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Winning Time Episode 10 True Story: What Really Happened & What Changed
Winning Time episode 10 wraps up season 1 with the Lakers competing in the 1980 NBA Finals. Here's how the show's events compare to the true story.

Warning! SPOILERS for Winning Time season 1, episode 10.

HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty episode 10 takes the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals, and here’s what the season 1 finale gets right and wrong about the true story. The evolution of the Lakers during the 1979-1980 NBA season as shown in Winning Time was all about trying to win a championship. New owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and rookie Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) made it their mission early on to be the last team standing. After Winning Time episode 9 showed the team clinch a spot in the NBA Finals, the season 1 finale focused extensively on the final few games of the Lakers’ matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The events of Winning Time episode 10 fast forwards to Game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals. With the series tied 2-2, the Lakers are on their way to a big win in Los Angeles before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) hurts his ankle. This changes the complexion of Game 5 and the rest of the NBA Finals for the Lakers, forcing Magic Johnson to step up in a big way. At the same time that the team is trying to win its first NBA Championship since 1972, Winning Time episode 10 shows Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) and Jack McKinney (Terry Letts) seemingly mend fences over what happened with the Lakers’ coaching position. Meanwhile, Jerry Buss is still grieving the loss of his mother, and Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris) continues his drug-fueled quest to kill the Lakers.

Unsurprisingly, the entirety of Winning Time season 1’s story comes into play during the finale. And since the 2022 original HBO show is an adaptation of real-life events, Winning Time‘s true story is once again worthy of inspection. The series took plenty of liberties with its storytelling and characterizations throughout the first season, but it also stays true to what happened in most instances.

What Happened In The First 4 Games Of The 1980 NBA Finals

Since Winning Time episode 10 drops viewers into the middle of Game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals, the entirety of the first 4 games is skipped over. The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers were a great matchup on paper that delivered close games on the court too. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated throughout series, as he was the highest scorer in three of the first four games. Kareem’s 33 points powered the Lakers to a 109-102 victory in Game 1, but his 38 points in Game 2 were not enough to overcome Julius Erving, Darryl Dawkins, and Maurice Cheeks combining for 72 points in a 107-104 victory. Game 2 was on the verge of being a blowout win for the 76ers too, as they had an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Lakers responded with a big win in Game 3 – final score 111-101. The 76ers came out on top in a back and forth Game 4, winning 105-102 and tying the series after keeping Kareem in check with 23 points on 27 shots.

Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Injure His Ankle In Game 5?

Episode 10 shows Winning Time‘s true story of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffering a gruesome ankle injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He twisted his ankle when he stepped on Lionel Hollins’ foot in real life, just as the series shows. The true story is accurately represented in the show, as Kareem did return to the game and play through the excruciating pain to score 40 points and lead the Lakers to an important victory. Kareem’s ankle injury was severe enough to keep him out of Game 6 in real life too.

Was Paul Westhead Going To Leave The Lakers?

One of the unexpected moments in Winning Time episode 10 comes when Jack McKinney visits Paul Westhead at his house. While it is not known that this interaction took place – or that McKinney shared what he would do without Kareem – the conversation that happens does tease some true story events. Westhead tells McKinney that he’ll quit coaching the Los Angeles Lakers after this season is over because he hates how it all played out. This didn’t happen as Paul Westhead returned to coach the Lakers for the 1980-1981 season. However, the San Diego Clippers were interested in making Westhead their next head coach if things didn’t work out with the Lakers in real-life.

Did Jack McKinney Ever Coach Again?

Jack McKinney doesn’t regain his job as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach during Winning Time episode 10, but the episode does include him mentioning that he’s looking for another NBA coaching gig. It didn’t take long for McKinney to find a new job, as he was hired as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 1980-1981 NBA season. With a bit more time passing after his bicycle accident from Winning Time episode 5, he won Coach of the Year in his first year with the Pacers after leading them to the playoffs. McKinney remained with the team for three more years but was fired after the Pacers had the worst record in the 1983-1984 NBA season.

How Much Of 1980 NBA Finals Game 6 Winning Time Gets Right

Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals gets a big spotlight in Winning Time episode 10, but the accuracy of the game’s events is all over the place. The series makes sure to give accurate scores at the end of quarters and the game, as the Lakers did win 123-107. Winning Time also gets Magic’s Game 6 stat line correct, as he had 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in real life. Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson also did jump in the tipoff at the start of the game. However, some of the other details of the game are incorrect, primarily down the stretch. The show changes the game to make it a bit closer. Instead of the Lakers only leading 104-103 with 2:45 left as shown in the series, they were really up 108-103. Magic Johnson also did not call a timeout on the court due to exhaustion at this point, and Michael Cooper wasn’t the recipient of a hard foul with 2:26 left.

Yes, Larry Bird Won Rookie of the Year In A Landslide

Even though HBO’s 2022 show focuses on the Lakers and their winning ways, that doesn’t mean that everything went according to their plan. This includes Magic Johnson’s hopes of winning Rookie of the Year. Winning Time follows the true story in this situation by having Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird beat Magic to win the award. It eats at the Lakers rookie for much of the episode, leading to Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) telling Magic the vote count during the final minutes of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. While it might not be true that Magic learned of the results in this moment, Larry Bird did win Rookie of the Year in a landslide, as he received 63 votes to Magic’s 3 votes.

Is Magic Johnson Still The Youngest NBA Champion?

Once the Los Angeles Lakers win the 1980 NBA Finals, Winning Time episode 10 mentions that Magic Johnson is the youngest player in the NBA history to win a championship. This was true at the time, as Magic was only 20 years and 276 days old. He beat former Minneapolis Lakers player Vern Mikkelsen (21 years and 184 days old) to set this record. However, Magic Johnson is no longer the youngest NBA champion. His record was shattered in 2004 thanks to Darko Milicic winning a championship with the Detroit Pistons when he was only 18 years and 361 days old. As of right now, Magic Johnson is the third-youngest NBA champion in history, as Los Angeles Lakers guard Talon Horton-Tucker (19 years and 321 days old) is second after the Lakers’ 2020 NBA Championship.

Kareem or Magic For NBA Finals MVP? Controversy Explained

The final controversy in Winning Time episode 10 delivers another rather surprising true story. After winning the NBA Finals, it is said that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is going to be the MVP, but David Stern tells Magic Johnson that he could take the award instead since Kareem isn’t there. This is a mostly accurate account of what happened in real life, although it was CBS who orchestrated the NBA Finals MVP switch in Winning Time‘s true story. Former sports columnist and author Bill Livingston admitted in Kareem’s 1990 autobiography that CBS pressured voters to change their votes because they didn’t want to present the trophy to an empty seat due to Kareem not being at the game. Livingston confirmed that enough people changed their votes so that Magic Johnson won the Finals MVP based on a 4-3 count over Kareem. While Magic delivered a dominant performance in the Lakers’ championship-clinching game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the prior five games and is largely viewed as the person who should’ve won the 1980 NBA Finals MVP.