HBO’s exciting reigning series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has entered a very intense decade in season 2. The ’80s marked the biggest rivalry within the NBA, not only between two of the greatest players ever but also the teams they played for. Now the director of the acclaimed show revealed how they’re dramatizing the competition alongside the similarities between the two rivals.

Todd Banhazl sat in the director’s chair for the first time to create episode 3 of Winning Time season 2. This episode marks the arrival of Larry Bird, the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson’s biggest foe. But according to the director, they’re no polar opposites.

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The mid to late ’80s period was TV-worthy for the Lakers. They’d clash with the Boston Celtics on and off the court for several years. This isn’t only two team owners butting heads. The rivalry was fueled by their two titans, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Episode 3 of Winning Time season 2 kickstarted this epic rivalry with the introduction of Larry Bird. The episode delved into Bird’s background before he entered the NBA. The episode’s director explained why Bird’s personal story is relevant to the Lakers dynasty.

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Todd Banhazl told the Hollywood Reporter that the Lakers history is incomplete without Larry Bird, “There’s no Magic without Bird and there’s no Bird without Magic.” He’d go on to explain that these “mortal enemies” pushed each other to become better and it made their respective teams better.

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“The rivalry between the two dynasties is the rivalry between the two of them, and we all know that they actually become friends and that’s what’s so beautiful,” he said. He further adds that Bird’s past is significant because he and Johnson are “actually two sides of the same character.”

The similarities between Bird and Johnson

Episode 3 is titled The Second Coming to play on Larry Bird’s other nickname, Basketball Jesus. His impact on the game and a generation of NBA pros is that significant but so is his pre-fame story.

Before he was a three-time NBA champion, Bird was a college dropout. Winning Time dramatized his life after leaving college and losing his father. He ends up finding a secondary father figure in one of his coaches, Bill Hodges. He’d form a similar bond with Celtics coach, Red Auerbach.

It rings identical to Magic Johnson’s life too. Magic Johnson had a father-son dynamic with Lakers head honcho, Jerry Buss. Banhazl tried to show these strong parallels between both Bird and Johnson’s relationships with their mentors.

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“I think it’s interesting to see those two kinds of parallels running in the episode,” the director said. Fans also agree. NBA historians know that Bird is about to upset the Lakers dynasty this season. And they’re going to savor every little drama between these two rivals!