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

[Deej 76,983]

2 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I actually thought that was kind of an egregious mistake. In 1984, the Pistons and Laimbeer didn't have that sort of rep. They didn't have any kind of rep then, really. It wasn't really until Rick Mahorn joined the team that they started being the Bad Boys. And then everything got heated up in 1987 after Isiah threw the ball away. 

 

I'd be willing to bet Bird hated Laimbeer at that point. It's not like Laimbeer suddenly became a heel. Basketball fans may have been late to that realization, but Laimbeer was never not a piece of shit. He made the All-Star team three years in a row around that time. (1983-1985) 

I promise Bird knew all about Laimbeer. 

[henrygandorf 29,197]

last season was 10 episodes.  this season was 7 episodes.  everybody knew the strike was coming.  the hbo merger has been in the works for 2 years or whatever.  and the showrunner has constant budget meetings with network execs.  that shit doesn't stay quiet and everybody on the show knows when it's an issue and how easily something can be cancelled.  the news broke yesterday, but i guarantee you anybody drawing a check from the production knew during filming that it was likely done.  it was the perfect recipe for a shitty meal.

[Red Five 40,952]

I wonder if a casting call went out for tall dudes with coat hanger shoulders. That guy pulled off McHale pretty well.

[A-Tex Devil 2,464]

5 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

. . . and goes full Rafael Septien,

I hope not….  Oh, you meant kicking.  

[mr. sunshine 2,833]

3 hours ago, slorch said:

loved Momma shit-talking Larry about Laimbeer

I was naive enough to think they’d make it to Shaq and Kobi. Somebody upthread suggested we’d be lucky if they just made it to the Pistons. Thought the Laimbeer reference was foreshadowing but fuck HBO

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

22 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

In the original ending of season two, a version of which was sent to critics earlier in the summer, the action ended with a somber Magic Johnson sitting on the floor of the Lakers locker-room showers and absorbing the team’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics. But in the version which aired on HBO (and streamed on Max), that scene is followed by one set five days later. Team owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and daughter Jeanie (Hadley Robinson) are shown walking alone on the court at the Forum with Jerry talking about his daughter one day taking control of the team and all they had already accomplished. Viewers then see a montage (set to Pat Benatar’s 1982 hit “Shadows of the Night”) featuring the real-life characters from the show along with updates on what they went on to achieve. The new ending was filmed back in January, long before the show was canceled and prior to the start of the WGA and SAG strikes.

https://www.vulture.com/article/winning-time-canceled-season-2-series-finale-explained.html

Yeah but the writing was on the wall.

They knew what kind of viewers the show got in season 1 - and they were hoping it would improve in season 2 but with the strike looming, there was an air of uncertainty so it would have made sense to shoot and alternate ending at that point and just hope you don't have to use it.... 

[Pig Bellmont 8,742]

23 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

What a shame and a horrible way to end this show. There were at least 3 more seasons of gold to mine on this. Hell, they could have kept it going through the Kobe/Shaq years if they really wanted to. But I'm sure we will get some random Game of Thrones spin off instead. All the way up with a red hot poker, HBO

You’ll get another Bobby Flay cooking competition and you’ll like it

[Eskimohorn 5,644]

You’ll get another Bobby Flay cooking competition and you’ll like it

Saw them advertising some ghost hunter show.

[utxmike05 1,828]

Definitely was caught off guard when Sunday episode 7 ended and the montage of future accomplishments stared rolling.

I know a lot is probably dramatized as far as personalities, but I am guessing most was accurate.  I was born in early 80s so all this was new to me and it was awesome to see what these players/coaches/staff were like in those days (exaggerated I am sure). 

I really enjoyed all the actors and many times I had to remind myself "that is an actor and not the real magic johnson"...great casting.  Buss as well.

[henrygandorf 29,197]

the casting was great and the choreography with the basketball scenes was outstanding.  i don't know who's responsible for this, but as far as the casting/cinematography goes, they did a fantastic job of making the players actually look like the players on the court - magic, bird, kareem, others, but they also made it look like a bunch of 6'6"-7'0" tall people running and jumping and huddling around riles, and so forth. 

that seems like something that would be easy to fuck up, because i assume none of the actors were over 6'3" or so.  i think adrien brody is about 6'2" and segel is probably taller than all of them.  the grainy filter mckay decided to use really took you to that place.

[C-Man 27,286]

Quincy Isaiah (Magic) is 6-3

Solomon Hughes (Kareem) is 6-11

Sean Patrick Small (Bird) is 6-4

 

Also, I just found out Molly Gordon was in this show as "Linda Zafrani." She played Mikey's GF in Season 2 of The Bear. I think she was the one who poked her head in the door to ask Jeannie Buss to go to Game 6. Knew I dug her from somewhere else.

[C-Man 27,286]

23 hours ago, slorch said:

90's Cowboys, but with a lot less owner bullshit.

Jeff Pearlman's got you covered there as well with "Boys Will Be Boys" about the 90's-era Cowboys.

[utxmike05 1,828]

So was Bird really an insufferable dick? I like a good shit talker, but this actor looked like a guy who kills animals for fun.

[hobbes2702 13,083]

14 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Quincy Isaiah (Magic) is 6-3

Solomon Hughes (Kareem) is 6-11

Sean Patrick Small (Bird) is 6-4

 

Also, I just found out Molly Gordon was in this show as "Linda Zafrani." She played Mikey's GF in Season 2 of The Bear. I think she was the one who poked her head in the door to ask Jeannie Buss to go to Game 6. Knew I dug her from somewhere else.

Solomon Hughes played for Cal I believe.

[henrygandorf 29,197]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Also, I just found out Molly Gordon was in this show as "Linda Zafrani." She played Mikey's GF in Season 2 of The Bear. I think she was the one who poked her head in the door to ask Jeannie Buss to go to Game 6. Knew I dug her from somewhere else.

lol she was in every episode.

[C-Man 27,286]

4 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

lol she was in every episode.

I never put 2+2 together that's who that was!

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Also, I just found out Molly Gordon was in this show as "Linda Zafrani." She played Mikey's GF in Season 2 of The Bear. I think she was the one who poked her head in the door to ask Jeannie Buss to go to Game 6. Knew I dug her from somewhere else.

@Mitch Cumsteen maybe able to explain more, but this is one of those things that sucks about the show being canceled - they barely tapped into the background characters. She was playing Kurt Rambis's girlfriend and future wife Linda Zafrani, and the real life Linda and Kurt turned into some of Jeannie Buss's closest friends, all the way up through today. Kurt is still involved in Lakers' management, and Linda is currently a VP with the Lakers organization. 

Jeannie, Linda, and Kurt and one or two other people are considered the reason that the Laker are still as big/relevant as they are today.

And yet we started out the show with Kurt being "that fucking hippie" and Linda being an admin/assistant.

No idea when these photos were taken, but this was Rambis and Westhead sometime in the past 20 years.

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

A little Rambis love

 

[SizzleChest 8,284]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Jeff Pearlman's got you covered there as well with "Boys Will Be Boys" about the 90's-era Cowboys.

Jerry's going to have to be severely weakened or dead for that to get made.

[veritas aequitas 443]

They could just do a show of John C Reilly playing Jerry Buss doing Jerry Buss stuff and I would watch that. He was fun to watch in this role, it will be missed. We never even got to see him at the poker table.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,371]

So was Bird really an insufferable dick? I like a good shit talker, but this actor looked like a guy who kills animals for fun.

No, he was the ultimate shit talker but all of the guys will say he was never disrespectful. He just told you what he was going to do before the play & then did it. YouTube is full of his smack talk stories & they're fucking awesome. Like Barkley losing it when Bird told him the 76ers were disrespecting him by sending a white guy out to defend him. In fact, I think there are some former NBA players out there making up stories about Bird trash talking them to validate their status. If you weren't worth his time to shit talk then you really weren't a pro.

Bird was the ultimate competitor. He didn’t shake hands before games, would throw down at a moment's notice, & played to win.

[wild_turkey 3,187]

30% dip from season 1 premier to the the season 2 premier.  Season 1 ended with about 1.6m viewers. Season 2 premiered with 629k.

