Todd Gilchrist editor Season one of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” ended on an appropriately triumphant note with the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Boston Celtics in the 1980 NBA Championships.
Not only was Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) vindicated after his tumultuous first year as franchise owner, but budding superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and his seasoned counterpart Kareen Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) put aside their differences to unite their teammates both on and off the court.
For the acclaimed HBO series, repeating that success — dramatically, much less historically — would prove a more difficult challenge, and not just because in real life the Lakers wouldn’t win a second title for two years, and three more for a third.
After helming two episodes in Season One (including that nail-biting finale), Salli Richardson-Whitfield graduated to executive producer for Season Two.
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