winning time: the rise of the lakers dynasty. hbo in march.

[henrygandorf 29189]

 

[Michael Knight 12976]

Shouldn't this be on showtime

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

8 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

 

There isn't too much more I can hate than the Lakers, but this looks incredible. Great cast.

Will Ferrell had informally agreed to play Jerry Buss. Ferrell and Adam McKay have a collaboration history. McKay realized that Ferrell wouldn't be the best for this role, and cast John C. Reilly in the role without talking to Ferrell. Created a falling out.  I love much of McKay's work but I've read and watched some interviews on how he frequently screws people over, especially from his SNL writer days.

[Underdog 28544]

1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

Shouldn't this be on showtime

ISWYDT

[Red Five 40826]

1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

Shouldn't this be on showtime

First, have some rep. Second, is that why the movie isn't CALLED Showtime? As it of course should be.

[UpperWestside 6159]

I will watch this and I am glad John C. Reilly was cast as Dr. Buss. I know Magic nor Jeannie are going to endorse this show because of separate projects about this era, but I will watch this and then whatever else comes out about this era. This was the NBA’s golden age. From the Finals being on tape delay in 1980 to by the end of the decade seeing the beginning of the influx of European players. The Showtime Lakers, even if you intensely hated them and the franchise as a whole, helped take the NBA into mainstream sports culture around the world.

[henrygandorf 29189]

bump because this starts tonight let's go.

 

 

[veritas aequitas 441]

John C Reilly killing it as Jerry Buss

[Js1 85260]

24 minutes ago, veritas aequitas said:

John C Reilly killing it as Jerry Buss

Yeah. I enjoyed that 

[Eskimohorn 5630]

Jerry West is portrayed as a complete lunatic.

[billfromlaketravis 11445]

I liked the pilot? McKay isn’t the showrunner, but it’s over the top McKay style. I wonder about the episodes he didn’t direct. 

[RPM 26315]

I wanted to hate this because I loathed the Lakers, but damn this is good. John C Reilly is killing it as Dr Jerry Buss.

[Gene Parmesan 4002]

Reilly is great.  West portrayal is way too over the top.  It will be interesting how well the can pull off game action.  Not impressed with the 1v1 attempt at the party.

[oSuJeff97 3435]

Really enjoyed the first episode.

Yeah Reiley stole the show as Buss. The stuff with Kareem was also great...looking forward to more of him.  "Fuck off kid." LOL

The casting of the Magic and Kareem was great. Talk about a difficult casting assignment... holy cow. But one episode in I think they nailed it.

More great casting head - I believe Jason Segal is playing Paul Westhead and Adrian Brody is Pat Riley. 

[lateshow 1304]

13 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

Really enjoyed the first episode.

Yeah Reiley stole the show as Buss. The stuff with Kareem was also great...looking forward to more of him.  "Fuck off kid." LOL

The casting of the Magic and Kareem was great. Talk about a difficult casting assignment... holy cow. But one episode in I think they nailed it.

More great casting head - I believe Jason Segal is playing Paul Westhead and Adrian Brody is Pat Riley. 

That's an interesting choice. 

[oSuJeff97 3435]

7 minutes ago, lateshow said:

That's an interesting choice. 

Yeah not would I would expect, but I think he's always solid so looking forward to it.

[Gene Parmesan 4002]

25 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

Really enjoyed the first episode.

Yeah Reiley stole the show as Buss. The stuff with Kareem was also great...looking forward to more of him.  "Fuck off kid." LOL

The casting of the Magic and Kareem was great. Talk about a difficult casting assignment... holy cow. But one episode in I think they nailed it.

More great casting head - I believe Jason Segal is playing Paul Westhead and Adrian Brody is Pat Riley. 

I fear their actual size is going to make some scenes not make sense.  Even in episode 1 they kept playing up that Magic is too big to play PG, but he's pretty much the same size as Nixon at the party.

[Js1 85260]

It's only 2 inches between the actors - Isiah is 6'3 and DeVaughn Nixon (yes, that is Norm Nixon's son) is 6'1.   The other actor in contention for Norm Nixon was..... Norm Nixon, Jr. (who is 6 feet tall). 

 

Solomon Hughes, who plays Kareem, is 6'11 (Kareem was 7'2).  Interesting article how a former basketball player turned PhD with no acting roles got the job for Kareem: 

How pro hooper turned PhD ended up on HBO's new Lakers show (sfgate.com)

[Guest]

1. I am an HBO Max noob -- they do the weekly release thing? Ugh.

2. Loved the first episode. Casting seems amazing. The different camera shots are a little strange, but I get it.

3. I though the guy playing Kareem looked just like him. And the kid from Airplane. I was amazed.

4. Was Kareem a jerk in real life? I was always under the impression he was a really nice guy.

[Eskimohorn 5630]

4. Was Kareem a jerk in real life? I was always under the impression he was a really nice guy.

Yep. It took him awhile to warm up to the press and get a victory tour in the NBA. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court 48 minutes.

