Tag: winning time

Who won NBA Finals MVP in 1980? Winning Time viewers, here’s the remarkable story

Magic Johnson showed that the truth is stranger than fiction.

Few would take you seriously if you were in a writer’s room and suggested that a rookie win NBA Finals MVP. But the truth is stranger than fiction.

Fans caught up on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty saw the first season’s finale last night. The episode showed what happened at the end of the 1979-80 season. Johnson, who was named as an All-Star starter during his first year in the league, lost out on Rookie of the Year honors to rival Larry Bird.

The Lakers, however, went on to win the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Bird’s Celtics were defeated by Julius Erving’s 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Los Angeles took an early advantage in the NBA Finals, but Lakers superstar big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffered an injury in Game 5. Johnson, who had played point guard all season, was tasked to replace the captain of the Purple and Gold as the starting center.

Absurd though it sounds, the first-year player had 42 points to go with 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in Game 6. Los Angeles would win the game, and Johnson, a rookie, was named NBA Finals MVP.

He became the third player to win an NCAA title and NBA title in back-to-back years. He was also the first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award.

Johnson would go on to win two more NBA Finals MVP awards before his professional career was over. He was a five-time NBA champion during his time in the league.

Winning Time was recently picked up for a second season on HBO. To read our interview with Adrien Brody, who portrayed Pat Riley, click here. For our conversation with Jason Segel, who depicted Paul Westhead, click here.

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Iconic Celtics beat writer emeritus Bob Ryan talks Boston inaccuracies in ‘Winning Time’

Not everything in the popular HBO series happened as it is portrayed, per Ryan.

The HBO NBA basketball series “Winning Time” documenting the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers in the late 1970s to join the Boston Celtics in dominating the league throughout the 1980s has won popular acclaim even if it has been pointed out as less than entirely accurate in the way it has portrayed several key Los Angeles characters integral to the telling of that particular tale.

The Celtics play a major role as the foil to the Lakers-as-protagonists in the show, and at least one person who was there to tell the story from the green and white perspective recently had some things to say about the show.

Speaking on an episode of “The Colin Cowherd” podcast, legendary Boston beat writer Bob Ryan shed some light on what factual inaccuracies regarding the Celtics can be seen in the popular NBA history series.

Check out the clip embedded above to get Ryan’s snapshot of that historic era.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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HBO’s ‘Winning Time’ honored the late Kobe Bryant with this awesome tribute

It was a fitting tribute for a Lakers legend.

HBO’s new show about the Los Angeles Lakers has become appointment viewing, especially for basketball fans with an affinity for storytelling.

The season has had many memorable moments thus far, including brilliant portrayals of Lakers legends by John C. Reilly (Dr. Jerry Buss), Solomon Hughes (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Quincy Isaiah (Magic Johnson), Adrien Brody (Pat Riley), and plenty more.

But one of the season’s best moments came in the show’s fifth episode, which depicted the opener of the 1979-80 season. This marked the first game Magic Johnson played in his NBA career. Johnson faced the Clippers, who played in San Diego at the time.

The Clippers’ leading scorer in that game was World B. Free, who had a 46-point performance. However, another player on that team was a 25-year-old forward named Joe “Jellybean” Bryant — the father of the late Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was guarding Magic Johnson, and Lakers announcer, Chick Hearn, was on the call. Hearn noted that Bryant’s son, Kobe Bean, was in the crowd. The show made a joke about Kobe’s competitive edge and love for the game, suggesting that, even then, he wanted to get on the floor.

Kobe was born in August 1978, so he would have been a little over one year old at Johnson’s professional debut. While it is unclear whether or not Kobe was actually at the game, it doesn’t matter much.

This is a show about the rise of the Lakers dynasty, so it made sense to tip their hats to Kobe, who represented the pinnacle of those accomplishments.

If you are curious about what that game looked like in real life, you can watch this clip shared by Jeff Pearlman (whose book serves as the source material for this show).

Although this isn’t a docuseries, and Bryant’s presence at the Lakers game is unconfirmed, it is fun to see how the show mirrors real-life events.

If you want to see more of Bryant in a similar light, the good news is awaiting. The Hollywood Reporter says HBO has “quietly optioned” Pearlman’s follow-up Lakers book on Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for another show.

