Kareem with 32 points.
James Worthy with 20 points, a terrific game.
And Magic Johnson, 18.
I think that the Lakers,
they've got a very, very fine basketball team.
They've got a lot of answers that the Celtics
have never seen before and
I think the Celtics have a lot of answers for them, too.
The Los Angeles Lakers
have won in Boston to take a one-to-nothing lead
in the best of seven for the NBA World Championship.
-You bet your ass! -Get the fuck outta here, Buss!
-Yeah! -Fuck you, Buss!
Get the fuck outta here!
-One down, three to go! -Fuck you!
-Go fuck yourself! -Fuckin' Irish bitch!
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Go crazy
You better fuckin' run! Go!
God damn! These crackers done lost their motherfuckin' minds!
If you don't like...
Damn, this crowd's gonna kill us!
Let's get the fuck out of here!
We're soon gonna find out!
-Someone hit me with a beer! -Straight to the bus!
Down the hall. Keep movin', keep movin'!
To the bus!
Come on, Cap.
Woo!
They mad, y'all!
Are we gonna let elevator bring us down?
Oh no, let's go! Let's go crazy
There it is! There it is, come on, get up, get up!
Let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
Until they put us in the truck, let's go!
We got one, y'all! We got one!
We got this year in the bag! Let's go!
Hey, we got this one in the bag!
Let's go! Let's go!
Fuck, yeah!
Don't go gettin' cocky now.
Alright? We got three to go.
We got one!
You guys just came in here,
and you stole one on their floor.
That's right!
But it ain't stealing when you take what's yours.
That's right!
Now, they've won their rings. We've won ours.
And none of it meant shit!
Because it wasn't against them.
We don't want another ring.
-We want theirs. -Yeah!
Okay, Coach!
We want their fucking hearts.
-Yeah! - Okay, Coach!
You hear me? We want their fucking...
hearts!
Let's go crazy
Theyâ€™re coming up front.
Oh shit!
Get us the fuck outta here!
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Pills and thrills and daffodils
Hang tough, children
He's coming
There it is
Yeah, ah, uh
Yeah
Okay
Check it out
Death to the pigs is my basic statement
I spit street stories 'til I taste the pavement
Tryin' to stay out the pen where we face enslavement
Had a foolproof hustle 'til they traced the payments
I was grippin' my palm around some shitty rum
Tryin' to find psalm number 151
To forget what I'm owed, as I clutch the commode
I read "Put down the bottle and come get the gun"
Let's get off the chain like Kunta Kinte with a MAC-10
They want us gone like a dollar in a crack den
Steadily subtractin' seeds and stems
Mind cloudy through the wheeze and phlegm
Numbin' my brain off of that and the Jesus hymns
If we waiting for the time to fight, these is thems
Tellin' us to relax while they ease it in
We gettin greased again
The truth I write is so cold
It'd freeze my pen
I'm Boots Riley it's a pleasure to meet you
Never let they punk ass ever defeat you
They got us on the corner wearin' pleather and see-thru
All y'all's gold mines, they wanna deplete you
I ain't just finna rap on the track, I finna clap on 'em back
And it's been stackin' to that
500 years before Iceberg ever leaned back in the 'lac
Before they told Rosa "Black in the back"
Before the CIA told Ricky Ross to put crack in a sack
And Gil Scott traded rappin' for smack
This beat alone should get platinum plaques
I'd rather see a million of us ecstatic to scrap
'Cause if we bappin' 'em back we automatically stacked
Come take my hand
You should know me
I've always been in your mind
You know I will be kind
I'll be guiding you
Ooh...
You have to believe we are magic
Nothing can stand in our way--
Ain't mine! Can't be! I was careful.
Not careful enough.
I voiced your objection to the young woman.
She's insisting you're the father.
She's made it clear she plans to keep the child.
In my professional opinion,
we'd do better to arrange a settlement sooner than later.
I can't be dealing with none of this right now.
Got camp. Season startin'. This is my time!
Son, this child is due to be born in the heart of the season.
Right when our corporate friends
from 7 Up and Buick are looking to their pitch-man
for all those wholesome Christmas ads.
They can't know about none of this. Nobody can.
My people back in Lansing--
That's why we nip this in the bud.
We suspect Miss Mitchell will be needing financial assistance
and we have that to offer in exchange for silence.
So, she ain't gonna be saying it's mine?
The deal would be conditional.
No admission of involvement,
the child will not carry the Johnson name,
and if she speaks of you in the public,
we slap her with a lawsuit
that a single mother such as her can ill afford.
For you...
be like the child never existed.
Well, that's cold.
You sayin' there ain't no other way?
Review the terms.
We'll need your decision by the end of training camp.
Son...
Our job is to protect you.
And we gonna do that.
We need you to focus on what you do best.
The game.
This is your moment.
Yeah. Yeah, you right.
You right.
Volare...
In sports news, the NBA draft was held today in New York City
with every owner of every franchise descending on Manhattan.
And it was the Boston Celtics who were particularly active
with a huge trade at the top of the draft.
What do you want, Jerry?
We have a pick until the second round.
Oh, fuck it. We're champs. Let's just stand pat,
take the limo for another fuckin' spin, huh?
Sorry we're late! We just came from a little sit-down
with the cable television boys in Connecticut.
It's a racket. What kind of morons wanna pay for television?
Could be 10, 20 million eyeballs by the 1990s.
We want those eyes on us, David.
Basketball is the sport of the decade,
but we're not makin' it by burying a game a week on CBS.
Hey! There he is!
The man who tied for second runner-up.
How was your draft, Red?
-Oh, what, you didn't hear? -No.
I made out like Dillinger.
