In the second season of Max’s “Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty” the legendary Jewish Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis) warns Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) that he better watch out, now that Boston has forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish.
“You know, my people got a word,” he tells West, “‘Dayenu.’ It means it would be enough if all God did was bless us with the Promised Land, ‘Dayenu.’ If he just set the plagues against our enemies, ‘Dayenu.’ It goes on this way, but the point is sometimes we get lucky, we get greedy. Some advice from an old Jew — let it be enough cause if you come after it again, this wily Yid will jam this Florsheim up your cowboy ass.”
Reilly’s Jerry Buss, is impulsive and mercurial, a man so hotheaded he becomes infuriated at his sons during a Monopoly game. On the court, friction between center Kareem Abdul Jabbar and point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson (a compelling Solomon Hughes and a magnetic Quincy Isaiah)
Season Two picks up the story soon after the end of Season One. The “Showtime” Lakers, winners of the 1979-80 NBA Championship, want to stay on top. When Johnson injures his knee and is forced to missing 45 games, he secretly practices with Riley. Brody’s Riley and Segel’s Westhead, have very different coaching styles. After Johnson’s injury, Riley gives a short pep talk on a bus, while Segel, as Westhead, tells his squad that “team beats stars every time” as they try to win while Magic is out. Isaiah shines as the star along with a humorous John C. Reilly
Jason Clarke is explosive as Jerry West The former Laker star — “Mr. Clutch,” whose silhouette is part of the NBA logo — is a stubborn general manager.
Brody and Segel have great chemistry as two men who are working together but think they can coach better than the other. Spencer Garett is humorous as legendary play-by play broadcaster, Chick Hearn.
While fans normally only see what happens on the court, it is fascinating to see the stories behind the wins and losses, the rivalries, the jealousies, and the strategies, while looming large is the rival Celtics with Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small).
While the Lakers made winning look easy with the power of Kareem and the razzle-dazzle of Magic, “Winning Times” shows that not everything is as easy as it looks from the outside, including the personal problems — as well as jealousy from other players because he the new star — Magic had to face.
“Winning Time” airs on Sunday nights on Max.