Until then, you can watch new episodes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty every Sunday at 9pmET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

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Actor Michael Chiklis talks difference between Red Auerbach, Jerry Buss’ basketball perspectives

The Boston University product shed some light on how he approached playing Auerbach in the HBO series ‘Winning Time’ through this lens.

It might not entirely be hate-watching given the substantial role of the Boston Celtics in the new HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” as the Lakers’ primary NBA rival under superstar forward Larry Bird, but plenty of Celtics fans have been tuning in to watch the series unfold.

And a big part of the reason they have been is to see the job actor Michael Chiklis does portraying legendary Boston team president Arnold “Red” Auerbach in the series (spoiler: pretty solid!), set in the 1980s as both the Lakers and Celtics were on the come-up as contenders and rivals again.

Chiklis, who went to Boston University in that era, recently spoke to The Athletic’s Jason Jones on how he managed to recreate that tension between the two clubs and their leaders, and how that stemmed from their different outlooks on the sport.

HBO’s Winning Time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar player bio

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an actor and an author. He’s a cultural ambassador and public speaker. He was awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom. And yes, he’s one of the three or four most important players in NBA history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is third in total career rebounds, third in total blocks, and first in points scored. He was a six time champion and six time MVP. He went to an unbelievable nineteen All-Star games. Lew Alcindor entered the NBA with three NCAA titles to his name, and still shattered expectations.

In 1979, as LA was getting ready to select Magic Johnson, Kareem was already a five-time MVP and an NBA champion. With the birth of the Showtime Lakers, though, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went from superstar to truly a fixture on the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore.

WATCH: ‘Winning Time’ star Sean Patrick Small talks playing Larry Bird in the HBO series

The HBO series highlights the 1980s battles between L.A. and Boston.

While it might be a series about the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, the popular NBA-oriented HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” is set during a decade dominated by two historic rivals, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, locked in mortal combat.

So there are plenty of Celtics-related moments for fans of the Boston franchise to enjoy with a star-studded cast representing legendary Celtics general manager Arnold “Red” Auerbach (Michael Chiklis), Hall of Fame Boston small forward Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), head coach Bill Fitch (Christopher Gehrman) and even famed announced Johnny Most (G. Larry Butler).

Wondering whether to watch the homage to Boston’s sworn rival? Curious to know more about it before you buy in?

Check out the clip embedded above to get the perspective of the man who played Larry Legend himself to hear what sort of representation the green and white had in the series in a conversation with NBC Sports Boston’s Amina Smith and Chris Forsberg in a recent “Celtics Post Up” segment.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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HBO’s Winning Time: Dr. Jerry Buss bio

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Dr. Jerry Buss.

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Dr. Jerry Buss.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the seventh most valuable sports franchise in the world. And while that didn’t happen overnight, the Lakers have long been an icon in the world of professional sports. Fans in LA and around the world owe a great deal of thanks to the man who made it all happen, Dr. Jerry Buss. From the Showtime Lakers through the Shaq and Kobe era and beyond, Buss and his daughter Jeanie were right there on the sidelines cheering on the Purple and Gold.

In 1979, Dr. Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings, the Forum, and. private ranch from businessman Jack Cooke. It was Buss who saw the potential for turning the NBA into a powerhouse of entertainment. When Dr. Buss died in 2013, the sports world mourned one of its true founding fathers. Said David Stern at the time, “the NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come”

HBO’s Winning Time: Jerry West player bio

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Jerry West.

In celebration of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, we’re taking a looking at the real-time characters behind the show. This is Jerry West.

In 1969, Alan Siegel was commissioned to create a new logo for the National Basketball Association. Having done similar work for Major League Baseball the year before, Siegel was the man for the job. His now iconic logo debuted in 1971, with a memorable silhouette of a man dribbling a basketball. And Siegel chose a photo of Lakers legend Jerry West as his model.

The 1969 Finals MVP, Jerry West was basketball royalty at the time. West retired in 1974 after fourteen seasons as a pro and with one NBA Title to his name. He spent his entire career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, was the head coach from from 1976 to 1979, and perhaps most importantly, served as the team’s general manager during the Showtime Era of the 80s.

The NBA owes a great deal of thanks to Jerry West, who still to this day serves as an executive for the Clippers. The cross-town Lakers, meanwhile, wouldn’t be the powerhouse franchise they are today without West. From drafting Magic Johnson and beyond, Jerry West is a quintessential member of the Lakers story.