Paul Westhead – The Unlikely Villain In The Season 2 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

The second season of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty features Jason Segel’s character, Paul Westhead, as an unexpected antagonist. Even though most of the season has been devoted to highlighting the Boston Celtics’ more obvious rivals, particularly in regards to manager Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis) and star player Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), the Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with more serious internal problems. Magic Johnson’s (Quincy Isaiah) and Jerry Buss’s (John C. Reilly) family problems coexist with the Lakers’ coaching staff conflict, which is having an unexpected negative impact on the storied squad.

The hit series Winning Time portrays all of these problems as stemming from Paul Westhead, his recent brash attitude, and his controversial new playing style known as “The System”; however, some of its subjects, most notably NBA legend Jerry West, have criticized the show for romanticizing history. This raises the question of how true Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2’s portrayal of Paul Westhead’s spiral into insane overconfidence is. We should also briefly note that there may be spoilers in the next article since we will be talking about events that happen after the fourth episode of Winning Time Season 2.

‘Winning Time’ Sees Paul Westhead Go From Zero to Hero to Zero Again

Early in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty’s first season, Paul Westhead made his debut. This was soon after Jerry West (Jason Clarke) decided not to continue as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers when Jerry Buss acquired the franchise. The Lakers staff discovers a budding talent in Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts), whose sharp mind seems to be a perfect fit for the NBA squad, as the mad scramble to hire a new head coach officially begins. McKinney selected Paul Westhead, who was working as a high school English teacher at the time, to be his assistant coach after accepting the job.

Up until catastrophe hits, everything is going according to plan as McKinney starts using his unconventional techniques. McKinney is hospitalized for several months after being engaged in a near-fatal cycling accident just as the season is about to begin. As a result, Westhead, who is dreadfully unprepared, takes over as head coach in an interim capacity. He is unsure of how to fill the gaps left by his mentor. He meets an unexpected hero in former Lakers star Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), who turns out to be a very helpful influence in boosting Westhead’s self-esteem and coaching prowess. Westhead led the Lakers to victory in an NBA Championship in 1980 with Riley’s assistance, formally launching the storied Lakers Dynasty.

Paul Westhead And Magic Johnson

What happened following the Lakers’ historic triumph is shown in Season 2 of Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, but it’s not going as the squad and staff had hoped. The team’s performance in the subsequent season has been up and down, and they are struggling to adjust to Westhead’s new method, which he has termed, well, “The System.” Worse yet, Westhead’s ascent to prominence and glory as the head coach of a club that won a title has begun to get to him. Without seeking input from his colleagues, he has started making odd and unnecessary executive choices. He has also severely disregarded the counsel of Pat Riley, his assistant coach, even going so far as to appoint Riley’s replacement.

When Westhead irritates Magic Johnson—the one person he shouldn’t irritate—he approaches the brink of finding out who his weakness is. The level of friction between Johnson and Westhead is rising. Westhead doesn’t appreciate their highest-paid athlete undermining his authority, and Johnson doesn’t like The System. Magic Johnson makes the audacious decision to declare he wants to be traded to another team following an unpleasant encounter in a custodian’s closet. This move will ultimately cause more than a few issues for the formerly well-liked head coach.

Paul Westhead And Magic Johnson Feud 

Indeed, Westhead and The System weren’t well-liked by the basketball club when looking at the Los Angeles Lakers’ actual history. That is especially true for Magic Johnson, who is generally acknowledged to have played a major role in Paul Westhead’s firing as the Lakers head coach. Winning Time Season 2’s fourth episode reveals that Johnson received a staggering $25 million per year throughout his time with the Lakers, a sum much above that of any of his colleagues. Given the high price tag, Johnson undoubtedly had some wiggle room with Jerry Buss and the Lakers staff. However, he truly tested that when he said in public that he wanted to be traded to a different team.

Following the Lakers’ five-game winning streak, this incredible decision was made, and the personnel of the renowned club went into complete panic. They quickly learned that firing their controversial head coach was essential to keeping their star player. When it became apparent that the squad could only accommodate Westhead or Johnson, the staff ultimately decided to go with Westhead. It is said that the coach was sacked by the Lakers less than a day after Johnson declared his wish to be traded. Ironically, Pat Riley, a frequent coaching competitor and colleague of Westhead’s, would be picked as Westhead’s replacement.

It is easy to assume, then, that Westhead and his techniques were not well-liked by the Lakers of the 1980s, or at least a few notable members of the team and staff. But there’s really not enough data to support or refute Winning Time’s assertion that Westhead’s coaching philosophy and demeanor following the 1980 NBA Championship were as divisive as it seems. Except publicly endorsing Jason Segel on Twitter, Paul Westhead has not addressed his role in the show.