Winning Time Season 2 Episode 1 Recap & True Story

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Winning Time season 2, episode 1.

Season 2, episode 1 of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty picks up right where season 1 left off following the 1980 NBA Championship. Controversial and innovative Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) returns after shocking the basketball world and shaking things up with a somewhat reckless approach to winning that ultimately revolutionized sports entertainment. Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) continue their electrifying brand of basketball while Jerry West (Jason Clarke), Jason Segel (Paul Westhead), and Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) oversee the operation from the sidelines.

Winning Time season 1, episode 10 depicted the true story of how Magic Johnson became the first NBA rookie to ever win an NBA title and be named the Championship MVP in the same year. Winning Time season 2 is expected to center much more around the iconic rivalry between Magic and another basketball legend Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), who was depicted in five episodes of season 1. With Winning Time season 2 opening with a teaser scene of the Pat Riley-led Lakers winning Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals at the Boston Garden, it’s clear that the rest of the seven-episode season will take a major interest in the feud between Buss and Celtics President Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis).

What Really Happened After Game 1 Of The 1984 NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics really did compete in Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals, where the Lakers stole an early series victory on Boston’s home turf. Boston’s fans had a reputation of being extremely passionate about their team, making it completely plausible that the fan aggression seen at the end of Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals did actually happen. The matchup was the first time that Bird and Magic had met in a championship game since their legendary battle for the NCAA state championship in 1979 in which Magic’s Michigan State beat Larry’s Indiana State 75-64.

The outcome of Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals was a Lakers victory of 115-109. However, actual footage of the game proves that the Lakers were not forced to sprint from the court to the safety of their bus without first going to their locker rooms. In reality, many of Boston’s fans were no longer in the stadium when the game ended, making the sea of popcorn and beverages being tossed at the Lakers as they ran off the court a complete fabrication. In fact, Kareem stuck around after the game for a televised interview with Pat O’Brien on CBS, although the scene in Winning Time season 2 could have drawn inspiration from Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals in which Celtics fans celebrated their victory by throwing rocks at the Lakers’ departing bus.

The Celtics Really Got McHale & Parish In The Same Trade

Celtics President Red Auerbach orchestrated one of the most lucrative deals in the history of the team by acquiring both center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale not only in the same year but in the same trade. The Celtics were in need of a center after the retirement of Dave Cowens, which inspired Auerbach to go after Parish during the 1980 NBA Draft. Auerbach traded the Celtics’ number one overall pick and the thirteenth pick in the 1980 NBA Draft to the Golden State Warriors to acquire Parish and the third overall draft pick. Auerbach then used that third pick to draft McHale, essentially cementing the prosperous future of the Celtics for the next decade.

Magic Johnson’s Real-Life 1980 Knee Injury Explained

Magic Johnson’s brutal knee injury was based on true events that occurred during the early 1980 Lakers season. He first experienced problems with his knee in a regular-season game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 11, in which Hawks player Tom Burelson fell on top of Magic’s left knee during a basketball play, tearing some of the cartilage. It wasn’t until November 18, 1980, in a game against the Kansas City Kings that Magic’s serious injury was acknowledged and he started to receive medical treatment. Magic was ultimately sidelined for 100 days and missed 45 games which greatly humbled the superstar who had rapidly become the face of a franchise at the young age of 20.

Why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Started Wearing His Iconic Goggles

Winning Time depicts Kareem’s decision to wear his iconic goggles for the first time in season 2, episode 1 during the 1980-1981 season. In reality, Kareem had been wearing his signature goggle since 1974 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks after he was forced to miss a number of games due to an eye injury. At an enormous height of 7′ 2″, Kareem often got poked in the eye by shorter defenders, which led him to start wearing goggles as a protective measure. Winning Time implies that Kareem’s 1974 eye injury took place during a Lakers practice in 1980, which might have actually happened, but it was not the first time that the athlete wore his memorable goggles.

The True Story Behind Magic Johnson’s Firstborn Son Andre

The birth of Magic Johnson’s actual firstborn son Andre was somewhat accurately depicted in Winning Time season 2, episode 1. Andre’s real-life mother Melissa Mitchell is the apparent inspiration for Rhonda Mitchell (Chelsea M. Davis) who appeared in two episodes of Winning Time season 1 as one of Magic’s love interests. Reportedly, the real Melissa Mitchell dated Magic while he and his longtime partner Cookie Kelly were separated, although in Winning Time she is depicted as one of Magic’s several sexual partners.

In Winning Time, Rhonda and Cookie are described as friends and someone that Cookie had to see regularly, which ruined her friendship with Rhonda. Rhonda continues to be a combination of several separate women in Magic’s romantic history in Winning Time season 2. She is not directly inspired by the real-life Melissa Mitchell despite being the mother of a fictionalized version of Andre Johnson in the show.

Did Jerry Buss Actually Found Tennis & Indoor Soccer Teams?

Jerry Buss found both the Los Angeles Lazers, an indoor soccer team, and the Los Angeles Strings, a professional team tennis franchise. The Lazers were founded in 1982 and were actually operated by one of Jerry’s sons, Johnny (Thomas Mann), as the fictionalized Jerry promises him in the show. The Lazers integrated much of Jerry’s signature Showtime energy and entertainment offerings such as the Laker Girls, who doubled as the Lazer Girls from 1982-1989.

The Lazers drew many celebrities and prominent figures in Hollywood and played their home games at the Forum. Johnny was the President of the Lazers until 1985 when Jimmy Buss (McCabe Slye) took over until the team dissolved. Jerry founded and owned the Los Angeles Strings from 1974-1978 before revitalizing the franchise in 1981 by making his then 19-year-old Jeanie Buss (Hadley Robinson) General Manager. Much like her father’s 1980 Lakers, Jeanie was able to lead the Strings to a TeamTennis championship in her first season in 1981.

Why Paul Westhead Brought His Unusual System To The Lakers

Paul Westhead introduced his unusual offensive approach known simply as ‘The System’ to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981. His philosophy was to pick up the pace of play by having each player operate from designated areas of the court where they’re shots were most likely to go in based on their skills. The increased rate of play was intended to create a frantic energy on the court that would confuse defenses.

Paul’s system was designed so that the Lakers would shoot the ball as efficiently as possible in less than 7 seconds. In many ways, Paul’s system was a sign of changes to come across the NBA as the league modernized into the game it is today. Westhead continued to use former Laker coach Jack McKinney’s offensive style to guide the team to their 1980 NBA title in Winning Time season 1 but a change was needed after Magic was sidelined due to his 1981 knee injury.