Winning Time Sets Up The Epic 1980s Lakers/Celtics Rivalry

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HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty episode 2 already lays the foundation for the epic rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics that dominated the 1980s. The focus of HBO’s show might be on the true story of the Lakers' 1980s dynasty, but that story can’t be properly told without also exploring other aspects of NBA history. This includes a major role for the Boston Celtics, as the rival organization is an integral part of the decade.

The Boston Celtics connections to the Los Angeles Lakers have been a big focus of Winning Time. The series kicked off by covering how the Boston team dominated the Lakers over the last decade. Winning Time episode 2 brought one of the men responsible for this into the picture, as Michael Chiklis plays Red Auerbach. The legendary Celtics coach and executive won 13 titles with the Celtics before the 1980s began. Red’s role in Winning Time episode 2 sees him attempt to get Jerry Buss to fold on his hopes of making the Lakers a champion. It all leads to a meeting between the two that sets up the epic Celtics/Lakers rivalry of the 1980s.

Related: Winning Time: Why The Lakers Couldn’t Draft Larry Bird In 1979

At the end of Winning Time episode 2, Jerry Buss is ready to kick off a decade-long rivalry with Red Auerbach after their last conversation went poorly. Jerry brings Red to The Forum to tell him that he wants to rip his heart out and make the world forget about the Celtics’ achievements because the Lakers are more successful. Since this comes right before the start of the 1979-1980 NBA season, the conversation precedes a 10-year stretch where the Lakers or Celtics were in every single NBA Finals. Although the two teams only faced off twice during this stretch,