Here are five key points from episodes 7 and 8 of “The Last Dance,” a documentary series focusing on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship season of 1997-98:
* * *
1. So that’s why he was a jerk
This wasn’t merely a revelation, but more of an in-depth exploration of Jordan’s mindset and drive. In his relentless pushing of his Bulls teammates, akin to a Marine drill instructor training new recruits, his main objective was self-assurance. He needed confirmation that his team, the Jordanaires, were capable of securing championships.
However, it was also meant for them. We witnessed some of the most extreme examples of “tough love” in Jordan’s expectations, derision, and confrontations with his Chicago teammates.
Finally, we have Jordan pulling back the curtain on it.
“Victory comes at a cost,” Jordan stated in his recent interactions with the documentary team. “So does leadership.”
“Once you became part of the team, you had to live up to the standard I set while playing the game. I wouldn’t accept anything less.”
Bill Wennington, a center who joined the Bulls during Jordan’s first retirement, received a straightforward welcome when Jordan came back. According to Wennington, Jordan told him, “You need to hop on the cape. However, you must hold on.”
If that required physically confronting teammates like Will Perdue and Steve Kerr, verbally assaulting Scott Burrell, or reducing Dennis Hopson to tears (which happened in the 1990-91 season, but was not included in the documentary), then that was a price to pay.
“He couldn’t be a nice guy, given the mentality he had,” said B.J. Armstrong.
As podcast king Adam Carolla often says about Jordan – he didn’t expect you to do your best, he expected you to do his best. He was very clear that he never demanded anything from a teammate that he himself didn’t do.
He got very emotional too.
“Desiring victory, I also desired their participation in the triumph,” Jordan articulated, his voice growing heavy. “If you’re not inclined to play like that, then simply don’t.”
He paused at that moment, saying “Break,” effectively calling his own end to the scene.
2. James Jordan never left his side
We were bound to revisit the summer of 1993, a time marked by the tragic murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James, in a random assault on a Carolina highway. However, Episode 7 revealed that Michael’s decision to retire was not a direct result of his father’s untimely death. It was indicated that he had been contemplating retirement since their ’93 championship, maybe even as early as the fall of 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 his basketball career took off, Jordan had a deep love for baseball. He had observed other top athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders successfully manage dual-sport careers. However, it was his family’s support of baseball and his father’s advice to pursue what brings him joy that led him to Birmingham, Alabama. There, he bravely faced a doubtful sports world, playing for the Class AA Barons in the Chicago White Sox system.
At his 1993 retirement news conference, held 10 weeks after his father’s murder, Jordan made two comments that were particularly impactful. The first was his definition of retirement: “The word ‘retire’ means you can do anything you want.” His second comment was a poignant reference to his father, stating, “He saw my last basketball game.”
As the documentary moved back and forth through time, James Jordan was shown constantly at his son’s side, playing a supporting role comparable to Scottie Pippen. This was evident up until Game 6 of the 1996 Finals against Seattle. Those of us who covered that championship series saw Chicago take a 3-0 lead, only to lose Games 4 and 5, necessitating a return to the United Center. In retrospect, we questioned if there was some unseen force crafting a poetic narrative: the decisive game was on Father’s Day, marking the first time Jordan and the Bulls won a title without Michael’s father present.
We’ve witnessed NBA stars shedding tears and displaying emotions when the reality of their championship victory sinks in. However, the sight of Jordan on the floor of the trainer’s room, weeping while hugging the basketball and attempting to avoid the cameras instead of playing up to them, was an entirely different level of authenticity.
3. Pippen’s star turn, minus 1.8 seconds
At the time, Jordan was working in Minneapolis when he first retired, and the cruel irony was instantly apparent. The Timberwolves, who had been amusing but fundamentally terrible for their first four years, were finally about to make their mark. They were set to host the 1994 NBA All-Star Game in February, signifying their entry into the big leagues.
And now, it was getting an All-Star Game without Michael Jordan (gulp).
Of course, that was a narrow-minded view. Consider the feelings of Bulls fans when the best player in the game withdrew while still at his peak. However, both markets were pleasantly taken aback.
Pippen experienced the best individual season of his career, guiding Chicago to an unexpected 55-27 season – let’s face it, they had just lost Michael Jordan right before training camp. He ended up third in the MVP voting, trailing behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Furthermore, he catered to the fans of basketball in the Twin Cities by filling in Jordan’s shoes as the superstar, even earning himself the All-Star MVP award.
Pippen’s personality and playing style differed significantly from Jordan’s, a difference that resonated well with his teammates. However, we have become so accustomed to Jordan’s aggressive, demanding and obsessive approach towards his colleagues that some of the Bulls appeared somewhat soft for appreciating the relief.