Picked me up a sleeper out of the University of Minnesota.
Got Golden State to throw in a starting center
as part of the trade,
and now, I got the best front court in the whole league.
Good luck matching up with that.
I'm happy for you, Red. You needed a break.
And who knows? These moves work out,
maybe we'll get a chance to beat you in the finals.
They do dream big in California.
Yeah, but I still got the team that beat your ass.
You got no idea what team you got.
Ask West how it goes.
After you finally get over that hump,
what happens next?
-You get a little distracted. -Oh.
Because of the bright lights and the bullshit.
Jealousy is very unbecoming, Arnold.
Is this what happens when you lose?
'Cause I'm unfamiliar with the feeling.
I'm just one and done! All I know is winning.
-You know, my people got a word. -Yeah?
Dayenu. Means, "It would be enough."
If all God did was bless us with the Promised Land, dayenu.
If he just sent the plagues against our enemies, dayenu.
It goes on this way, but the point is sometimes we get lucky.
And we get greedy.
Some advice from an old Jew?
Let it be enough.
'Cause if you come after it again,
this wily Yid'll jam his Florsheim up your cowboy ass.
Alright, then.
Go sit on a fuckin' turnip.
What is he talking about, by the way?
The draft?
Did he just eat our fucking lunch again?
-No. No, we're fine. -It's all good.
See them walking hand in hand
Across the bridge at midnight
What a difference a year makes, huh?
Nice hairdo.
Oh yeah, thank you. Cassie got me this new stuff
called mousse.
You ought to try it.
We're champs. Gotta look the part now, right?
I'm just hoping we get to keep it.
You know why nobody repeats.
'Cause the guys that you beat along the way,
they spent all that time at home,
figuring out new ways to break you down.
Therefore, you gotta innovate.
I've been working on new rotations, schemes.
Pat, have you read "Othello"?
Greatest general in Venice. Maybe all of Europe.
Did he have any tips on the low post trap?
Even if he did, it wouldn't matter,
because his downfall was not battle plans.
It was personalities.
We the ones that made it happen.
Not Coach, not Cap.
We carried the load, brought home the gold.
But one ring ain't gonna keep us in that room.
-Nigga, what are you talkin' about? -I'm talkin' about the--
I'm talkin' about that.
I'm talkin' about the future!
That game six? We showed what we can do.
Coop, flyin' the floor, slammin' it home.
-Yes, sir! -Norm, poppin' it from mid-range.
-Percolatin' like a motherfucker! -Yeah.
-With Chones cleaning up them boys. -You know how we do.
Kareem was our general. Carried us all year.
Then, our Iago stole his glory.
Now, you're dealing with the stuff of tragedy.
Entitlement. Resentment. Hubris.
The key to everything is going to be us.
We're not in the shadows any longer.
We pushed those men, led them to victory.
And we're still looked at as understudies.
Paul, you can't let this crap get to you.
No, no, that's where you're wrong, Pat.
We gotta bring it in.
-We gotta feed on it. -Okay.
It's you and me, Pat.
I know Cap. He comin' back, but let's be real.
He barely could keep up with us runnin' last year.
That's how he got hurt in the first place.
It's good for him, too!
We get a lead, then throw him in there, let him do his thing.
Right?
I'm thinking we should talk to him together.
Oh, hell no.
Man, you the one the white people got on TV selling shit.
So, go sell him on this.
-Ain't nobody scared of Cap. -I am.
I dress in the shower sometimes.
For real!
-Afternoon, gentlemen. -Oh. I'm calling my mom.
-See ya, Cap. -I'ma call her, too.
-Buck. -Sup, Cap?
-Thank you, Lon. Appreciate that. -Yeah.
Hey, Cap, can I talk to you for a second?
So, me and the fellas, we was talking, and they had this idea,
and I wasn't too sure about it at first,
but I think I'm seein' what it could be.
-Do tell. -So...
-Kareem! -Well, the thing is--
I asked you to hurry up and give me the key!
Please! I have to pee.
Oh. Sorry, Earvin. Emergency.
-So good to see you. - You, too.
-Shit. I ain't know y'all was-- -Blessed.
Yeah. Sho' is.
You wanna know how the great Red Auerbach built his dynasty?
He was the first guy to field an all-Black team.
In Boston.
Ha, yeah. The old fart was a civil rights hero
because he didn't give a good goddamn what anybody thought.
He wanted to win.
And, my friends, the future of sports is not an athletic contest.
It's a business one.
And that
is where I got the bastard beat.
Alright! We all here?
-Yes, sir. -Hey, Pop.
Who's got the payroll numbers?
-Oh, I do. -Okay, John.
Tell the room what we pay...
Cooper.
-Cooper. Let's see... -I know that one.
Yeah, we got him locked up cheap.
35 grand a year.
Alright, so add a zero to that number.
Well, we don't have to do that
'cause he's not up for renegotiation till next summer.
When the new free agent rules kick in.
The days of payin' chump change are over.
We are getting out in front of this, alright?
We are gonna sew up our starters, long-term.
We're gonna pay them more than any of these other cheapskate owners.
And that means our boys are gonna bleed for us.
Can we afford that?
- No. -No.
Well, that's the beauty of it.
Ronald Reagan is about to be president.
Big business in the White House.
Debt is good.
Credit is the new cash,
and growth will be the only way to stay alive.
You reinvented basketball as entertainment,
but why stop there?
Why not fill the Forum with new sports?
Team tennis, indoor soccer, gymnastics.
It's all in the folder.
Alright, Claire! Take a look-see at this.
Frank, I need you to find our money men. We need investors.
Jeanie.
I am proud of you.
Jimmy and Johnny do not have what you have.
