Here are five key points from episodes 7 and 8 of “The Last Dance,” the documentary series that focuses on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship season in 1997-98:
* * *
1. So that’s why he was a jerk
This wasn’t merely a revelation, but rather an in-depth examination of Jordan’s mindset and drive. His tough approach on his Bulls teammates, which was even more intense than most Marine drill instructors with fresh recruits, was primarily for his own benefit. He wanted assurance that his teammates, the Jordanaires, were capable of securing championships.
However, it was also meant for them. We witnessed some of the harshest instances of “tough love” imaginable in Jordan’s expectations, taunting, and clashes with his fellow players from Chicago.
Finally, we have Jordan pulling back the curtain on it.
“Victory comes with a cost,” Jordan stated in his recent interviews with the documentary team. “So does leadership.”
“Once you joined the team, you lived up to the standard I set when 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.”
If it involved physically confronting teammates like Will Perdue and Steve Kerr, verbally attacking Scott Burrell, or reducing Dennis Hopson to tears (which happened in 1990-91, although not shown in the documentary), then so be it.
“He couldn’t be a nice guy, with that kind of mentality he had,” said B.J. Armstrong.
As podcast titan Adam Carolla often states about Jordan – it wasn’t about you striving to do your best, but rather, you striving to match his best. He was adamant that he never required a teammate to do anything that he himself didn’t do.
He got very emotional too.
“Desiring victory for myself, I also yearned for them to share in that success,” said Jordan, his voice growing heavy. “If you’re not interested in playing in such a manner, then don’t.”
He paused at that moment, uttering “Break,” effectively calling his own “cut” to the scene.
2. James Jordan never left his side
We were inevitably going to revisit the summer of 1993 when James, the father of Jordan, was brutally murdered in a random assault on a Carolina highway. However, Episode 7 revealed that Michael’s decision to retire wasn’t a result of his father’s tragic demise. He had already been contemplating retirement after winning the ’93 title, possibly even as early as the autumn of 1992.
His foray 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 skyrocketed, Jordan had a fondness for baseball, a game he had played and enjoyed. He admired multi-talented athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders who had managed to juggle two sports careers quite successfully. Nonetheless, it was his family’s support for baseball and his father’s advice to pursue what makes him happy that led him to join the Class AA Barons in Birmingham, Alabama. This decision exposed him to a doubtful sports world as he joined the Chicago White Sox system.
At his 1993 retirement press conference, which took place 10 weeks after his father’s murder, Jordan made two comments that had a strong impact. The first comment was, “The word ‘retire’ means you can do anything you want.” His second comment was, “He saw my last basketball game.”
As the documentary transitioned to different points in time, James Jordan was depicted as a constant presence by his son’s side, paralleling Scottie Pippen as a formidable wingman. This continued until Game 6 of the 1996 Finals versus Seattle. Those of us who reported on that championship series, where Chicago seized a 3-0 lead only to lose Games 4 and 5, forcing a return to the United Center, retrospectively pondered if there was some unseen force composing poetry. The decisive game fell on Father’s Day, marking the first championship Jordan and the Bulls won without Michael’s father present.
We’ve witnessed NBA stars shedding tears and expressing 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 clutching the basketball and attempting to avoid the cameras instead of playing up to them, took authenticity to a completely different level.
3. Pippen’s star turn, minus 1.8 seconds
At the time of Jordan’s first retirement, he was working in Minneapolis, and the cruel irony of the situation was apparent immediately. The Timberwolves, despite being somewhat entertaining but generally dreadful in their initial four years, were finally preparing to play in the big leagues, with the privilege of hosting the 1994 NBA All-Star Game in February.
And now, it was getting an All-Star Game, without Michael Jordan (gulp).
Of course, that was a narrow-minded perspective. Consider the emotions of Bulls fans, who had to watch the best player in the game retire while still at his peak. Both audiences were pleasantly taken aback.
Pippen experienced the best season of his career, guiding Chicago to a surprising 55-27 season, especially considering they had lost Michael Jordan just before training camp. He ended up third in the Most Valuable Player (MVP) votes, trailing behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Moreover, he filled Jordan’s shoes as the primary star, earning the All-Star MVP trophy and satisfying Twin Cities basketball enthusiasts.
Pippen differed from Jordan both as a player and in terms of personality. His approach resonated with his teammates. However, we have become so accustomed to Jordan’s aggressive, relentless method of motivating his team that some Bulls appeared somewhat timid for embracing the change.
The entire team dynamic shifted in just 1.8 seconds when Pippen declined to participate at the conclusion of Game 3 of the East semifinals series against New York. Coach Phil Jackson had planned for Toni Kukoc to make the final shot, not even using Pippen, who was not on the court, as a distraction. Instead, Jackson had Pippen, the team’s most skilled passer, inbounding the ball.
