Here are five key points from episodes 7 and 8 of “The Last Dance,” a documentary series that focuses on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship season in 1997-98:
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1. So that’s why he was a jerk
This wasn’t just a revealing insight, but a deep dive into Jordan’s mindset and drive. He pushed his Bulls teammates to their limits, even more than a Marine drill instructor would with fresh recruits, and yes, it was for his own sake. He needed to be sure that his team, the Jordanaires, were equipped for championship victories.
However, it was also for them. We witnessed some of the harshest examples of “tough love” imaginable in Jordan’s expectations, ridicule, and altercations with his fellow Chicago teammates.
Finally, we have Jordan pulling back the curtain on it.
“Winning comes with a cost,” Jordan stated in his recent interactions with the documentary crew. “So does leadership.”
“Once you became part of the team, you had to live up to the standard at which I played the game. I wasn’t willing to accept anything less.”
Bill Wennington, a center who joined the Bulls during Jordan’s first retirement, received a straightforward welcome when Jordan returned. According to Wennington, Jordan instructed him, “I want you to jump on the cape. But you have to hold on.”
This could mean resorting to actions like physically confronting teammates like Will Perdue and Steve Kerr, verbally attacking Scott Burrell, or even making Dennis Hopson break down in tears (which occurred in 1990-91, though it wasn’t included in the documentary).
“He couldn’t be a nice guy with that kind of mentality,” said B.J. Armstrong.
As podcast king Adam Carolla often remarks, with Jordan, it wasn’t about you performing at your best, but rather matching his level of performance. He was very clear that he never demanded anything from a teammate that he himself didn’t do.
He got very emotional too.
“Winning was my goal, but I also wanted them to share in that victory,” said Jordan, his voice growing heavy. “If you aren’t willing to play as a team, then don’t play at all.”
He paused at that point and said, “Break,” thereby calling his own “cut” to the scene.
2. James Jordan never left his side
We were bound to revisit the summer of 1993, marked by the tragic, random murder of Jordan’s father, James, on a Carolina highway. However, Episode 7 revealed that Michael’s decision to retire wasn’t triggered by his father’s untimely death. In fact, he had been contemplating retirement since the ’93 championship, maybe even as early as fall 1992.
His venture into baseball was largely inspired by his father.
Michael's No. 1 fan from the beginning.#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/nW4YeC1p7Y
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 11, 2020
Before basketball catapulted Jordan to fame, he had a deep love for baseball. He had admired the dual-sport success of athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. However, it was his family’s fondness for baseball and his father’s advice to pursue what brings him joy that led him to boldly step into a skeptical sports world. He went to Birmingham, Alabama to play for the Class AA Barons in the Chicago White Sox system.
At his 1993 retirement press conference, 10 weeks following his father’s murder, Jordan made two remarks that left a strong impression. The first was, “The word ‘retire’ means you can do anything you want.” The second was, “He saw my last basketball game.”
The documentary alternated between past and present, with James Jordan’s continual presence by his son’s side, matching Scottie Pippen’s role as a wingman. This lasted until Game 6 of the 1996 Finals against Seattle. We, who were reporting on that championship series, watched as Chicago initially led 3-0, only to lose Games 4 and 5, forcing a return to the United Center. Reflecting on it, it was as if an unseen force was orchestrating a poetic narrative: The decisive game took place on Father’s Day, marking Jordan and the Bulls’ first championship win without Michael’s father present.
Witnessing NBA stars shedding tears and showing raw emotion when they finally clinch that championship victory isn’t unheard of. However, Jordan’s reaction was on another level of authenticity. He was found on the floor of the training room, crying as he clung to the basketball, making an effort to avoid the cameras rather than seeking their attention.
3. Pippen’s star turn, minus 1.8 seconds
At the time of Jordan’s first retirement, he was working in Minneapolis. The cruel irony was immediate: The Timberwolves, who had been amusingly terrible in their first four years, were finally about to make it to the big leagues. They were set to host the 1994 NBA All-Star Game in February, marking a significant step up for the team.
And now, it was getting an All-Star Game without Michael Jordan, which was a daunting prospect.
Of course, that was a narrow-minded perspective. Consider the emotions of Bulls fans when the best player in the game quit while at his peak. Both markets, however, were pleasantly caught off guard.
Pippen experienced the pinnacle of his career in an individual season, surprisingly guiding Chicago to a 55-27 season. This achievement is even more impressive considering they had lost Michael Jordan just before training camp. He was third in the MVP voting, falling behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Pippen also catered to the fans of Twin Cities hoops by filling the shoes of Jordan as the supreme star, earning himself the All-Star MVP award.
Pippen was a different type of player compared to Jordan, possessing a distinct personality. This resonated with his teammates. However, we’ve been so focused on Jordan’s aggressive, demanding, and obsessive approach towards his teammates, that some of those Bulls seemed to have a softer side for appreciating the relief.
In any case, the internal dynamics of the team were drastically altered in a mere 1.8 seconds when Pippen decided not to participate at the end of Game 3 in the East semifinals series against New York. The coach, Phil Jackson, had designed the final play for Toni Kukoc to take the last shot. Pippen was not even on the court as a distraction. Instead, Jackson had Pippen, who was the team’s top passer, inbound the ball.
