Awesome. I think it does do all that, though probably not on purpose. I doubt anyone else who has watched this thing has given it such deep thought. Most of us are just hoping for more tit shots from Buss's girlfriend(s).

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

I think you are correct in saying the show's function as an identity politics allegory isn't intentional; but the fact that it does this unintentionally signifies the hegemony of neoliberal identity politics within our current political discourse. It is the lingua franca of the PMC and therefore the political unconscious of cultural artifacts produced through the mechanisms of corporate capitalism.

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Well, in fairness, it's basketball. 90% are black back then. Less now because of the European influence in the NBA. But still the majority. So, yeah, black guys are gonna make them rich. Cuz that's who played back then. So he had to rely on black players. No choice.

But to your point, Buss, Cooke and all the owners were absolutely racist and sexist back then. I didn't need this show to point out that this was the case in the 1980s. It's still the case today. Except owners can't act that way in this day an age cuz of law suits.

I think it's incorrect to paint them as racist. They were classist. Owner class and worker class. This industry just happened to be majority minority but I'm sure he looked at reporters the same way in his media companies.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm enjoying this show. I don't think it reflects reality but it is a fun version of a truth. Nobody should be taking it as history or even a majority view of truth. The narrative of Jerry Buss' early life they are trying to sell seems to be entirely created by the writer. Larry Bird as some clean cut midwestern boy sellable to the general (white) public is laughable for any of us who lived through that time.

John C. Reilly seems born to play early 70s swinging types. It didn't seem to matter if you were good looking or in shape back in those days.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Were they implying something at the very beginning of the first episode when Magic received his AIDS diagnosis and the other man in the car with him was crying?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm enjoying this. John C Reilly is fantastic, as always.

Claire Rothman isn't beautiful, but could be a freak.

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She is played by the little girl from A Field of Dreams. I think she has grown up into one of those people who uses her urine as deoderent and has pubic hair from the ankles to the belly button

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

She was also the Caller Bob in Uncle Buck

Doc Graham should've let her die and chose baseball.

No. I don't think they were implying anything with that scene. I think that was just his driver and/or friend. I don't know who he was. Maybe you're right, though.

But I do think Magic is gay. Or at least bi sexual. I think he got the AIDS from banging a guy. I also think Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas banged each other a few times. When they played each other, they would always kiss each other on the cheek before tip off. Let's just be honest, that just not normal behavior for pro athletes. You never saw that before they did it. And you haven't seen it since.

I'm enjoying the show. I'm sure a lot of this is Hollywood bullshit to make the show have some drama. But there is probably some truth to it.

2nd ep was a bit of a letdown.

A little bit.

It's gonna be interesting to see these actors actually play basketball. Most actors suck at sports. So we'll see if they can do some good editing to make them look like pro players.

Episode 2 was fucking boring. The whole Cookie subplot is tedious as hell.

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I don't even think it's true. The Cookie deal. I mean she was with him as a kid when he was poor. And now, when he's about to be rich and famous, she's thinking of dumping him? Get the hell out of Michigan and live a high class life in L.A. Really? And he has to beg to keep her when he can have anyone at this point in his life. That doesn't sound like it's true.

Well in real life Cookie had to know Magic was maybe the biggest whore in L.A. at that time. Seems like she was ok with it. Cha Ching!

Well, yeah. She came to that point, obviously. But this part of the show is before he got drafted and was banging everything in L.A - Guys and girls. That's why I don't believe it. She had a winning lottery ticket and didn't want to cash it in according to this show.

Every time I see Magic’s father I’m reminded of the Robert Downey Jr. character in Tropic Thunder.

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A friend of mine always says, "The 70s were a great time for ugly dudes."

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

Yeah. And it's pretty silly that the number one pick in the NBA draft has his chest out over dunking on a shoe salesman. That's like a half-step above Kofi dominating kids in his commercial.

If you're the number one pick in the draft and you have to work that hard to beat out the manager at Foot Locker for the girl, maybe you need to work on yourself.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

The only thing that's true is that Jerry West is a drunken lunatic with the IQ of a turnip. The rest is all factual.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

By the end of Winning Time we will discover that Dr. Naismith stole his idea from the son of a former slave. Basketball was a beautiful African tradition until it was colonized and corrupted.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

West has to be one of the most pivotal person's in the history of the league. He may be dumb but he sure seems to know basketball.

I haven't looked at any background on the source material. It seems like a story told from the Buss's perspective. I assume we'll get an idealized version of Jeannie Buss.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I got stuck with the AIDS scare 80s.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I read excerpts from a book about the Lakers (might have even been the basis for this show). Magic liked to host orgy type parties. He wouldn't participate himself but spent his time as a host going from room to room watching his guy friends have sex.

I think the parts about Cookie are actually reality. They seemed to have a devoted relationship with him being the pursuer. He wasn't exclusive but she was someone he HAD to have in his life.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

it kinda was and kinda is. I really want to like this show but not a good sign that already at episode 2 we've hit some filler.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

It was nice of Red to teach Dr Buss about winning.

Episode 3 was better..still not buying Adrian Brody as Pat Riley.

It's all ridiculous, but it's still pretty damn entertaining.