The entire dynamic of the team drastically shifted in just 1.8 seconds when Pippen chose not to take part in the conclusion of Game 3 in the East semifinals series against New York. The play was designed by Coach Phil Jackson for Toni Kukoc to make the final shot, with Pippen not even on the court as a diversion. Instead, he had Pippen, who was the team’s top passer, inbounding the ball.
After years of playing second fiddle to Jordan, and eventually advancing in ranking, Pippen felt he was relegated back to a supporting role with the introduction of rookie Kukoc. Kukoc was a European discovery by GM Jerry Krause, who had already proven to be a thorn in Pippen’s side.
Though his reasons might seem correct now, he was absolutely mistaken. It was intriguing to witness both the footage from ’94 and the reflections of various Bulls players on how adult men responded to the treachery of a teammate on Sunday night. And worth mentioning, all this happened after Kukoc successfully made the buzzer beater, momentarily holding off the Knicks.
“Steve Kerr stated, “He abandoned us. It was devastating.”
Bill Cartwright, the center, was so upset that he cried when he confronted Pippen in the locker room.
Pippen immediately apologized, and according to Kerr, the team accepted it. Despite his ferocity in the final three games of the series, the Bulls were still eliminated.
Pippen’s legacy is firmly established. He holds a place in the Hall of Fame, was recognized as one of the Top 50 players in NBA history in 1997 (even with seven seasons still remaining in his career), and is commonly regarded as the most significant second-in-command in NBA team history.
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 detour to play minor league baseball for a season and could have continued if not for the protracted labor dispute in the sport that lasted until spring 1995.
Jordan presented a new image, swinging his bat at curveballs instead of flaunting his tongue on dunks. Despite this change, he was reminiscent of his former self, reflecting on this diversion and reviewing the footage on Sunday.
However, he wasn’t. He had exchanged his extraordinary basketball physique for one more apt for baseball, and… was there a lot of talk about this at the time?
Back in that brief period between March 1995 and the Bulls’ elimination against Orlando, it appeared as if the most significant aspect was Jordan’s remarkable performances during his comeback. This period was also marked by his temporary switch from his iconic 23 Bulls jersey to 45. However, it turned out that Jordan wasn’t just out of practice or a fresh addition, he significantly influenced the newly formed Chicago roster with his presence.
Jordan had prepared 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 return my body to its basketball form,” said Jordan.
With no disrespect intended to young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway or the former Bull Horace Grant, it would be a challenge to get Jordan to say the same.
Tim Grover, Jordan’s personal trainer, and Chip Schaefer from the Bulls supported this explanation. The reflexes, strength, and agility required for one sport were vastly different from the other. It might not have been as obvious as, for instance, transforming Yankees hitter Aaron Judge, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 280 pounds, into a competent NBA power forward. But the difference was significant.
This section of the document revealed Jordan embracing his role in “Space Jam” in the summer of 1995, while highlighting his determination to regain his peak form. He ensured the movie studio built the “Jordan Dome” – a fully-equipped 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 talent, thus refining his game and scrutinizing theirs.
5. Don’t look, talk or even breathe at Jordan
If you want to stand a chance of defeating him, you shouldn’t underestimate Jordan. His tendency to turn perceived insults, whether genuine or fabricated, into intense motivation was fully demonstrated on Sunday.
It is often said in sports that players and teams can sometimes tap further into their skills during crucial moments and even extend their periods of intense focus, known as “the zone”. However, they are not expected to suddenly boost their performance like hitting the nitrous oxide in a drag race.
It seems Jordan was the exception. He was skilled at transforming immediate resentments into exceptional performances, and even managed to create them. He was akin to Bruce Banner transforming into the Hulk in 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.
Sunday was filled with plenty of instances that reminded us of the tension between Isiah Thomas and Jordan, like Nick Anderson’s comment after the Magic’s Game 1 victory in the ’95 playoff series. He said, “45 isn’t 23,” alluding to the difference in performance.
Seattle coach George Karl found himself in a no-win situation when he failed to stop by Jordan’s table at a restaurant to pay his respects. Whether they were from Carolina or not was irrelevant to Jordan.
“That’s everything I required,” he stated. “It turned into something personal for me.”
Finally, we revisit a scene from earlier in the series where Jordan reacts to a comment from Thomas, this time watching a video on a tablet that was given to him. In this instance, Gary Payton expressed his belief that the outcome of the ’96 Finals could have been different if Karl had assigned him to defend 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
“I relentlessly struck and pounded him, which really wore Mike down,” said Payton. “That’s when the series took a turn.”
Ignore Jordan’s cackling. The real highlight was the patronizing way he said Payton’s nickname, “The Glove,” as he returned the tablet.
However, the cackling was also quite impressive.
* * *
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