After years of being second to Jordan and eventually moving up in rank, Pippen perceived himself as being relegated back to a supporting role with the arrival of rookie Kukoc. Kukoc, a European discovery by GM Jerry Krause, was already a source of annoyance to Pippen.
Despite how correct his reasoning may seem now, he was completely mistaken. It was intriguing to observe on Sunday night both the footage from ’94 and the retrospective views from various Bulls members on the behavior of grown men following a betrayal by one of their own. Moreover, this occurred after Kukoc had successfully made a buzzer beater, temporarily holding off the Knicks.
“Steve Kerr said, ‘He abandoned us. It was devastating.'”
Bill Cartwright, the center, was so upset when he confronted Pippen in the locker room that he cried.
Pippen immediately apologized and Kerr confirmed that the team accepted his apology. He went on to play ferociously in the last three games of the series, despite the Bulls’ eventual elimination.
Pippen’s legacy is well-established. He has earned a place in the Hall of Fame and was recognized as one of the Top 50 NBA players in history in 1997, even with seven seasons of his career still remaining. He is also widely regarded as the most significant second-best player ever in an NBA team.
However, even today, there are replica jerseys in Chicago that display “Pippen 1.8” instead of his usual number 33.
4. Comparing Jordan’s ‘bodies’ of work
The NBA’s top player took a break to participate in minor league baseball for a season. He might have continued if it hadn’t been for the prolonged labor dispute in the sport, which lasted until spring of 1995.
Jordan sported a different look, swinging his bat at curveballs instead of showing off his trademark tongue wagging during dunks. Despite the change, he still resembled his old self, reflecting on that detour and reviewing the footage on Sunday.
However, he was not. He had swapped his top-tier basketball physique for one more attuned to baseball, and… was there much talk about that then?
In retrospect, the small part of the 1995 season and postseason from March through the Bulls’ elimination against Orlando seemed significant primarily for Jordan’s remarkable performance in his comeback. Notably, he briefly wore the number 45 instead of his renowned 23 on his Bulls jersey. However, Jordan’s performance was not just due to him being rusty or unfamiliar. His sudden appearance on the revamped Chicago roster was more than that.
Jordan had undergone training to become a baseball player instead of a basketball player. However, he had to physically revert back to his original form.
Good Guys Wear Black (& Red) #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/gi6LnaJL3W
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 11, 2020
“Reflecting on it, I didn’t have sufficient time to get my body back into basketball shape,” said Jordan.
With all due respect, perhaps, to young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway or former Bull Horace Grant, but it would probably be difficult to get Jordan to admit that.
Tim Grover, Jordan’s personal trainer, and Chip Schaefer of the Bulls supported this explanation. The reflexes, strength, and agility required for one sport were significantly different from those needed for the other. It may not have been as dramatic as transforming Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 280 pounds, into a capable NBA power forward, but the difference was undeniable.
This section of the document portrayed Jordan embracing his part in “Space Jam” in the summer of 1995, demonstrating his determination to regain his peak form. He convinced the movie studio to build the “Jordan Dome,” complete with a court and gym on its premises, for his daily two-hour workouts. In the evenings, he organized and participated in high-level pickup games with NBA players, simultaneously refining his skills and keeping a keen eye on theirs.
5. Don’t look, talk or even breathe at Jordan
If you want to stand a chance against him, it’s not advisable. Jordan’s tendency to turn perceived insults – whether true or fabricated – into intense motivation was fully displayed on Sunday.
It’s a common saying in sports that players and teams can sometimes tap into their hidden potential, maximizing their skills during suitable moments and occasionally prolonging their peak performance state. However, it’s generally accepted that they can’t just instantly boost their performance like hitting the nitrous oxide switch in a drag race.
Apparently, Jordan was the exception. He managed to transform immediate grudges into extraordinary performances, even finding ways to create them. He was like Bruce Banner, turning into the Hulk at full force.
The LaBradford Smith story was early legend. That’s when Jordan got so incensed by the Washington guard’s big scoring night against him in Chicago that he torched Smith the very next night of a back-to-back. But the kicker was Smith’s alleged remark (“Nice game, Mike”) after the first game never happened. Somehow, Jordan convinced himself that it had and got his revenge.
The kind of actions that created a rift between Isiah Thomas and Jordan were evident on Sunday, with plenty of similar instances. One such was Nick Anderson’s comment after the Magic’s victory in Game 1 of their ’95 playoff series, where he stated, “45 isn’t 23.”
Seattle coach George Karl’s restaurant failure, which placed him in a “damned-if-he-did, damned-if-he-didn’t” situation, involved not stopping by Jordan’s table to pay respect. Jordan, however, was indifferent to whether they were guys from Carolina.
“That’s everything I required,” he stated. “It then turned into a personal matter for me.”
Lastly, a recap of Jordan’s earlier response in the series to a remark by Thomas, as he watches a video on a tablet given to him. This time, it features Gary Payton speculating on how the ’96 Finals could have turned out differently if Karl had assigned Payton to guard Jordan before Game 4.
Gary Payton thought he found a way to get to MJ … Mike wasn't sweating the Glove #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/Z8NG7qN5hW
— ESPN (@espn) May 11, 2020
“Continuously striking and battering him really wore Mike down,” Payton admitted. “That’s when the series took a turn.”
Ignore Jordan’s cackling. The real highlight was the condescending way he said Payton’s nickname, “The Glove”, as he returned the tablet.
However, the cackling was also quite impressive.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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