Here are five key points from episodes 7 and 8 of “The Last Dance,” a documentary series focused on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship season of 1997-98:
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1. So that’s why he was a jerk
This wasn’t so much an exclusive revelation, but rather a deep dive into the psyche and motivation of Jordan. He pushed his Bulls teammates harder than a Marine drill instructor would with new recruits, and while part of this was for his own benefit, his main intention was to ensure that his teammates, the Jordanaires, were capable of winning championships.
However, it was also meant for them. We witnessed an extreme level of “tough love” in Jordan’s demands, teasing, and confrontations with his fellow Chicago teammates.
Finally, we have Jordan pulling back the curtain on it.
“Victory comes with its own cost,” Jordan claimed in his recent interactions with the documentary crew. “So does leadership.”
“Once you became part of the team, you lived up to a specific standard at which I played the game. I wouldn’t settle for anything less.”
Bill Wennington, a center who had joined the Bulls during Jordan’s first retirement, received a straightforward welcome when Jordan came back. According to Wennington, Jordan said to him, “I want you to jump on the cape. But you have to 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 occurred in 1990-91, though not covered in the documentary), then it was a necessary action.
“He couldn’t be a nice guy with the mentality he had,” said B.J. Armstrong.
As podcast king Adam Carolla often states, the mindset of Jordan wasn’t about you giving your best, but rather you achieving his level of best. He was quite clear in asserting that he never demanded anything from a teammate that he himself did not do.
He got very emotional too.
“Desiring victory was my aim, but I also wanted them to share in the triumph,” stated Jordan, his voice gaining intensity. “If that style of play doesn’t suit you, then don’t adopt it.”
He paused at that moment, saying “Break,” effectively calling his own “cut” to the scene.
2. James Jordan never left his side
We were bound to revisit the summer of 1993 when James Jordan, Michael’s father, was senselessly killed in a random attack on a Carolina highway. However, Episode 7 clarified that Michael’s decision to retire wasn’t solely due to his father’s tragic demise. He had been contemplating retirement since after the 1993 championship, possibly even as early as fall 1992.
His venture into baseball was primarily motivated 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 history with and a love for baseball. He had witnessed multi-sport athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders handle their dual careers quite well. However, it was his family’s support of baseball and his father’s advice to pursue what brings him joy that led him to a doubtful sports world in Birmingham, Alabama. There, he played for the Class AA Barons, a team in the Chicago White Sox system.
During his 1993 retirement news conference, which took place 10 weeks after the murder of his father, Jordan made two remarks that had a significant impact. His first remark was, “The word ‘retire’ means you can do anything you want.” His second comment was, “He saw my last basketball game.”
The documentary oscillated between timelines, always featuring James Jordan at his son’s side, a constant companion comparable to Scottie Pippen. This remained true until the 6th game of the 1996 Finals against Seattle. Those of us who reported on the championship series, where Chicago initially dominated with a 3-0 lead, only to lose Games 4 and 5 forcing a rematch at United Center, retrospectively pondered if an unseen force was crafting poetry. The decisive match took place on Father’s Day, and Jordan and the Bulls secured their first championship without Michael’s father present.
We’ve witnessed emotional outbursts from NBA stars in the throbbing heartbeat of championship triumph. However, the sight of Jordan, weeping on the trainer’s room floor as he clung to the basketball, trying to shun the cameras instead of performing for them, transcended to an unprecedented 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, a team that had been humorously bad for its first four years, were finally poised to step into the limelight by hosting the 1994 NBA All-Star Game in February.
And now, it was (gulp) getting an All-Star Game without the presence of Michael Jordan.
Of course, that was a narrow-minded perspective. Consider the shock of Bulls fans when the best player in the game decided to retire while still at his peak. Both communities were however pleasantly taken aback.
Pippen enjoyed the most successful individual season of his career, guiding Chicago to an unexpected 55-27 season, especially considering they had lost Michael Jordan just before training camp. He came third in the MVP vote, trailing Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Pippen also delighted Twin Cities basketball fans by stepping into the spotlight once occupied by Jordan, earning himself the All-Star MVP trophy.
Pippen, being a different player with a unique personality than Jordan, resonated well with his teammates. However, we’ve been so accustomed to Jordan’s aggressive, relentless way of pushing his teammates that some of the Bulls seemed somewhat soft for appreciating the break.
In any case, the entire team dynamic shifted in a mere 1.8 seconds when Pippen declined to participate at the end of Game 3 of the East semifinals series against New York. Coach Phil Jackson had designed the play for Toni Kukoc to make the final shot, with Pippen nowhere to be seen on the court, not even as a decoy. Instead, Jackson had Pippen – the team’s top passer – inbounding the ball.
