Each week, we’ll be looking back on the newest episode of HBO’s “Winning Time” and fact-checking or adding more details on some of the key and bigger plot points by using the book “Showtime: MAGIC, KAREEM, RILEY, AND THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS DYNASTY OF THE 1980S” By Jeff Pearlman.
After almost half a season of shows building up to the moment, the fifth episode of “Winning Time” finally sees actual NBA games taking place for the Lakers. But while the gameplay looked terrific, the ending of the show is what likely left viewers a bit stunned this week, as the episode ends with head coach Jack McKinney lying unconscious on the pavement, bloodied from a wreck that saw him flip over the handlebars of his bike and slide across the asphalt after his brakes malfunctioned.