'Winning Time' Episode 7: Why did Paul Westhead and Spencer Haywood hate each other?
Before the Los Angeles Lakers thrilling win over the Boston Celtics, as shown in HBO's 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty' Episode 7, there was also the moment where interim coach Paul Westhead explicitly benched Spencer Haywood, who had his fair share of a rant with the media expressing disgust about the move. The relationship between the two can be called tumultuous at best. For those who remember Episode 6, that's where the cold-shouldering started when the player mocks Westhead while talking to Michael Cooper.
And in retaliation, he is shown to be warming the bench, and when confronted, Westhead says it's all part of the strategy — implying that Haywood wouldn't be the starter of a man coming off the bench at any point in the four quarters. The snub continues in Episode 7 when he continues to bench him in their loss to the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. However, the experience becomes a necessity when they face the Celtics, a game that Haywood had a role to play in the Lakers' 99-98 win.
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What was the relationship between Paul Westhead and Spencer Haywood like?
It's hard to envision the two cracking open a cold one after games. A classic example of the soured relationship was when Westhead suspended Haywood during the NBA Finals in 1980 ahead of Game 3. Averaging 9.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in the 20 minutes he would get, perhaps Haywood may have felt like he had enough to show for, but clearly, their issues went deeper and it all began when the coach replaced Jack McKinney after the latter's fatal bicycle accident.
Did Spencer Haywood attempt to murder Paul Westhead?
Such was the hate that Haywood even had plans to get a hit on his coach. The forward admitted to scheming to slash Westhead's car's brake lines in 1988. Here's what he said in Rob Trucker's piece for the Deadspin:
"What happened was this: I had hooked up with people who were spurring on this talk. "They can't do that [stuff] to you, blah blah blah blah. You've got to take charge. You've got to do what you need to do." So, of course, I get the idea that, well, yeah, this is the last guy that pulled the string right here, because I went to the team with three games to go and said, "Look, I've got a problem, man. You know, I'll sit on the bench or whatever. I don't want to be a disturbance or anything, but this is what has happened."
He added: "I mean, there was a thought about this. It was not a plot per se that you went and sat outside his house waiting for him to come out. They're more like, you know, "Spike his drink" or "Spike his car" or something. We did drive down to Palos Verdes and we looked around, and when I came back I got high. My mother called and she said, "Hey boy, what the hell are you up to?" And my paranoia, as I was explaining before about the drug, is that everybody knew what I was doing, including my mother. So what was going on in my mind was unholy, ungodly, and not clear at all, so I knew my mother was onto it.
When I got back, I did some more coke, and that's when I hit rock bottom when I realized what the hell I was thinking about. It wasn't an act. I didn't attempt to do anything. But it was evil intent. I know my God is watching me at this time. And I really went off my rocker. I don't even know where he lived [laughs]. I mean, that's the drugs. You know, they talk. They had me willing to, you know ..."
It does appear that 'Winning Time' might showcase this as well over the next few episodes. But for now, safe to say, these two just didn't get along.
'Winning Time' airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO.