking up 45 shares on their best nights in prime time back then. CBS with the dramas and The Jeffersons. ABC with tits/cops dramas and comedies with Italian-Americans and Jack Tripper. And they all came back to NBC to watch Johnny.

 

Americans would soon love and then loathe brass bonanza.

but honestly…. A series about the 1979-80 nhl season would be great….the merger, the Howe and Gretzky in the same league, two guys finish tied for the scoring title, the islanders getting over the hump, the flyers unbeaten streak, Ray Bourque as a rookie, Bobby hull’s last season, end of the Montreal dynasty.throw in team USA, and it’s some cool stuff.

 

Wasn't it just tape-delayed on the west coast? But aired "live" at 11:30 p.m. to Eastern markets?

 

"You'll never guess what happens a decade later when a new owner buys the team."

(or some clickbait hed like that)

Played "Brass Bonanza" one night on the desk. No one else had any clue what it was.

 

Game 6 was at Philly

 

Also a good reason for why the NBA was smart to let the finals, eventually, be in June.

Back then, the May ratings book was huge. I can’t understate this. Those set the ads rates until the following January (the November book was the next one - every ignored the July book). If the NBA was on a network with strong shows, like CBS, they were at risk of getting tape delayed. Happened in the 1981 conference finals for Kings-Rockets all the time.

 

Odd thing about that season is that because of fear of the impending actors strike, the 1979-80 TV season ended earlier than usual --- April 20. Dallas' season ended on March 21 with J.R. getting shot (with the resolution not airing until a staggering eight months later). So your May sweeps were all mostly reruns. And Dallas was nowhere in the top 20 for the May 12-18 week (Game 6 was May 16). The other CBS Friday night hot show was The Dukes of Hazzard, which finished No. 18 for the week.

 

They showed Nixon making (at least) two shots in Game 6. He shot 1 of 10.

And just as Jamaal Wilkes' 37-point performance was the quietest great game in a series clincher, I don't think he got anything here, either.

 

Adam McKay and subtlety don't exist in the same universe.

 

It didn’t take long for this to happen. The NBA began the shift of its schedule in 1982, with the Finals starting a few days before Memorial Day. By 1986, the Finals began on Memorial Day; by 1988, they tipped off in June.

 

Maybe Adam McKay should've cast his daughter, Pearl, as Claire Rothman. After all, she has experience playing the strong, take-no-crap businesswoman.