I know that.
But I can't give up on 'em.
-And I don't want you to either. -Of course not.
We're a family.
Yeah. Well...
Let's face it, we're not the family we could be.
I did what I know, you know?
My dad disappeared.
And Grandma...
Well, God bless her.
She was full of love, but she showed it in some strange ways.
And, you know, she never made us a home
that we could settle down in.
I wanted that my whole life.
Anyway
I can't make up for the past.
But this is somethin' new.
Jeanie, I want you to live here with me.
Really?
And I mean you and your brothers both.
Jeanie, we're building an empire.
But it's not gonna mean a goddamn thing
if we don't have each other.
All of us.
-Think it's him again? -Can't say he gives up that easy.
Does that mean you starting to give in?
Hell no.
Come on, Cook.
We both know you missin' me.
-Don't flatter yourself. -What's that?
Nothing! Nothing, baby. Nothing.
Oh, "baby" now, huh?
Yeah. Better a nickname than going out and makin' one.
Oh, Cook, you know I ain't mean to do that.
I just like pussy a little too much.
Some folk get high. Some drunk. Me?
I like to fuck.
Well, good luck with that.
Good luck with what, honey?
Honey? He sound like a bitch.
Mr. Softee ain't comin' in between us.
We got somethin' special.
You think you can run around and do whatever you want,
and I'll just come runnin' back?
Well, from now on, I need somethin' I can count on.
You can count on some boring-ass nights, and you know it.
Hey, babe. You ready for Bible study?
Come on, come on, come on, come on! Look, this is easy!
Let's go, Norman. This is his Make-A-Wish.
This is his Make-A-Wish, Norman!
Stay on him!
Ball, ball, ball!
Here we go! Alright, let's go!
Hold for Cap.
Let's go! Let's go! Hustle!
-I got Magic! -Ball! Ball!
Earvin, slow down! Wait for your captain.
I'm here! EJ! EJ! Right here, I'm open.
-Come on! -Slow down!
-Got your back! - Come on!
-Get the molasses out your ass, Cap! -Shut your ass up.
-Take it easy, now. -Pass the ball, man!
No picks.
I look like I was ready?
Sorry, Cap. Just tryin' to find the right speed
like Coach want.
We'll get there! We'll get there. Give it time.
Hey, look. Cap's wiped anyway.
Why don't we just call it a day, alright?
-Good idea. Let him rest the ankle. -Yeah.
That's it, gentlemen!
Wait a minute, Coach!
We wanna climb that mountain top again, we gotta be in shape!
I'm still feelin' fresh!
-How about y'all, fellas? -I'm with you.
-Tired as fuck. -Yeah, let's run it.
Cap can lay down if he want. Bunny got him.
We can do a little game six.
You think this offense runs better without me?
Nah! Just trying to protect the cargo.
Hey, hey, hey. Practice is over.
It's over.
No, I agree with Buck. Let's run it back.
Cap...
You play game six. I'll run with B.
Let's go, B team. Let's go.
Yeah! Come on now, y'all! No laggin'! Let's go!
-Why'd you have to talk shit? -You already know.
Why you gotta talk shit?
Let's go! Let's go, bunny.
Alright, let's go!
Ah! I got back.
Get him, Cap!
Let's go. Post, post, post!
Finish that shit!
Alright, come on!
If you want it, go, go! Get it, get it, get it.
Woo!
Listen up. This is your captain speaking, motherfuckers.
You want minutes? It's time to earn 'em.
Hell yeah! Hey!
You wanna make another All-Star team?
Scoring, that's how you do!
Lock Buck's punk ass up, grind the rest of those fuckers down,
and every time we go in the offensive end,
-gimme the fucking ball. -Jim!
Let's get your ass up off the pond!
This here how we make it happen! Let's go.
Let's go!
Where you at, Cap? Where you at?
-Hey! I got it! I got it! I got it! -D up! D up!
All day. You know you can't guard me.
Hot dog! Come on!
Yeah!
That's too easy!
Shoot it!
Yeah, Norm!
Yeah!
-Paul. Paul... -It's not gonna get easier.
Tryin' to earn these minutes, huh?
Ball! Ball!
Hey, Bunny, I need you down--
Here! Here!
-Fuck off me! -Lock him up!
He can't handle the pressure! Let's go, B!
Come on, Cap! Get it, get it!
Ah! Ah, fuck!
Hey! Move it out. Okay, alright.
Let me see him. Get outta the way.
-Clear out. Clear out. -How bad is it? How bad is it?
Let me see it, Cap, let me see it.
-Let me see how bad it is. -Ah, fuck...
-Fuck! -Shit.
-Fuck me. -Get off me. Get the fuck off me.
We're done for the day.
Cap, you good? Oh, shit. Okay, okay.
You're outta your fuckin' mind, dude.
350,000 fuckin' dollars. Outta your fuckin' mind.
-Jerry, hear him out! -Oh, that's right, Bill.
I'm just gonna hold the camel's tail while you fuck it in the ass.
That is the operating cost of half the fucking teams in this league
and you are just giving it to Cooper!
-And Norm. -And whoever else we wanna keep.
Jerry, Jerry.
We're buying loyalty with this, alright?
We're gettin' out ahead of the curve.
And when this free agency shit kicks in next year,
we're gonna look like geniuses, alright?
You got any idea how much I earned playin' for this club?
No? How about you? Kid? No?
$800,000!
And that's not just one year.
That's my whole goddamn fuckin' career!
Okay, look.
Kareem and Magic, I get it.
Pay 'em. They're stars.
But you start throwing this money around willy-fucking-nilly like that,
what does that mean when we really need it?
