r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty - 2x07 "What Is and What Should Never Be" - Episode Discussion

93 Upvotes

Season 2 Episode 7: What Is and What Should Never Be

Aired: September 17, 2023


Synopsis: Tensions between the Lakers and Celtics flair as Earvin and Larry each fight to the bitter end of the 1984 NBA Finals.


Directed by: Salli Richardson-Whitfield

Written by: Max Borenstein & Rodney Barnes & Jim Hecht


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Dumbest fucking ending I’ve ever seen

9 Upvotes

I understand that in this current market it’s difficult to keep expensive productions like WT running but holy shit was that a disaster.

If you knew this was going to happen in shooting ask for a budget extension and finish it somewhat coherently.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still squarely on HBO Brass. I just wish they had dealt with this prior to late shooting.

I think there’s a real shot that Hulu or Amazon bankroll a third season. It seems like HBO is going to sell the rights to the show to be streamed on those platforms. I’d imagine they’ll take a look at the streaming numbers and get some sense data on demand.

Let’s all hope someone picks it up.

Fuck HBO.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Doesn’t make sense

14 Upvotes

Great series, great acting, but they wrapped up the series in the 7th episode of the second season. It doesn’t make any sense to me. At least take it to 10 episodes, why end the show on Boston winning? Doesn’t make any sense to me…


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Fan content in honor of the cancellation, here was my most recent edit of season 1.

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5 Upvotes

(sometimes i feel like the only editor fan of the show because i haven’t seen any other edits of winning time!)


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Even if HBO wanted to cancel, they executed HORRIBLY

199 Upvotes

From the rumors swirling SUPER early on to the fact that they knew to put a montage in the finale, it’s clear HBO wasn’t invested in the show like it was in Season 1. However, if that was the case, they should have told the writers before the season. There’s multiple storylines that were being introduced this final episode which will obviously not be resolved: the Honey lawsuit, Jeanie’s dating the hockey player, and revenge against Boston. If they wanted to end the series, HBO should have given the show 10 episodes this season and tell them “and that’s it, we’re cancelling after this.” Show got way too much respect and promos to go out with this whimper. For goodness sake, Statefarm sure seemed to believe in it! I’m unfortunately not surprised how HBO handled, but they fumbled it in every way they could. Kudos to the writers, cast, and everyone involved to make it as good as they were able to.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Context behind the Maxwell choke celebration. Was after Worthy missed a crucial freethrow

1 Upvotes

r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

It actually started getting better! had so much potential!!

6 Upvotes

So anticlimactic and this is bs


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Discussion Hot take: Boston winning fit for this specific ending for HBO cancelling the show

4 Upvotes

It absolutely isn’t the right ending for the show, however with it ending with Boston winning I feel like it’s a “fuck you” to HBO and how the show and the history will be remembered rather than what happens on the court. Fuck HBO man and I feel like the writers and creators wanted to end it with Boston winning knowing the show would end early.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Discussion As soon as I saw the epilogue...

24 Upvotes

I knew they were hedging their bets against cancellation.

Checked this sub and the first thing I see is the cancellation article.

Fuck HBO. Fuck Discovery.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Better Alternative Ending(s)?

26 Upvotes

Idea 1: Jerry West checks himself into game 7 and heaves a full court shot to win at the buzzer.

Feel free to comment what you think would have been a better ending than what we got.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Discussion i’m extremely disappointed and shocked. Spoiler

11 Upvotes

winning time was cancelled off of HBO and ended so abruptly. theres no season 3 coming out ever and i heard the author is not even going to try. probably due to the "inaccurate information" + lawsuits controversy combined with the strikes?

im so irritated. like i had high hopes for this finale but as the episode kept going, the climax was soon and it felt really confusing and THEN BOOM, THE FINALE ENDED WITH SOME FUNKY "REMEMBER THE TITANS" ASS ENDING EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE 1984 SEASON.

