The Los Angeles Lakers’ heated rivalry with the hated Boston Celtics moves to center court in Season 2 of the pulpy series about the birth of purple-and-gold dynasty (premiering August 6 on HBO).
Colorful playboy owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and his superstars — brash young buck Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and crusty captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) — have established their fast-paced, high-flying brand of basketball, dubbed Showtime, transforming the beleaguered franchise from drab to glam and the NBA from an afterthought into a pop culture phenomenon. Now, can the Lakers defend their title and establish a new dynasty? The answer was no slam dunk.
“Failure is difficult to deal with, but success in some ways is even harder,” says Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakes Dynasty cocreator Max Borenstein. “Are you going to be a flash in the pan? The challenges of truly becoming a dynasty are manifold.”
Magic’s mega-watt smile dims with his first serious injury and public doubts about his comeback, and he must pull a rabbit out of the hat. “The very thing that makes you great — the ego, the drive — can also become your own worst enemy at times,” Borenstein says. “[Magic] has to find a way to balance that with becoming a leader.”
The team grapples with internal player dissension, including with veteran point guard Norm Nixon (DeVaughn Nixon). “Now there’s celebrity to deal with. The more popular they get, the more the bright lights shine,” Borenstein says.
Head coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) feuds with assistant Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) and the front office, including cantankerous NBA great Jerry West (Jason Clarke) over strategy and player trades. Then Magic enters the fray. “Westhead’s success begets some ego battles,” Borenstein says. “He wants to assert his identity, and Magic wants to assert his. There’s a huge clash. It’s royal court drama at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, Buss works to put his franchise at the center of the culture, turn it into a glitzy cash cow, and cement his stars with contracts for the long haul. “He was a visionary,” Borenstein says. “He had a P.T. Barnum gumption to will something into existence and foresight into how basketball could be repackaged into not just sport but entertainment” — with alluring dancers, courtside celebrities, and a swinging nightclub. “He’s one of the great American success stories and is as responsible as anyone for the modern NBA.”
But the biggest hurdles in Season 2, which spans from 1980 to 1984, are the fierce face-offs with the Celtics, led by smug superstar Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), who becomes Magic’s enduring foil. “We’re going to see some of those epic battles this season,” Borenstein says, adding that until the Lakers can defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, “they’re still considered pretenders to the throne.” It’s Showtime!
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Season 2 Premiere, Sunday, August 6, 9/8c, HBO
This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s August issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.