-What are we gonna do then? -Then we're gonna spend more money.
You're gonna--
Jerry, I appreciate your concern, alright?
It's not your fucking problem.
That is modern business. Welcome aboard.
Okay. Okay. Well then, shit. Fuck.
Suit me the fuck up, huh? Come on!
How about you, Bill?
You gotta be good for a couple of points off the bench!
Little rusty, but hey! How about that? What's that worth, Frank?
That's gotta be worth, what? Two? Three?
-400? 500,000? -A million!
Oh, a fuckin' million, huh?
Hell, let's just fuckin' wipe our asses
with all this fuckin' money we got, huh?
-Don't worry. We'll get it done. -Calm him down.
Jerry! Jerry, calm the fuck down!
Jesus Christ!
Scary.
Wow.
So you got them working for you.
Now, you want them living in your mausoleum?
It's their home. They're thrilled.
That's the problem.
They believe you.
Just like they did every Christmas, every birthday,
when the boxes would show up, but not the guy who sent them.
They still think the man who left our home to learn
the fox trot and chase tail
won't let them down.
Hey. I love those kids.
-Do you know Johnny's a musician? -Of course, I do!
He's got the rock-and-roll band.
He's a singer in a country band
which he quit to come here and live with you.
Jimmy was in jockey school.
Think he wants that any other reason than his daddy likes the ponies?
That's his dream. It's not mine.
And Jeanie. You know what her favorite sport is?
-Tennis. -Tennis.
Now she's popping Rolaids like a middle-aged accountant
losing sleep for you.
She's got ambition.
Alright? And that's a fucking virtue.
I'm not signing off on any new investors.
Set them free.
Folks, welcome to a new season.
And these Lakers are hot outta the gates.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the big man,
the captain, rehabbing from a scratched cornea.
And in his absence, these Lakers are playing
faster than ever.
Watch out, NBA.
When this team gets going,
they are a blur.
Ah, ah, oh, oh, oh
You've got the best of my love
Just wish everything was as easy as ball.
Feel like the only place I can get away from it all
is out there on the floor.
Is that the only place? 'Cause...
I could take that as an insult.
Nah. This good.
It's real good.
Appreciate you coming through.
Hope it clears your mind because we need an answer.
You don't understand.
If she sign them papers, that ain't gonna make everything alright.
I'm still gonna have a kid out there with my blood runnin' through it,
that I ain't taking care of.
And I ain't protectin'.
I ain't actin' like no father.
Are you ready to be one?
Just know--
Just know turning my back ain't right.
Right is relative.
First thing they teach you in the law.
But I didn't need school to teach me that.
I've been learning that my whole life.
Competing in a world of white men,
right and wrong is a matter of opinion:
theirs.
And if you wanna play their game, you learn to live with that.
So I gotta do bad for it to be good.
Unless you wanna be a choir boy,
which, from what I experienced, would be a loss.
If Miss Mitchell signs the papers, that child will live well.
The same life it would've been afforded under your own roof.
The guilt gets easier to live with.
Take my word on that.
Next time, let's do this at my office.
Save me time on the commute.
That could be fun.
Well, you know he's a hard man to get a hold of
but I'll tell him you called.
Thanks. Yeah. Okay.
Bye-bye.
So Earvin just called again. And next time,
you really need to be the one to answer because I'm just--
I'm not getting up again. No. Not until the baby comes.
There's nothin' to say.
Well, what if he's calling to apologize?
He ain't got it in him. And he's a hustler.
And what he wants is the spotlight to himself.
-You never liked the spotlight anyway. -I earned it.
I actually earned the respect and I paid for it with my body.
So why not share the burden?
He doesn't get to just traipse in, play one charmed game
and act like that entitles him to take this team.
I'm coming back tonight, and I'm going to dominate
the way I have since long before he held a basketball.
Because I'm dealing with an overgrown child.
I get it, baby. You're not the only one.
We need to go to the hospital.
-Oh, baby, baby. -Now!
$300,000 that we ain't got.
Look.
I know you got your heart set on those
contract extensions.
You sure that JoAnn's not worth another go?
Fuck JoAnn!
She's not stopping me. Fuck her.
Come on, Frank.
Claire!
Come on! Kids! Conference room, pronto.
Come on, Jean-Bean.
You guys are gonna like this one!
Alright.
Jeanie.
-You love tennis, don't you? -Yeah.
Well, you know this tennis league you got in here?
We're buying you a franchise.
-We are? -Yes, we are.
Jim, we're gettin' into the pony business with you.
You've spent half your time at the track anyway,
we might as well make some money doing it.
So, pick your thoroughbreds,
-find your jockeys. -Alright.
John, you are the new owner-manager of our indoor soccer team.
You can have that country band
-of yours play at halftime. -Are you for real?
Wait, you know about the Johnny Hatton band?
I love 'em!
We were just gonna do a reunion at the Palomino.
-Save it for the Forum! -We should discuss this.
$300,000. That's the buy-in for both leagues,
and the seed money for the racing team.
All you need is a little imagination.
So I take out a second mortgage on the mansion.
That's a million in cash.
I spend most of it buying the teams,
but with new teams come new lines of credit.
That makes that million three million,
which covers the Lakers contracts,
buys us a little wiggle room to boot.
If we swim, then the business has some pocket cash
and if we sink, then it's a healthy write-off.
Father of the fuckin' year.
-Everybody happy? -Yeah.
I'm seeing three big smiles! I like that!
Frank's not happy, but he'll get used to it.
-Thanks, Dad. -We'll talk about this soon.
Is this for real?
Dr. Buss.
The ship has left the port, Claire.
If you don't like it, I don't wanna hear it.
-No offense. -I'm all for it.
