With College Hoops behind us, I will start to write on other topics again. Yes, I will do my NFL Draft preview, but it’s about time to recommend something to watch.
Winning Time – The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
Full disclosure, I am a giant Bulls fan. More specifically, as I’ve written before, a Jordan fan. So, it takes a lot for me to root for Lebron James or Magic Johnson much. In fact, when I started to watch the NBA in the early 1980s – I believe the first time I really watched was the 1984 playoffs. I was a Boston Celtics fan. Why? Well, the Bulls were in the Eastern Conference, so it made sense to root for them instead of LA. Plus, the “Showtime” Lakers were a lot of flash while the Celtics were lunchpail guys like Chicagoans. So, you would really never had me rooting for Magic and Kareem. However, as someone who really knows the NBA over almost 40 years, the Lakers have been a franchise like no other in that span.
Winning Time – The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is airing on HBO Max with weekly installments released on Sunday nights (like a lot of their other premium shows). As you might imagine, I was slow to jump on the bandwagon. Not that I wouldn’t like it. I loved the ESPN series on the Celtics vs. Lakers documentary that aired in 2017, however a dramatization of real events always leaves a characterized feel to things sometimes, while a documentary is great but interviews lack the story arc a drama can give you. With some really good reviews, I decided to jump in one Tuesday night a couple of weeks go. Then, I proceeded to watch all 5 episodes until 1 AM. This show is crazy good. Here’s why.
As the series depicts, the Lakers of the late 1970s were not the perennial super power of the Western Conference that they have been for 40 years. In fact, at that juncture, despite have the league’s leading scorer, Center Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, they lacked something. Coach Jerry West (played by Jason Clarke), the former great known as The Logo (as West is the NBA logo), was patrolling the sidelines with a scowl on his face, and the owners of the Lakers were looking to sell due to some poor financial decisions. It was 1979 and the fortunes for this team were about to change. Like any “underdog” story, you need a hero. Well, Winning Time actually has more than one – 2 main ones, and then another in the making.
Dr. Jerry Buss who in 1979 was a real estate mogul with a flair for the times. In the series, Jerry Buss is played by the well recognized John C. Reilly in a serious manner but with all the signature comedic flair, Reilly is known for. As the first episode outlines, Dr. Buss frequented the LA Playboy Club, and his signature attire was vastly different from the owners of the day. Dr. Buss is hero #1 in this story. He is portrayed as effectively changing the NBA by completely changing the face of the Lakers beyond the basketball court to a destination for the rich and famous. Per the series, Buss had to traverse the perils of a rough business deal and take some serious chances to do it including allowing his daughter, Jeanie (excellently played by Hadley Robinson), and another strong woman, Claire Rothman (played well by Gaby Hoffman) to take critical leadership in team operations. Beyond the feel of the team, Buss’s best decision was draft the now known great, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, to be the new face and energy of the team in the face of internal pushback.
Now, Magic’s story is perhaps more known. However, Magic is clearly the 2nd hero in this tale. Played deftly by the virtual unknown, Quincy Isaiah, that signature smile, charismatic energy and pure competitor that Magic was is on full display. In addition to being a player who helped galvanize this team, the series depicts the life of a young star and how he needed to maneuver all that super stardom in 1970s LA. In my opinion, the depiction of this lifestyle, the choices and ultimate path is extremely entertaining. Magic is the greatest winner in Laker history, but beyond winning, his style of play changed the NBA forever. The Magic and Bird rivalry took this near bankrupt league to the mainstream, must see TV that we only take for granted today in the modern NBA.
The last element of the series that is honestly incredible is the series of events leading to the eventual coach of the Showtime Lakers. I feel like I’m pretty knowledgable about the game, and even though I started watching the Bird-Magic duels in 1984, I know most of the history for these teams. Well, this series has completely blown me away on the calamity in finding the eventual 3rd hero in this story. I encourage readers to just watch the series to see how it plays out. However, I will say that in order to get to the eventual captain of this ship, the Lakers had to have a Hall of Fame coach decline the offer, another suffer a near fatal brain trauma, and finally a last second victory when the 1979 coaching squad was on the ropes.
The Executive Producer of Winning Time, the very accomplished, Adam McKay, has produced his best work. Now, that is saying a lot as McKay has been nominated and won Oscars and created icon characters like Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby. The creators, Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, have created something special with McKay’s leadership. The storytelling style along with the levity of his characters with honestly the guts to hire unknown talent (Soloman Hughes is fantastic as Kareem) to act alongside established stars really is like how the Lakers themselves came together in 1979 and beyond to be the dominant franchise we know today.
So, I think even if you are not a sports fan, then you will enjoy this docudrama. There are a few episodes left, so there is still time to jump on board.
Wegs