Anyone Watching Winning Time? AKA "Show Time" Los Angeles Lakers 1980

The last episode of the 1st season just finished. And I don't have a clue if the actual purpose of this show was just to piss off as many people as possible or what? I don't think there was a single portrayal of any character that came off as something the real person would have liked. I don't know how true to life this was supposed to be, but this show slams everyone involved.

So, I enjoyed the hell out of it. This was just a little before my time, but I remember most of the characters from about 6-10 years down the road.

And, I have to wonder if the Magic / Kareem feud actually started because of what happened at the end of the season finale?

 

I myself also enjoyed it, and I'm not a big basketball fan.

 

Jerry West was my first sports hero that was not a Pittsburgh sports guy. I was young but so PO'd when the Celtics beat them. He complained to HBO about the way he was being portrayed.

Don't really follow NBA but Lakers always my 4th favorite sport team behind Pittsburgh 3 teams. Loved their last Title since the Coach (now ex-coach) is a local from my area. His mom drives my wife crazy at dinner get together's. Every other word out of her mouth is about him. It goes like this:

Hey how about the price of gas?

His mom: Un-huh Lakers still owe Frank 7 million dollars.

 

One of my favorite moments from the series was when they revealed how much the Nike offer would have been if Magic had chosen to go with the Nike deal.

The precise number of Nike shares that Johnson actually turned down hasn't been confirmed, but as Winning Time estimated, it could have been worth $5.2 billion for the young athlete. Instead, it’s estimated that he made about $2 million annually with his 12-year Converse endorsement deal. Source: Winning Time Facebook

Magic Johnson Regrets Decades-Old Shoe Deal — Here's Why (marketrealist.com)

 

I watched the whole series, I thought it was good, probably not entirely accurate though.

 

I do enjoy John C. Reilly ever since Boogie Nights.

 

Renewed for season 2. I thought it was going to be a one and done type series, but the rating just kept growing and growing with every episode.

HBO's 'Winning Time' Finale Ratings Up From Series Premiere - Variety
That audience tally was up 73% over the drama’s series premiere and 31% from the Season 1 average. Per HBO, “Winning Time” — which has already been renewed for Season 2 — saw seven weeks of consecutive growth throughout its 10-episode first season, which debuted March 6.


I guess Magic vs Bird is on.

I still don't understand the Bird Draft. Wouldn't Boston have lost their rights to Bird when he decided not to come out and went back to school for another year?