“Winning Time” would be full of game scenes and that was perfect for Small. He had played basketball from second grade through varsity in high school. He had the athleticism, the know-how and the Bird lookalike physicality on the court. “People would tell me, ‘You kind of play like him. You move like him on the court,’” said Small. “I was never the fastest or the highest jumper or anything like that. But I knew to be in the right spot at the right time with the ball.” Still, HBO wanted to be sure. The series’ producers had Small work with the same trainer who works with Stephen Curry and other NBA All-Stars to perfect his “Bird game.”