The road to the team’s first championship in the 80s continues on Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. However, as we see in “Acceptable Loss,” there are several issues off the court that could derail the season, the biggest of which is the coaching controversy now that Jack McKinney is close to recovering from his bike accident.
Though Dr. Buss weighs his decision between McKinney and Westhead, he is more preoccupied with his mother’s deteriorating health. He’s a man initially in denial spending on unproven treatments and unwilling to listen to doctors. John C. Reilly captures the desperation and helplessness of someone with great resources that can’t do anything to help a family member.
It’s bittersweet the final adventure the two share with a combination of silly exploits and heartwarming nostalgia along with the belief that time is running out. You can feel the love Buss has for his mom and some sympathy for him. Not only is there the pain of losing a parent, but for someone who lived and breathed the Lakers all season, he loyally stays by Jessie’s side until the very end while his team makes waves and advances through the playoffs.
The tension between the coaches of Winning Time ratchets up with the ultimatum that if McKinney returns, Westhead must be fired. Despite Jack being medically cleared, we witness more instances where he is still feeling the effects of his accident. Yet the man is determined and pushes himself too hard to the detriment of his own health. It’s that kind of passion and dedication you’d want from anyone on your team.
On the other side, it’s curious to see how much talking Pat Riley does about wanting to keep his job but when armed with vital information to sway opinion to his and Westhead’s side, he can’t go through with it. The actual decision day is played well with a little twist. It incorporates McKinney’s condition and makes you wonder how much faith Buss really had in Paul and Pat. Especially with the brief conversation they all have later on.
One aspect of this episode that had mixed results is the Spencer Haywood subplot. The addiction problem is changed from real life with a hard partying lifestyle. Here, the series uses sobriety and the change in minutes and trade rumors to initiate the relapse. The storyline itself isn’t that engaging and the final scene is too over the top and misplaced even for Winning Time.
We do receive a gut-wrenching story about Haywood’s history and Wood Harris draws you in with his storytelling. More impressive is Solomon Hughes’ performance as Kareem who has to deliver the bad news. He expresses so much disappointment and heartbreak without saying a word. It must be difficult to let your best friend on the team go but when Spencer broke his word and went back to using, the captain has to do what’s best for the team.
Although the Lakers are rolling through the NBA season and playoffs, “Acceptable Loss” focuses on the hard choices in life stirring up a wave of varied emotions.
New episodes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty air Sunday nights on HBO.
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