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Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty reached its climactic episode with the NBA finals and the beginning of the LA Lakers' historical domination that cemented the team in the pages of history.
After a season that looked at the team's personal and professional ups and downs, the finale culminated in a series of dramatic events and one match with a particular focus. Titled Promised Land, the finale depicted the real-life events of the 1979-1980 season, ending with the historical game between the LA Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty did dramatize parts of the story but stuck true to most parts of the story after the ninth episode hinted at something big happening. The finale aired on May 8, 2022.
What happened in the final episode of Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty?
The finale of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty skipped the first four games of the six-match NBA championship series and started with the fifth game. The opening sees LA Lakers take a good lead with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) leading the team from the front with his incredible performance.
However, Kareem picked up an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the match. Despite this, he carried on with his play, leading the team to a victory, bringing the series score to 3-2. Kareem's injury is severe enough to force him out of the last match, leaving the team largely dependent on Magic Johnson (Quincy Isiah).
Kareem entrusted the team to Magic before they left for the last game in Philadelphia, with Magi about to play in the center in place of Kareem.
Did the Lakers win the NBA finals in the last episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty?
The final game of the series is sufficiently dramatized in Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, but again, the show never claimed to have a documentary approach. The initial struggle was Mike's change of positions, which offered up space for the opposition.
However, he soon caught up, and the LA Lakers looked dominant thereafter. The LA Lakers started getting tired, especially Magic, in the latter part of the game. However, the news of Larry Bird winning the Rookie of the Year award shook things up for Magic, who went on to win the game for the LA Lakers by 123 to 107. LA Lakers were crowned the NBA champions for 1980.
Despite Kareem's exceptional performance, which won him the MVP award, the NBA Commissioner David Stern (Andy Hirsch) decided to present it to Magic Johnson, effectively starting a rivalry between Magic and Larry Bird, something that is beneficial to the NBA.
Jerry Buss decided to make Claire Rothman the vice-president and treasurer as the season wrapped up.
The latest episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is now streaming on HBO Max.