You made me Vice President of California Sports.
-Yes, I did. -Yes. And so, for once in my life,
I've got skin in the game, too.
So
don't make me regret it.
Yeah, but what about that
Jewish thing Red was talking about?
-Ah, dayenu. -Yeah.
Being satisfied with what you got.
Yeah, fuck dayenu. I want more.
That is what I'm talking about!
Hey, has anybody hear from Cap?
Maybe we got one more night to do this on our own.
Hell nah! This train ain't stoppin'.
We been seein' what it should be.
Cap just gonna have to get his mind right.
Fellas, we had a boy.
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Let me see, let me see. Look at him.
Ooh, he's scowling already.
- Congrats, man. -His name is Amir.
It means "someone with the right to rule."
Aw. Nice.
Of course, it do!
Your son gonna do great things.
You being the big chief and all.
That so?
Ah. Okay.
I gathered you see yourself in that position.
Or have I misunderstood?
Nah.
We think the offense oughta stay the way it is.
-Me and the fellas... -I'm just gonna go over here.
been winning.
Don't see no need to change.
No disrespect,
-but, like-- -I agree.
Have you ever seen a child come into the world?
None of the things that I've mastered in my life
could help in any way.
All of it was worthless in that moment
because that moment didn't require a great man to step in.
It required me to be a partner.
Right on, Cap. Hey.
That's all I'm tryin' to be is a partner.
I doubt that.
I'm not gonna sit up here and lie that I regret
all that I've accomplished.
But my older kids?
They know number 33 much better than they know their father.
Last year, we contended with some of the worst luck
this league has ever seen.
Out of that crucible was forged this gold.
-You know it. -Pat?
Yeah?
Do you have a poem for us?
Fuck off.
That's okay. Good thing I have one handy.
Prepared.
Alright.
"Out of the night that covers me.
"Black as the pit from pole to pole.
"I thank whatever gods may be
"for my unconquerable soul.
"Matters not how strait the gate.
"How charged with punishments the scroll.
"I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul."
We have our captain back.
We are the masters of our fate.
This is our year! On three.
Count us down, Cap.
Our year on three. One, two, three.
Our year!
-Let's go, let's go, let's go! -Come on, come on, come on!
It's my fuckin' time.
Magic! Magic! Magic!
Ladies and gentlemen,
your 1980 NBA World Champions.
Your Los Angeles Lakers!
Ooh...
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
I'm in love, I'm in love
Ooh...
I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love
Hold on now, Keith.
-Magic stepped a little bit funny now... -Time out!
and... Oh my.
Look out, look out. Hey, you good?
-Fuck. Hey. -Earvin?
Let's get some ice, guys.
- Riles, it hurts. -Back up. Back up a little bit.
Hey. You alright?
Nah! Don't-- No, no, no!
Come on, Magic!
Unfortunately, the arthroscope revealed more damage than we hoped.
We have to open the knee up
with an incision about six, seven inches
and remove the cartilage and the scar tissue.
-And then, I'ma be alright? -Then, time will tell.
How much time?
Young man in good shape, athlete like him,
he should be up and walking in about 12 weeks.
-Twelve weeks? -Ready for light exercise.
-Light fuckin' exercise? -Twelve weeks puts us
a month out from the playoffs. Can he get back in shape?
Fuck shape, Bill! We need him in a groove!
-I heard the pop from the 12th row. -Hey, all y'all just calm down!
Y'all just hold down the fort and your boy be back before you know it.
Trust me.
-Yeah? -You're goddamn right!
Doc, lemme buy you a drink.
Yeah. We aight.
So...
So we lose a couple months, but he's a world-class athlete,
and he'll be back in shape for the playoffs.
If we get into the playoffs.
I don't wanna fucking hear that, Bill.
We are defending a title,
so you two figure it out!
And tell me what I have to do to plug the fucking dam
so we're ready when he comes home again this year.
In time to win!
-Un-fuckin' believable! -Well...
Okay.
Shit.
So, Norm's point.
We need a backup.
-Who you willing to trade? -Nobody.
-Chones? -Can't give up any assets until we know
what's going on with the kid.
And if everything goes sour, we're gonna need everything we have,
including the kid, to make a bigger move.
Bill, anybody worth his salt is already on a roster.
Tryin' to find somebody decent to replace him
without movin' anybody on is fuckin' impossible.
-It's a wild fuckin' goose chase, Bill. -Yep.
Welcome to management.
Hello again, everyone.
Well, if you like sloppy play,
then the first half of basketball was for you.
Westhead, frustrated by the stagnant offense and lackluster play.
Welcome back from the half.
And if you're just tuning in, the Lakers are a man down,
and I'll tell you what. They're looking like it, Keith.
Struggling to stay afloat with Magic Johnson on the mend,
and, well, wherever he is, we hope he's resting up
and working on his rehabilitation.
Right there, that's good. Yeah!
Keep goin'.
Yeah. That's good.
We got it. Just keep goin'. Oh, God.
Keep goin'. Yeah, that's good.
Oh, fuck!
-Ah! Fuck! Fuck! -Oh. Hey. Why you stop?
-Why you stop? -This thing is cutting me.
Well, just scoot around it!
Maybe it's not a good night.
I said I'd meet the girls at Osko's after the game.
Wait.
You just--
You just gonna leave me like this?
You ain't gonna, like
finish the job?
Make him feel good
Feel good
Rain check. Call me when you're out of jail.
What, that's it?
You should clean up in here.
It's a pigsty.
She's the least of your problems.
Mm, mm, mmm.
Funny how shit change on a dime, huh?
-Get the fuck off me. -The fuck?
Yeah, it's me. Your ripped-up knee.