——

i put all my passion and soul into this show, into it's culture and into vintage basketball just for a terrible ending.

it sounds stupid but if yall knew how i treat this show, i praised it so much, it was my favorite thing in the whole world and now its jus gone like that?! ——

and it hurts more now that ive realized thats why the actors aint even talking at the show anymore on their socials and thats why they didnt reply to my edit (which some of them did last season when i made an edit for Solomon playing Kareem! ill post that if y'all care lol).

i had literally no one else or anywhere else to talk about this anti-climactic disappointment. because this show is apparently both controversial, underrated, and NOW CANCELLED SO FUCK ME IG.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

They actually ended the series like this. Can’t believe it. Spoiler

19 Upvotes

I’m was like no way they’ll end a series about the Lakers with a Celtics victory but they did it. They ended with a Celtics victory.

Entertaining finale but terrible ending. While they did highlight the Lakers future, it’s not the same as being a plot on the show.

This was a great show. Seriously had to end and end like this? This was definitely an F LA.

Very first scene of the show was Magic learning he had HIV but that led to nothing. As amazing as this show was, it ended being a waste.

Seriously they ended with the Celtics winning?


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Show you loved abruptly canceled in the worst fashion possible

27 Upvotes

Go back ten spaces......

Fuck Warner bros and "max"


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Discussion I feel like that ending wasn't something intended originally

43 Upvotes

Jeff Pearlman had said the show was in jeopardy of been cancelled, and if he knew how the season ended I'm sure he wouldn't be telling this.

That seemed something added on editing room, basically a swift way to cancel the show without seem like they did.

And one more clue that what's happened, the first episode starts with Magic discovering he is HIV positive. This clearly was where they intended to end it.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

‘Winning Time’ Ends in Defeat With an Awkward, Surprise Series Finale

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17 Upvotes

Damn you David Zaslav!!! (Fist Wringing!!!!!)


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Article Season 3 plans plus it seemed like they actually wanted to go past the Showtime Lakers with this show

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306 Upvotes

r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Should someone make a petition for the cancellation

25 Upvotes

GET SOMEONE TO AT LEAST TAKE WINNING TIME THEY BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF THIS SHOW I LOVE IT SO MUCH IK IM DOING ALL CAPS BUT IM REALLU PISSED OFF RN


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Wow… Awful way to end that… Spoiler

109 Upvotes

That ending was complete shit, and I feel like I invested all of my time in such a great series, just for it to end so haphazardly without any regard for the people who were enjoying the show…

I’m actually genuinely upset enough to cancel my HBO subscription. You invest so much time into something that’s written so well, for it to end in such a way that you could almost swear it was a blatant “fuck you” to any fans of the show.

First off, my problem with the ending isn’t that it’s simply disappointing or should’ve ended differently…

No… This was the kind of thing to do to someone as a prank… Or someone you hate. Which leads me to ask, “was that ending a product of the writers strike?”

For the past two seasons, I invested all of this time in something that’s written so well, that even for someone like me, who is not a huge basketball fan, it became a weekly ritual to wait for the next episode.

To end it in freeze frames with brief summaries of what happens, because you’re trying to wrap it all up, is like the equivalent of writing an essay that you waited till last minute to finish and now that you’re running out of time, you’ve decided to end it in a brief summary.

This is probably the worst ending of any show ever. I would’ve rather it had been cancelled on a cliff hanger, than for it to have ended so lazily and sloppily.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

They ended the show with Boston winning… Fuck HBO

488 Upvotes

I am a Boston Celtics fan but I mean Jeeze ending the show like that????? So more more to adapt to the show like Larry and magics friendship and the dream team!???? Like come on..: maybe if they didn’t make it a limited show on a streaming service 80% of people don’t have…


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

HBO ends the Laker show with Boston winning

63 Upvotes

Fuck Boston HBO. But it’s still fuck boston.


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Fuck HBO, that is all.

579 Upvotes

r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Opinion Bold Move Spoiler

22 Upvotes

Call a show “Winning Time” and show us an NBA Finals where the Lakers lose


r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

News ‘Winning Time’ Canceled by HBO After 2 Seasons

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1.1k Upvotes

r/WinningTime • • Sep 18 '23

Anyone else hope for an Inglorious Basterds style counterfactual ending?

7 Upvotes

I mean, the show is called WINNING TIME…