There was no mention of James Naismith in Lakers: Time to Win (HBO MAX). And it is logical that the inventor of basketball is conspicuous by his absence in Max Borenstein’s delivery. This is the story of the reinvention of that sport at the hands of the Los Angeles team in the last breath of the ’70s and during the following decade. It’s “showtime.” This philosophy that includes hyper-offensive basketball, seduction and spectacle. A mix of “Hollywood Bowl, Oscars and Playboy Mansion.”
“That’s where what we know as the NBA today was born,” Sally Richardson-Whitfield tells Página/12. “The Lakers are a true dynasty that was built at a very particular time. The first season was on the foundation. The NBA wasn’t popular until the Lakers took over. That was the work of Jerry Buss, and the alchemy that he had with Magic,” adds the director in charge of several chapters, including the one that closes this arc and premieres on Sunday the 17th.
The beginning, then, was as deceptive as Magic Johnson’s “no look pass” and as accurate as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s “Sky Hook.” It culminated with the first title in history for the megastar duo and the foundation of what would be their dynasty in the ’80s. The sequel was a clash of alpha males on and off the court with the wide, boastful smiles of Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and “Cap” (Solomon Hughes), coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), and Jerry Buss ( John C. Reilly), the owner of the franchise that manages the brand as an extension of its member. Lakers: time to win, on the other hand, reflects the inner demons of its creatures and what the flashes were hiding.
In this second season, everything that was generated from one of the greatest sporting enmities ever created by this sport is expressed. The media explosion for the NBA at a global level required the Californians’ attack against the Boston Celtics. And, especially, Johnson’s duel with Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), the latter possessing a style and image so opposite to what the point guard represented who gave smiles and incredible passes. The fight of egos on and off the court works very well in dramatic terms and, by elevation, refers to American culture with its obsession with winners. “The new season allowed us to dive much deeper into who these guys were, their family. And yes, it is much more basketball-like than the previous one. The antagonism with the Celtics is crucial,” says Richardson-Whitfield.
The installment is based on a research book by Jeff Pearlman (Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s), who would later write another about the team’s rebirth in the new century. Could what was achieved by Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James be recreated? There is still one last stretch at the end of that decade with the Lakers, and although its continuation has not been confirmed, it is speculated that it will be the last with everything that is happening with the announcement of Magic’s HIV.
Lakers: time to win, for now, is a retropop trip to the ’80s along with a bubbly aesthetic that adds fantasy to the story (and that has not been very well received by several of those represented), stamp of producer Adam McKay . “We tried to recreate that era from our memory of sports archives, but from then on it is creating something like never before seen. It sounds very presumptuous. But it has to do with our imagination about those moments. I am certain that no one did anything similar in terms of how to capture basketball. We always say, “what if we try this?” It’s never a no. It becomes bigger and more impossible, like everything the Lakers did,” says Richardson-Whitfield.
-You filmed more episodes than anyone else between the two seasons, what were the biggest changes between the previous one and the one we saw this year?
-In the first season we had to tell who all these characters were, thinking about those who didn’t know anything about the Lakers. But mainly we developed a very strong idea about what this program would be like, which has a very strong identity. Adam McKay has a very unique style and all of us involved follow that line. The second season is deeper because everyone already has a path. Who really are these guys? What stands out the most is the rivalry with the Boston Celtics, obviously. But you also have Magic’s relationship with Cookie, all the drama that comes from their personal relationships.
-The staging is very special, with the breaking of the fourth wall, the texture of over-the-air television or the grain of the cinema of that time. What does that add to delivery?
-It was definitely a search, the program is distinguished by that and in this season we worry about using those elements without them becoming a device. The characters talk to the camera much more than the script asks for. We realize when it is time to include it, and sometimes it arises from improvisation during filming. The actors already took it as something natural. The standard was set by Adam McKay and our director of photography, Todd Banhazl, and I think it’s a brilliant way to present the show, very much in line with what the Lakers exuded.
-How did you manage to find the scenes on the field?
-We filmed them as if they were action sequences. You have these big scenes and you rescue the small parts. We’ve seen Kareem’s hook a million times, what would it be like to see it a different way? What lenses can we use to be in there? How can we move the camera so that the energy of a stadium is felt? In many of the scenes we have a cameraman who uses rollers and puts you in there. It was a very stimulating challenge.
-Why do you think the Lakers are an epitome of the ’80s?
-That was because of Magic. She was very clear that she wanted to break certain molds. Kareem was already a superstar, but Magic exuded something different. His personality is always at the forefront, very exuberant, and not afraid to show it. That changed the NBA and the way people approached basketball. And Jerry Buss was pure ostentation. They were the perfect storm at the ideal time.
2023-09-17 03:01:00
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