Boston Celtics fans who have been enjoying the popular HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” to reminisce (or learn about, for the younger fans among us) the famous Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry in the 1980s will be disappointed to learn HBO has canceled the basketball series after its second season.
“Winning Time” followed the story of the Lakers’ rise in the 1980s under owner Dr. Jerry Buss. In the first season, the show depicted the Lakers’ first NBA championship in the Earvin “Magic” Johnson era. In the subsequent season, they faced a new challenge from fellow Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird and Boston. The season focused on the earlier years of the rivalry resurgence: 1981 to 1984.
Given the show’s ostensible focus on the Lakers, the ending of the show with the Celtics’ title over L.A. in 1984 is an odd if unintended twist that was supposed to set up the Lakers’ revenge tour in 1985 for Season 3.
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— Dr. Justin Quinn (@justinquinnn) September 14, 2023
“Not the ending that we had in mind,” wrote “Winning Time” showrunner Max Borenstein on Twitter after news broke of the cancellation in such a context.
“But nothing but gratitude and love.”
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