I ain't try and get hurt. That shit just happened.
Whatever.
-Brace yourself for some more bad news. - What you talking about?
Our future. We is fucked up.
-Like, for real. -Shut the fuck up, man.
So that's how you playing it? You remember Toby Knight?
Exactly. Knicks took him second overall
in the '77 NBA draft.
Eleven minutes into his first preseason game,
his knee twisted every which way but loose.
Now, he's bouncing around the league like a bad check.
Then, there's Bob Lanier,
Dave DeBusschere. Doug Collins, Bob Pettit,
and a whole lot more.
Once their knees went, they were never the same.
Face it, bro. You might not be either.
What I'm supposed to do now?
Well, from the look of this apartment,
hop our Black ass back to Lansing.
You gonna end up there anyway.
-Ain't nobody ending up back in Lansing. -Fuck your pride.
Right now, I need some tender loving care.
Maybe on the way, you can stop by unemployment.
-Shut the fuck up. -Get a job application.
Nigga, you ain't funny.
Hey! That's what I get for telling it like it is?
That's why your crippled ass can't walk.
...in an enormous hole.
Their spirits are down, I do not like their body language,
and I'll tell you, you can't sulk when things don't go your way.
We won a championship
using a system built on improvisation.
-That is Magic's strength, not Norm's. -Say what?
That's not a criticism. Just a fact.
Another fact is that Kareem is struggling offensively.
That ankle is still on the mend.
We cannot lean on him to carry us.
My system is our answer.
I call it...
The System.
That's it?
Your system called The System? That ain't sexy.
Thank you, Jim.
But it's a simple name for simple basketball.
The System is not looking for the best shot.
The System is looking for...
as many shots as possible!
We shoot as quickly as we can, before the defense can set
because what The System is after is quantity!
Hold up. So you're sayin' I just get the ball and chuck it up,
and if I air it, I ain't gettin' benched.
I'm saying if you don't do that, you're getting benched.
Pat. Now...
Pat and I have studied all of your film.
These are the spots from which our starting five
were most affected, regardless of the defense,
so these are the spots you're gonna run to!
Norm. Jamaal. Mike. Jim. Kareem.
-So we running spots again? -Same spots every time?
All the time. As fast as you can.
Whoever catches the ball, you shoot!
You don't dribble. You don't pass. You shoot.
The ball never touches the floor, okay?
Hey, no offense, but this sounds like the stupidest shit ever.
We keep doing the same thing, they gonna figure that shit out.
Won't matter, Norm.
With The System, we shoot faster, and we shoot more.
And more shots at a lower percentage
will beat fewer at a higher one every single game!
For you, maybe. I start bricking,
-Sharman gonna ship my ass up outta here. -Damn right.
Ain't nobody paying nobody to be missing shots.
We the motherfuckers with our damn stat lines in the toilet.
And what about you? Yo ass set.
Got millions of dollars in the bank.
Meanwhile, we doing all the work!
And we the ones on the auction block, right?
I promise, The System benefits everybody. Trust me.
-Motherfucker, please. -Hey, look, Jim, give Coach a shot here.
-He's got a vision for this-- -Hey, Cap! Cap! Cap!
How you feel about this shit?
I think you've devised a system to paper over the reality.
In Earvin's absence, I've failed to pull my weight,
and you no longer think I'm capable.
No, no, no. No, Cap! That's not it. That's not it, Cap.
-That's not what he's saying. -That's not it at all!
The dumbest name I ever heard in my life.
"The System." Oh, my God, such a great name!
Mrs. Adams has worked out the terms for your review.
You'll see that the finances are quite generous.
My son will not run from his responsibilities.
We did raise him better.
That so?
Then why are these lawyers here doin' all the damn talking?
If you're finished, Mr. Mitchell--
I'm here for family, damn it.
Now, game recognize game and you runnin' a game, Day.
Tryin' to buy us off on Laker money.
When chances are, that lake done dried up.
Y'all dragged his crippled ass in here like he was King Tut!
Bum leg, broken as his word.
Look at him. Look at him.
Just another deadbeat nigga in his mama's basement.
-Baby. Baby, now, now. -Calm yourself, brother.
-Baby, baby, baby, now, now, now. -Calm yourself, brother.
Mr. Mitchell.
Mr. Mitchell!
You have our proposal.
Your grandchild will lack for nothing.
What more exactly do you want?
I'll tell you what I want.
I want your client to step up and be a father.
And not a coward!
Hey, so y'all gonna let him talk to me like that?
You lucky we didn't let him club you like a baby seal!
Everybody in there cleaning up your dirt
while you sitting in the corner quiet as a church mouse!
So you on they side, huh?
I'm on the side of right!
Your blood
is gonna be walkin' these streets.
Same streets as us!
While you off living your life.
So I guess we supposed to be quiet, too?
-Huh? - Look, I didn't mean to do this! Damn!
Can't y'all see I'm messed up right now?
Pop, I got hurt.
Now, it ain't the same! What...
Till this is all worked out, I gotta be thinkin' about me.
-My future. -Oh, me, me!
I gotta be thinkin' about me!
So Mr. Mitchell wasn't wrong then, was he?
You see, I was!
I sent you out in the world, all worried about you.
Turns out, you're the problem!
Move.
It'll be alright. I got good news anyway.
Datsun dealership right here in downtown Lansing
-is lookin' for a famous face. - Datsun?
Investors are already linin' up.
Wait.
What's Buick gonna say about all them big commercials
-I'll be doing? -Well, that's an issue.
Your national contract is yet to be renewed
and my instincts tell me
that they're in the mode of wait-and-see.
About the knee.
So we line up some local deals.