I wonder if there’s any way to factor in the entire HBO platform becoming a subpar Max service during that time. What % drop in overall viewership or subscribers have they experienced?

[Stringer 1,439]

I’m curious if the show had some overly expensive contracts with some of the actors, too. Gillian Jacobs and Molly Gordon were both credited in every episode but had like 6 scenes combined this season. Same with Rob Morgan, who was in the premier and hardly showed up again.

From what I understand (you Hollywood guys can tell me I’m wrong), if you are credited on the episode, you get paid, so they had a lot of money going out with actors who weren’t even on the show. Great for the actors, not so much for a show on the verge of cancellation.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,598]

5 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

@Mitch Cumsteen maybe able to explain more, but this is one of those things that sucks about the show being canceled - they barely tapped into the background characters. She was playing Kurt Rambis's girlfriend and future wife Linda Zafrani, and the real life Linda and Kurt turned into some of Jeannie Buss's closest friends, all the way up through today. Kurt is still involved in Lakers' management, and Linda is currently a VP with the Lakers organization. 

Jeannie, Linda, and Kurt and one or two other people are considered the reason that the Laker are still as big/relevant as they are today.

And yet we started out the show with Kurt being "that fucking hippie" and Linda being an admin/assistant.

No idea when these photos were taken, but this was Rambis and Westhead sometime in the past 20 years.

I don't know that much about the inner workings of the Lakers but it is generally accepted that the Rambises are Jeanne Buss's inner circle and together they're running the franchise like their own little fiefdom. I don't think they are the reason that that the franchise is what it is today at all. If the Buss family sold the team tomorrow it would still hold the same status. 

If we're being honest, the Lakers haven't been a very well run franchise for awhile now, not really since Jerry West left. They just have advantages in free agency that no other team can match so their margin of error is greater than every other team. They can screw up the draft and their cap and make bad trades for years but it doesn't matter because some star will beg out of his small market team or just sign with them outright when his contact comes up.

Also I never cared much for Rambis. Great at his role but he got way more love than he ever deserved. And he was thought to be a lightweight as a coach. Those highlights are hilarious though. He and former Spurs great Ed "the enforcer" Nealy going at it one on one isn't exactly Dominique  v Bird. 

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

3 hours ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

In fact, I think there are some former NBA players out there making up stories about Bird trash talking them to validate their status. If you weren't worth his time to shit talk then you really weren't a pro.

Almost taking on mythological proportions, like the Charlie Murphy/Prince/Rick James stories on the Chapelle Show?

[RPM 26,368]

I want to believe

Quote

When asked by Vulture if the show could get picked up by another network, EP Kevin Messick replied, “I think the plan is this: If the universe wants more Lakers, the universe knows where to reach us.”

link

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

4 hours ago, RPM said:

I want to believe

link

Netflix?

Let me spend 30 seconds reading up on Reed Hastings.

Oh, looks like he's from Boston.

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

On 9/18/2023 at 2:37 PM, C-Man said:

So basically: "In any event, I've been made the new president of NBC HBO Max. As you may or may not know, Russell and I did not see eye to eye on many, many projects. And as my first order of business, I'm, uh, passing on your show."

Nice reference. Also, god dammit, this show was great. Way to fuck it all the way up hbo. 

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

On 9/19/2023 at 7:45 PM, GhostOfTomJoad said:

No, he was the ultimate shit talker but all of the guys will say he was never disrespectful. He just told you what he was going to do before the play & then did it. YouTube is full of his smack talk stories & they're fucking awesome. Like Barkley losing it when Bird told him the 76ers were disrespecting him by sending a white guy out to defend him. In fact, I think there are some former NBA players out there making up stories about Bird trash talking them to validate their status. If you weren't worth his time to shit talk then you really weren't a pro.

Bird was the ultimate competitor. He didn’t shake hands before games, would throw down at a moment's notice, & played to win.

Holy shit, Larry Bird posts on surly!

[WBT 20,677]

14 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Netflix?

Apple is the only one I could see but it's very unlikely.

If hbo wouldn't pay for it, netflix sure as shit isn't going to.

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

9 hours ago, WBT said:

Apple is the only one I could see but it's very unlikely.

If hbo wouldn't pay for it, netflix sure as shit isn't going to.

Netflix has picked up shows with strong cult followings and filmed additional seasons.

And Netflix has been buying up rights to show HBO shows (Netflix is getting Band of Brothers, or already has it).

[Js1 85,636]

Showtime saved Minx but I don’t think Paramount would do it. But they also should because CBS is part of March Madness. Buy the rights, see if you can get a season 3 out around March 2025 and capitalize on the basketball viewership for your platform 

[Js1 85,636]

Actually the fact this show doesn’t run from March to April, period, when the whole country is in basketball fever is monumentally stupid. 

[henrygandorf 29,197]

4 hours ago, Js1 said:

Showtime saved Minx but I don’t think Paramount would do it. But they also should because CBS is part of March Madness. Buy the rights, see if you can get a season 3 out around March 2025 and capitalize on the basketball viewership for your platform 

starz saved minx, but agreed with everything else you're saying.

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:30 AM, Deej said:

And I just canceled HBO. Fuck Discovery.

You didn't cancel HBO, you canceled Max.  I did as well, but still have a lot of time left on my sub, and I got this nice little email from MAX:

Subject: Stream more slam dunks.

Risky Business

Nobody ever said fame was free. Stream more series that explore the cost of success.

Silicon Valley: The Lakers built their dynasty from the ground up, just like this tech team

The Other Two: Like Winning Time, this comedy showcases the ups and downs of chasing fame.

Boardwalk Empire: This award winner follows one man’s rise to power — and his struggle to maintain it. 

Show Me a Hero: If you’re looking for another star-studded series based on real events, try this.

Coming Soon: Live Sports: Starting October 5, you’ll have access to live sports on us with the B/R Sports Add-On. A $9.99/month value, included for a limited time on all plans. Don’t miss NBA opening night on October 24.

---------

Those greedy fucks canceled the show, then try and piggyback off of fans of the show.

[wild_turkey 3,187]

And Netflix has been buying up rights to show HBO shows (Netflix is getting Band of Brothers, or already has it).

Max is getting rid of Band of Brothers?! Will they also sell off The Sopranos, The Wire, and Game of Thrones? Then we could all agree that HBO has been entirely destroyed.

[Js1 85,636]

2 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

 

Max is getting rid of Band of Brothers?! Will they also sell off The Sopranos, The Wire, and Game of Thrones? Then we could all agree that HBO has been entirely destroyed.

 

No. They are on both platforms

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

6 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

Max is getting rid of Band of Brothers?! Will they also sell off The Sopranos, The Wire, and Game of Thrones? Then we could all agree that HBO has been entirely destroyed.

 

No, they are just renting stuff out.  Well they did kind of get rid of Westworld by sending it to Tubi or whoever not long after the last episode aired (guess Tubi paid them enough to make it exclusive).

I expect we might see a lot more of that going forward.

[Grade of D as in David 13,253]

Y'all just wait until Elon buys time Warner Brothers and HBO only produces tentacle porn anime going forward.

[Sawbonz 27,663]

 

also fuck Boston

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

And yet they let GOT continue on for multiple seasons and drove it into the ground.

[Js1 85,636]

2 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

And yet they let GOT continue on for multiple seasons and drove it into the ground.

Different management 

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

3 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

And yet they let GOT continue on for multiple seasons and drove it into the ground.

There was no sister-fucking in Winning Time.

[Deej 76,983]

Now they can afford to reboot Sex and the City a second time. 

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

There was no sister-fucking in Winning Time.

They did the same formula of titties in the first season to grab your attention and then no titties ever again!  These people should be ashamed!

[atomheartbevo 89,859]

4 hours ago, Deej said:

Now they can afford to reboot Sex and the City a second time. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,598]

On 9/22/2023 at 6:01 PM, atomheartbevo said:

There was no sister-fucking in Winning Time.

Erroneous. Magic fucked a lot of sisters in Winning Time.

[Deej 76,983]

45 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Erroneous. Magic fucked a lot of sisters in Winning Time.

[Mittens 8,312]