Let’s get one thing straight: HBO’s Winning Time has enough basketball feuds and championship runs to fuel 30 seasons of television. We’re talking about the Showtime Lakers—and the famous rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Between 1980 and 1988, you could bet that one of those two guys would to win the championship—and that they would likely face each other in the NBA Finals, too. But Winning Time is so much more than a biopic with excellent basketball cosplay. It’s the story of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, head coach Pat Riley, and the turbulent lives they led both on and off the court. Much has already been said about what is true in the series and what is not. And the IRL Lakers have certainly criticized the show. How does Winning Time respond? By going way over the top. The cast on Magic Johnson’s knee talks to him, Jerry Buss freaks out about a friendly game of Monopoly, and we see private aspects of players’ lives that, again, may or may not be true. Somehow, it’s all as entertaining as the real thing.While Winning Time’s first season covered Magic Johnson and t… Click below to read the full story from Esquire
Read More