Thought the Jerry West portrayal was cartoonish.

[Js1 85260]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

1. I am an HBO Max noob -- they do the weekly release thing? Ugh.

Yep - Sunday night is their "big" night.  

[C-Man 27183]

3 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

1. I am an HBO Max noob -- they do the weekly release thing? Ugh.

2. Loved the first episode. Casting seems amazing. The different camera shots are a little strange, but I get it.

3. I though the guy playing Kareem looked just like him. And the kid from Airplane. I was amazed.

4. Was Kareem a jerk in real life? I was always under the impression he was a really nice guy.

HBO shows, which this is one of, are all one episode a week. The ones that are HBO Max exclusives, I'm not sure. The only one I've watched is Hacks and I was way after-the-fact on that one so no idea how they were released.

[Drew 2401]

Really enjoyable first episode...thought it would be a slog to get through and better later on.  Really liking the feel of it.

[A-Tex Devil 2446]

I love how Reilly as Buss is just doing the Jim from the office look (either to the camera or to Magic) at all of these racist old white guys being old racist white guys.  I forgot Jack Kent Cooke owned the Lakers.  

Some people are still alive.  I don't believe they play Jerry West that over the top if he wasn't that over the top or close.  But I guess I only know him from latter day Lakers into his Memphis days, so don't have any recollection of him being insane.  

[Js1 85260]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

HBO shows, which this is one of, are all one episode a week. The ones that are HBO Max exclusives, I'm not sure. The only one I've watched is Hacks and I was way after-the-fact on that one so no idea how they were released.

The same. Sometimes HBO Max gets the first 1 or 2 to drop the first night and then 1 weekly 

[C-Man 27183]

Just ordered Jeff Pearlman's book that this is based on.

[Augustus 3061]

Just watched.

Reilly is just a gifted actor.  

Casting looks fantastic.

Nice to see Danny Noonan pop up in something once in a while.

[YChang 3441]

Fun first episode, but I also enjoy it when characters break the fourth wall. 

[Gunsup 56]

3 hours ago, C-Man said:

Just ordered Jeff Pearlman's book that this is based on.

I read the book when it came out-really enjoyed it, but I like most of Pearlman's books.

[Tom 2959]

19 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

1. I am an HBO Max noob -- they do the weekly release thing? Ugh.

 

On the bright side, you won't burn through the show in 2 days and forget half of what you watched a week later.  At least that's my experience. 

#teamweeklyepisodes

 

[Guest]

I find that I forget about the weekly shows. I started to watch Pam & Tommy and stopped a month ago. Now it's been so long I don't really care anymore. 

[oSuJeff97 3435]

19 hours ago, Eskimohorn said:

 

Yep. It took him awhile to warm up to the press and get a victory tour in the NBA. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court 48 minutes.

Thought the Jerry West portrayal was cartoonish.

 

Yeah Kareem was a known asshole for quite a while.

I haven't read the book, but I've read some articles that talk about the show, and apparently the stuff about West was straight from the book -- he apparently was a total manic lunatic back then.

And speaking of the book, I read that the current series is only going to get through the 1979-80 season and even though it was initially billed as a "limited series" there are likely multiple seasons in the works. They are apparently already working on season 2. There is a thought that they will eventually get all the way through the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, based on Pearlman's follow-up book about those years. I can't imagine how difficult it will be to cast Shaq, lol

[C-Man 27183]

I watched the first episode last night and loved it. John C. Reilly is fantastic. I also like the guy playing Magic quite a bit. OK, so he's not 6-9. I loved this era of NBA the best -- the 70's into the 80's. Wheelhouse for me. One minor quibble was the college 3-point line painted on the floor at The Forum in the closing scenes last night but that's just window dressing.

[PittsburghTiger 6174]

On 3/6/2022 at 10:40 PM, Eskimohorn said:

Jerry West is portrayed as a complete lunatic.

Well, he is from West Virginia.

[C-Man 27183]

2 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said:

Well, he is from West Virginia.

The other thing about West is their portraying him as a guy like Marino or Karl Malone, etc -- all-time greats that never won a championship. Yes, West had disappointing loss after disappointing loss to the Celtics in the '60s but also was a crucial member of one of the greatest teams in NBA history and won a title with the Lakers in '72.