At least you'll have a stream of revenue
should rainy days remain.
Well, there's still time on the clock, Keith,
but, well, you wouldn't know it from being here.
Lakers about to drop their third straight at home
for the first time in five years.
With an offense as fickle as their fleeing fans.
My notes say this is a sellout, Chick.
Yeah, and I'm looking at 8,000 people dressed as seats.
Snake eyes.
Fuck. Baltic sucks.
Yeah, I have to. I'll take it.
You can come visit me on Park Place if you want.
You know what? Actually, I'll take Baltic.
You can have Marvin Gardens.
-Oh. Yeah, cool. -Thank you.
-What are you doing? -I'm making a trade.
-You're giving him a monopoly. -Yeah, I know, but I get one, too.
"I get one, too."
John, you get the cheapest shit lot on the board.
He gets prime real estate right when you're about to knock him out.
Where's this killer instinct?
John, where's your killer instinct?
Well, we just started playing.
I don't wanna get him out already.
What the hell does that even mean?
It's family night. We're just supposed to play together.
It's Monopoly.
It's not how you play in Monopoly.
It's business! You gotta be cutthroat!
You gotta go for the jugular when you see it.
Take no prisoners!
I don't care if it's your brother or anybody else.
Why don't we break out the Baskin-Robbins?
No. They need to hear this.
Business is survival of the fittest.
-So, get that in your heads. -Dad, it's just a game.
That's the business we're in, Jim! Games!
Jesus Christ.
This is why you've never beat me, by the way!
Yeah. 'Cause this stupid game is all you ever do.
You know what?
How about we just play the game, okay? It's your roll, Dad.
No. I'm not done.
If you two ever wanna make anything of your lives,
you have to stand up and be fucking men.
-You know what, Dad? I am a man! -Oh, yeah?
25 years old? Living under my roof?
Working for my company?
I shovel the food in on one end.
-You want me to wipe it off on the other? -I didn't ask to come here!
Yeah, but you asked me for every other goddamn thing,
and I've given it to you like a sucker 'cause I felt bad!
-Just be cool. -I'll be however the fuck I want!
-I think he's doing his best. -Yeah? Well, his best sucks.
There. And so does yours. It sucks!
It's shitty! It's lazy! Alright?
I wanted it to be easier for you than it was for me.
How? By ditching us for pussy and fun?
-What did you say? -Will you two, please, just stop!
You think you can judge me?
Yeah? Yeah, Jim?
You don't know shit.
Jesus Christ.
Alright, Jim.
Maybe you're right! Maybe I'm not such a great man
because look what I brought into the fuckin' world!
Congratulations, boys! I lose!
There! I gave you that, too!
Fuck this.
No, don't go.
Come on, Dad! Come back!
I remember that one.
Her? You remember her?
Yeah, she was nice.
Which one was that?
-Puppy? -Honey.
Honey Kaplan.
-Right. -You know,
I used to use a line back then with all the girls.
I used to say,
"You know, one day, I'm gonna own a team."
And they all laughed. You know, they all thought I was jokin',
but not Honey Kaplan.
She believed me.
Who wouldn't?
Who wouldn't? Look at me.
Would you believe this guy?
I was stuck in a rut, Jean-Bean.
But this girl. This girl, she knew.
She could see that I was better than what I was.
Well, I believed you.
Jeanie, I fucked up.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I got a temper.
You know, I should not have said those things to your brothers.
What kind of dad does that?
Well
maybe they need a
strong kick in the tush.
Yeah, but you don't need that, do you?
I mean, you're made of different stuff.
Yeah, I'm made of you.
-Mrs. Johnson? -Mm-hmm?
What is this all about?
Because if Earvin sent you here, I'm sorry--
No, he didn't.
He knows me better than that.
You should, too.
But I'm sure he wishes he was here himself.
Mrs. Johnson, your husband loves you.
Honors you.
I shouldn't want a man to do the same?
You should.
So what am I supposed to do?
He wants me right now. Give it a week.
Hell, give it a month.
That knee heals up, he'll be right back out there,
on the prowl.
I'm not sure you're aware
Earvin's father had another family.
I wasn't the first mother to his children.
Now, I am not excusing my son's behavior.
Not one bit.
He's acted like a child and there's no justifying what he's done.
All I'll say...
with the help of the Lord and a good woman,
a man can find his way where he belongs.
Sam, he was looking down the side to get it to Black
but he thought that Perkins has such a lead.
At the line is Sam Perkins, the sensational freshman
from Latham, New York, near Albany.
They've already got a player of the year candidate in James Worthy,
he's averaging 15 points a game and 8 rebounds.
Double pump by Al Wood, Isaiah Thomas, a great leaper,
and there was a double pump.
Wood doesn't miss many of those, and he certainly didn't the other day.
And there is, of course, the rebound foul.
Great hustle back down court...
A crowd of 18,000-plus at the Spectrum.
Isaiah Thomas is posted and Jimmy Black up.
Let's see if he stays out there at point guard now.
Man-to-man.
Isaiah Thomas with the ball.
It's a great honor to be an all-American and a consensus choice as a sophomore.
Was a member of the US Olympic team, as was Al Wood.
Here's Thomas! It's in!
What a play--
Fuck!
Cook?
I've been missing you.
And I know I fucked up.
And whatever it is that I gotta do,
I'll do it. You just say the word. Just say the word--
You got another girl pregnant, Earvin.
-I know. -How many times am I supposed to hear,
"I'm sorry, I'll never do it again,"
and believe it?
I know. It's fucked up.
I mean, you're having a child.
Cook, I'm sorry. It ain't on purpose.
I did what I did,
and it's wrong. And it was stupid.