After years of playing second fiddle to Jordan and eventually moving up the ranks, Pippen felt he was once again relegated to a supporting role with the arrival of rookie Kukoc. This European discovery by GM Jerry Krause, who Pippen already found annoying, was now perceived as a threat to Pippen’s status.
Though his reasons may seem valid now, he couldn’t have been more incorrect. It was a captivating sight on Sunday night to witness both the footage from ’94 and the reactions of several Bulls players reflecting on the actions of mature men feeling betrayed by a teammate. This, of course, happened after Kukoc successfully scored a buzzer-beater shot, momentarily keeping the Knicks at bay.
“Steve Kerr stated, “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 offered an immediate apology which Kerr confirmed was accepted by the team. Despite his ferocious performance in the final three games of the series, the Bulls were still eliminated.
Pippen’s legacy is firmly established. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame and was recognized as one of the Top 50 players in NBA history in 1997, even though he still had seven seasons remaining in his career. He is also universally acknowledged as the most significant No. 2 player in the history of an NBA team.
Even today, you can still find replica jerseys in Chicago that, instead of featuring his usual number 33, have “Pippen 1.8” on them.
4. Comparing Jordan’s ‘bodies’ of work
The NBA’s top player took a break to play minor league baseball for a season and might have continued if not for the prolonged labor dispute that affected that sport until spring 1995.
The sight of Jordan swinging his bat at curveballs was a stark contrast to his usual dunking with his tongue out. However, he maintained his traditional style throughout, reminiscent of that detour, which was revisited in Sunday’s footage.
However, he wasn’t. He had exchanged his exceptional basketball physique for one more appropriate for baseball, and… was there much talk about this at the time?
Back in the day, it appeared that the brief season and playoffs from March 1995 until the Bulls’ defeat against Orlando were significant mainly due to Jordan’s impactful performances in his comeback. Additionally, his temporary switch from his iconic 23 to 45 on his Bulls jersey was notable. However, it turns out that Jordan wasn’t just rusty or a newcomer, as he seamlessly integrated into the revamped Chicago roster.
Jordan had undergone training to become a baseball player instead of a basketball player. He then 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 adequate time to return my physique to its basketball-ready state,” said Jordan.
Jordan might not admit it, but no disrespect is intended towards young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway or ex-Bull Horace Grant.
Tim Grover, Jordan’s personal trainer, and Chip Schaefer of the Bulls corroborated this explanation. The reflexes, strength, and agility required for one sport greatly differed from the other. It may not have been as noticeable as, for instance, transforming Yankee’s Aaron Judge, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 280 pounds, into a competent NBA power forward. However, the difference was tangible.
This section of the document depicted Jordan embracing his role in “Space Jam” in the summer of 1995, and his intense determination to return to his peak form. He requested the film studio to build the “Jordan Dome,” a full-sized basketball court and gym on its premises for his daily two-hour workout sessions. Furthermore, during the evenings, he would orchestrate high-level pickup games with NBA players, refining his skills and scrutinizing theirs.
5. Don’t look, talk or even breathe at Jordan
If you wish to stand a chance against him, you’d better not. Jordan’s tendency to turn perceived insults — whether authentic or fabricated — into intense motivation was thoroughly showcased on Sunday.
It’s a common phrase in sports that players and teams can occasionally tap into their full potential, harnessing their skills at crucial moments and extending their periods of intense focus. However, they’re not expected to be able to suddenly turn on their best performance like flipping a switch, similar to hitting the nitrous oxide on a drag race.
Apparently, the only exception was Jordan. He was not just adept at transforming immediate resentments into spectacular performances, but he also discovered methods 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.
On Sunday, we saw plenty of the kind of incidents that strained the relationship between Isiah Thomas and Jordan. An example was Nick Anderson’s comment after the Magic’s victory in the first game of their ’95 playoff series, when he said, “45 isn’t 23.”
Seattle coach George Karl’s restaurant faux pas of failing to stop by Jordan’s table to pay his respects, was a lose-lose situation. Jordan was indifferent to it, even though they were both Carolina guys.
“That’s all I required,” he stated. “It then became personal to me.”
Finally, there was a repeat of Jordan’s earlier reaction in the series to a comment by Thomas. He watched a video on a tablet that was handed to him. This time, it was Gary Payton expressing that the ’96 Finals could have taken a different turn if Karl had used Payton to guard Jordan before the fourth game.
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, I struck and pounded him over and over. It significantly affected Mike,” Payton admitted. “That’s when the series shifted.”
Ignore Jordan’s cackling. The main focus was his condescending utterance of 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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