[South Austin 52436]

21 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

4. Was Kareem a jerk in real life? I was always under the impression he was a really nice guy.

He seemed like a real jerk.

 

[Dr Fear 1268]

The phone conversation with Jerry Buss trying to get money from the ex-wife had me rolling.

[oSuJeff97 3435]

Also related -

So I guess this series caused a huge falling out between Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. 

Of course the two guys have worked together for years including starting a production company (Gary Sanchez Productions) that produced all of McKay's prestige stuff (The Big Short, Vice, Succession, etc.)

So I guess Will Ferrell really wanted to play Jerry Buss, but Michael Shannon was initially cast in the role, and Ferrell was fine with that apparently; however, Shannon left after production started, and McKay re-cast John C. Reilly (who is one of Ferrell's best friends) as Buss but didn't tell Ferrell.  

McKay made the right call at the end of the day, just crazy that it (apparently) has ended their friendship.

[Guest]

There was a story about that in Vanity Fair. 

[oSuJeff97 3435]

4 hours ago, C-Man said:

One minor quibble was the college 3-point line painted on the floor at The Forum in the closing scenes last night but that's just window dressing.

I noticed that, too.

One interesting note is that the 1979-80 season was the first season of the 3-point line in the NBA.

[Mez2 4023]

just in to say I saw the first episode yesterday and fucking loved it - i hate the lakers but this totally looks awesome. if i remember correctly, jeff pearlman wrote the book on the 90s cowboys. i can see that getting made into a short run series too 

[C-Man 27183]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

There was a story about that in Vanity Fair. 

And it was discussed further up in this thread. 🤣

I'd heard McKay and Ferrell had a falling out quite some time ago, I thought. Was this the episode or did they have a previous situation where they got sideways with each other and this was another incident?

[utxmike05 1828]

Just when I thought I didn't have more series to watch on HBO...this comes along.  Awesome show so far.

 I don't really know much on the backstory or even how Buss was as a person, and I hate the lakers as a team so I would never really read up on them.  But I'm a big fan/respect of some of their stars over their history.  

Did not know anything about Jerry West off the court.. but damn lol.  

I heard on the radio that actor playing Magic was a center in college.....for a football team.  And had to lose 80 pounds for the part.

Only complaint on the show is the 4th wall...it's cool when it's one character doing it.  But everyone does it here...but still funny as hell.

 

 

[oSuJeff97 3435]

43 minutes ago, utxmike05 said:

Only complaint on the show is the 4th wall...it's cool when it's one character doing it.  But everyone does it here...but still funny as hell.

That's definitely an Adam McKay thing.

He only directed the first episode, so it will be interesting to see if his particular stylistic choices are carried forward.

[YChang 3441]

4 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

That's definitely an Adam McKay thing.

He only directed the first episode, so it will be interesting to see if his particular stylistic choices are carried forward.

Ha for me that's what I really enjoyed. 

[TrashMaster G 17539]

I enjoyed the hell out of the first episode.  I hope it keeps delivering at that level.

But, it's making me miss those glory days of the NBA.  I loved the NBA back then and was a Lakers fan in particular.

Now?  The NBA is pure crap.

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

I enjoyed the hell out of the first episode.  I hope it keeps delivering at that level.

But, it's making me miss those glory days of the NBA.  I loved the NBA back then and was a Lakers fan in particular.

Now?  The NBA is pure crap.

Yeah, why exactly is that? I've watched games here and there. It seems like little defense is played and the key is just to shoot as many 3-pointers as possible. Is that's what is going on?

[utxmike05 1828]

3 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Yeah, why exactly is that? I've watched games here and there. It seems like little defense is played and the key is just to shoot as many 3-pointers as possible. Is that's what is going on?

Every time I see a final score they both teams seem to be in the 120s-130s

[C-Man 27183]

30 minutes ago, utxmike05 said:

Every time I see a final score they both teams seem to be in the 120s-130s

Averaging scoring was 109.3 points per game in 79-80 vs 109 this season. Teams averaged 2.8 3-point attempts per game in Magic/Bird's rookie season vs 35.2 per game this season. The NBA has become unwatchable for me as well. The 80's/90's were when I liked the game the best and I loved the 00's (and '14) because I'm a lifelong Spurs fan.

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

Yep the 90s NBA of isolating 1 guy on one side of the court while putting the rest of the team on the other side so they could all collectively watch 2 guys play 1 on 1 for the entire game was a joy to watch.  Nothing like a 73 to 67 game to get the juices flowing.