You know, I always wonder...
do you even consider that
before you stick your dick in somebody?
What the outcome could be?
For real...
I don't.
Well, at least you're telling the truth about that.
Whatever it is that I gotta do to make this right,
I promise, I'll do it.
What's it gonna take, please?
I don't know, Earvin.
Figure it out.
Okay, goodnight, Earvin.
Time for livin'
Time for givin'
No time for makin' up
A monster to share
Oh, this is
Time for livin'
Time for givin'
No time for breakin'
Our own fairytale
Yeah
Ain't nobody
Got to spell it for me
Ain't nobody
Got it yet I can see
Oh, ain't nobody
Baby, got the thing I can hear
But if I have to
I will yell in your ear
Go on, son. They don't break too easy.
Time for givin'
No time for runnin' over anyone
Time for livin'
Time for givin'
Ain't no time, oh!
Oh
What's his name?
Andre.
Andre...
Where you come from,
each of you was head and shoulders better than the next best guy.
Not me.
I didn't make my high school squad.
I had my brother hang me from a doorjamb all summer.
-Grew 12 inches. - Maybe that'll work for you.
Suck a dick, buddy.
Still got cut.
What I did, I became the towel boy.
That's how much I love this game.
Because I knew then what I know now.
Basketball is more than stars.
Right now, there's people out there snipin',
talkin' about our record,
sayin' we come down to two men.
One who's not with us
and one who cannot do it by himself.
Team beats stars!
Every time!
The System, if we play it with consistency,
will make this team the star.
People think you can't do this without Magic.
They think I can't do it without Jack.
So, what are we gonna do?
-Prove these motherfuckers wrong. -Hell, yeah.
-Whose year is it? -Our year!
God save The System.
You really think it'll work?
I think it's gonna need a better name.
Introducing
your Los Angeles Lakers!
And the Lakers head out tonight to face the Seattle Supersonics,
hoping this may be their chance to finally achieve liftoff.
Lakers dominate with their first commanding win in weeks
and their magician may not be here
but the remaining Lakers found some tricks of their own.
This offense has them lookin' like a brand-new team.
And I'll tell you, Paul Westhead must be feelin'
like the million bucks he's gettin' paid right now.
These Lakers rattling off a streak for the ages.
And Jerry Buss, well, he's lookin' like a charmed man.
The question now is just how Magic Johnson
will fit into the scheme of things upon his return.
Think I just saw Kareem smile.
Good news from Kerlan! Scanned the knee.
Still sore, but the muscle's healing!
We should get Magic back before the playoffs!
Son of a bitch! We're back in business, ladies!
Ah, Mr. Johnson. I wasn't aware it was a garbage holiday.
Funny you say that.
We got some garbage needs disposing of right here at home.
Well, I see...
I have some business to discuss with Earvin Junior.
Not no more. We settled things with the Mitchells like family.
So your services will no longer be required.
Well, shouldn't I hear that from my client?
If you just let me have a word--
Ah. A wise man once taught my son
to never be delivering bad news.
Makes it my job.
Nigga, get the fuck off my porch.
Motherfucker.
This once, I'ma let that go.
-He was a motherfucker, though, right? -Ooh!
Mom!
The atom.
It's the smallest thing in nature that can stand alone.
The word in Greek is "atomos."
"Unbreakable."
Because a single lonely atom is all but indestructible.
It's also useless by itself.
See, an atom is just a building block.
He don't want to let you go.
He don't want me to leave.
Until it forges bonds
and that turns solitary atoms into more than the sum of their parts.
That's what we call chemistry.
Stop it! I got it.
And there's a reason it's the science at the heart of life.
Because it's where the action is.
Chones inbounds to Cooper. Touch pass to Nixon.
Lakers quickly passing up the Celtics' defense.
Silk with the three, no good.
Kareem with the rebound and two more as Boston falls further behind the Lakers.
You look great! When The System looks good,
-we all look good, right? -Yeah!
Excellent! Take some breaths. Take some breaths.
We're gonna kick these motherfuckers' asses.
Let's go. System on three.
One, two, three!
But there's also a reason
it ain't easy getting your PhD in this stuff.
It's a delicate thing.
Because just when things seem stable,
you drop in one new element?
You can spark a chain reaction.
Magic! Magic! Magic!
And kaboom.
You blow it all apart.
Sit down there and relax.
Put on a show just for you.
I really don't like that motherfucker.
It's the joint!
We gonna prove to the world that we're for real
We gonna prove to everybody we know the real deal
We got golden voices and hearts of steel
Because we're five emcees, we got to be real
We're here for the party people on Sugar Hill
So, what's the deal? Sugar Hill
So, what's the deal?
Sugar Hill
Ooh, that's the joint
These words we said, we want y'all to hear
We gonna make a lot of sense, we gonna make it clear
We gonna rock this place, we gonna use some class
We gonna do our best, we gonna make it last
We got rhymes on our minds, we got rocking in our hearts
A lot of things we do, you can call it art
We're bad, we're slick, we're doing it hip
We gonna rock this record, and don't you forget
Ah, that's the joint
Uh, uh!
Because Li'l Rodney C is the melody
Keith, help me rock, we're singing harmony
Because Jeff is the rhythm, and K is the bass
Sha-Rock, rock, shocking the whole darn place
Now, here's a little story you gotta be told
The party people in the place got a whole lot of soul
So, when we're on the mic, y'all shocking the house
And we all get together, we can turn it out
Now, we're in the house, as you can plainly see
Everybody's safe, get funky
Get funky and make money
And make money, and you don't stop...
Give it to us now
Funk it up, funk it up
Whoo! Gettin' funky
Uh, uh!