After years of being second to Jordan and eventually ascending in rank, Pippen perceived that he was back to playing a supporting role, this time to the rookie Kukoc – a European discovery of GM Jerry Krause, who was already a thorn in Pippen’s side.
Despite how correct his reasons might seem now, he was completely mistaken. It was intriguing to watch the footage from ’94 and the reflections from various Bulls members on Sunday night, highlighting how grown men reacted to betrayal from within their ranks. Notably, this was after Kukoc had successfully scored the buzzer beater to briefly hold off the Knicks.
“Steve Kerr expressed, “He abandoned us. It was devastating.”
Bill Cartwright, the center, was so distressed when he confronted Pippen in the locker room that he shed tears.
Pippen immediately apologized and Kerr confirmed that the team accepted his apology. Despite the Bulls being eliminated, he played fiercely in the last three games of the series.
Pippen’s reputation is solidified. He is a Hall of Fame inductee, was recognized as one of the Top 50 NBA players in 1997 (seven seasons before his retirement), and is largely regarded as the most significant second-best player on an NBA team in history.
Even today, you can find replica jerseys in Chicago that, instead of displaying his usual number 33, show “Pippen 1.8.”
4. Comparing Jordan’s ‘bodies’ of work
The NBA’s top player transitioned to playing minor league baseball for a season and may have continued if not for the extended labor dispute in the sport that lasted until spring 1995.
Jordan’s bat swinging at curveballs was a different sight compared to his usual tongue-wagging dunks. However, he still resembled his old self, reflecting on that detour and reviewing the footage on Sunday.
However, he wasn’t. He had exchanged his exceptional basketball physique for one more appropriate for baseball, and… was there much talk about it back then?
Back in the day, it appeared that the short-lived season and playoffs from March 1995 to the Bulls’ loss against Orlando were primarily significant for Jordan’s remarkable performances in his return. Additionally, Jordan temporarily wore the number 45 instead of his iconic 23 on his Bulls uniform. As it turns out, Jordan was not simply out of practice or unfamiliar, but rather made a striking entrance into the reformed Chicago team.
Jordan had prepared to be a baseball player instead of a basketball player, and he had to physically revert back again.
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.
Perhaps no disrespect is intended towards young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway or former Bull Horace Grant, however, it might be a challenge to get Jordan to express that.
Tim Grover, Jordan’s personal trainer, and Chip Schaefer of the Bulls, supported this explanation. The physical requirements – reflexes, strength, agility – for one sport were significantly different from the other. This discrepancy might not have been as obvious as transforming Yankees’ heavy-hitter Aaron Judge, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 280 pounds, into a capable NBA power forward. However, it was a genuine difference.
This section of the document depicted Jordan embracing his role in “Space Jam” in the summer of 1995, demonstrating his determination to recover his form. He persuaded the film studio to build the “Jordan Dome,” a fully equipped court and gym on their lot, for his daily two-hour training sessions. Then, in the evenings, he spearheaded high-level pickup games with NBA talent, simultaneously refining his skills and scrutinizing theirs.
5. Don’t look, talk or even breathe at Jordan
If you intend to stand a chance against him, don’t slight him. Jordan has a knack for turning any perceived insult, whether genuine or imagined, into intense motivation. This trait was in full display on Sunday.
In sports, we often hear about players and teams potentially being able to push beyond their limits at crucial times, delve further into their skills and occasionally expand their periods of intense focus, or “the zone”. However, it’s generally considered impossible for them to abruptly boost their performance like hitting a nitrous oxide switch on a drag strip.
Apparently, Jordan was the exception. He managed to transform immediate resentments into impressive shows and found ways to instigate them. At that point, he was akin to Bruce Banner morphing into full Hulk mode.
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 thing that caused a rift between Isiah Thomas and Jordan was in abundance on Sunday. Nick Anderson’s comment after the Magic’s victory in Game 1 of their ’95 playoff series, saying “45 isn’t 23,” was a prime example.
Seattle coach George Karl’s predicament about whether or not to stop by Jordan’s table at the restaurant was a no-win situation. Whether or not they were Carolina guys didn’t make a difference to Jordan.
“That’s all I required,” he declared. “And it turned personal for me.”
Lastly, there was a rerun of Jordan’s response from earlier in the series to a comment by Thomas, while he was watching a video on a tablet given to him. On this occasion, it was Gary Payton who was speculating that the ’96 Finals could have had a different outcome if Karl had chosen Payton to defend Jordan prior to 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 continuously struck and pounded him, which really wore Mike down,” said Payton. “That’s when the series took a turn.”
Ignore Jordan’s loud laughter. 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.
* * *
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.
