Some Thoughts on Episodes 1 & 2 Of The Last Dance
Poor Jerry Krause.
Jamie Mah @grahammah
I was in high school when the 1997/98 NBA season rolled around. Grade 12 to be exact. I remember that Chicago Bulls team vividly. I was one of those kids. I had several Michael Jordan posters on my wall. My favourite being his free throw dunk from the 1988 All Star game. I used to stare at it often before I went to bed. He was so high off the ground, I often thought. It seemed insane to think someone could jump that far. I was in awe. Still am.
For some, Michael and the Bulls represent basketball at its finest. Players played through injuries back then. Even the flu. You didn’t rest periodically throughout the season, as players often do now. The game was tougher. Rugged. Physical. Michael embodied the best in what a player could be. He possessed it all. Grace. Tenacity. Resilience. Ruthlessness. All qualities we loved him for, even if many of them were far from our own. For me, however, these Bulls were just fun to watch. I love winners. I’m drawn to them. I’ve always been fascinated by the ins and outs of what makes a winner tick. I’m sure you are as well. This team brought all of that to fruition. Gunning for a third championship in a row is never easy. It’s why so few teams have accomplished the feat. I’m excited to learn how they did it. What was the inner story?
Here are my thoughts on episodes 1 & 2.
Poor Jerry Krause
Yeeesh! Boy does he come off poorly in these two episodes. Even if he was alive, it would be hard to defend yourself after all of this footage and interviews have come to light. The hazing of Michael and Scottie aside, which in itself is in poor taste on both of their parts, justifiable as they may have been to some extent, Krause and his view just fall flat on one basic level.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BREAK UP THIS TEAM???? ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!
You have the best player, coach and second banana in the league. You’ve just won two titles, and look poised to win a third. Put your ego aside dude and ride this out. What he did with Phil is indefensible. “You can go 82–0 and you’re still not coming back next season.” Seriously?
There is no way this would have happened in today’s NBA. No way. LeBron would have vetoed any of that. It’s shocking to see how little power Michael has in this situation. Shows you how much the game has changed.
Scottie’s contract issues make sense now
For years I’d heard of the Scottie Pippen contract dispute with Bulls management. He’d signed a long term deal in 1991, but as the league grew, so too did its revenue. As time passed on, his contract became a bargain. It’s understandable why he wanted to renegotiate. They were winning; he was one of the best players on the team, even in the league, I’d have been pissed too. But a contract is a contract. Reinsdorf had a point — even if he was dumb to act on it.
By 1994, Scottie was probably a top three player in the league. With Michael gone playing baseball, he led Chicago to a 55 win season and almost a trip to the Conference Finals. You reward that. It’s just good management. If your goal is to win, especially once Michael returned, you pay Scottie. He’ll be happier. He’ll play harder and the drama you would endure during this 1998 season would most likely not have transpired.
But, disputes aside, it was interesting to learn of why he took such a long contract in the first place. His family situation was a clear factor in that decision. Twelve kids! My goodness. Two in wheelchairs. Poverty at the extremes. Yeah, I get why he took the security. That was nice to learn.
It can’t be easy being Michael
Wow, could you imagine being this man for just one day? What an ordeal. The constant attention. It would have to make you go nuts, don’t you think? Seeing the way they mobbed him in Paris, you get why he left in 1993. Success is one thing, but all the other shit is another. I’d hate it.
God disguised as Michael Jordan
Leave it to Larry Legend to give you one of the best quotes of all time. I’ve heard it a million times over the years. The game. 1986. 63 points. Double overtime. Bulls lose. All of it. But man, it is uncanny to see once again how fast Michael was at that age. He’s so thin. Athletic. Makes Russell Westbrook look slow. Just ferocious.
That was fun to watch. Even if there is zero, I mean zero fucking chance he’d have played in those remaining games after that foot injury in today’s NBA. No way. No GM would allow that. Just to get throttled by the Celtics. Absolutely not.
All the same, I understand Jordan’s plight. If you’re healthy, you play.
Sadly, however, most NBA players just don’t see things that way now. There’s just too much money at stake. I bet if Jordan had played today, he’d might have sat too. The way he’s so protective of his brand and image, he’d have to realize that playing and re-injury would definitely not be in his best interest long term.
But, even still, you play to win, and culture is a big thing. I get why he was pissed.
What I hope they discuss in the following episodes.
His gambling allegations during the 1993 playoffs. Atlantic city. The late nights. Was it really as a big of an issue as the press made it out to be?
Michael’s relationship with his teammates. He was an asshole. Plain and simple. How he found a way to mask it? I’ve always found it interesting how so many hated Kobe for being one, when really, MJ was just as bad, if not worse. Most fans don’t know. I think if he played today, with social media and twitter, his image in the public eye would have been vastly different.
His relationship with Phil. How he learned to accept the Triangle offence. The connection they both shared.
If he regrets leaving after 1993. Defending none of the three peats.
The Indiana series in 1998. How close they came to losing. Game 7.
The Knicks series in 1993. Down 0–2. Game 4, specifically. Michael has 54 points.
Can’t wait for episodes 3 and 4.
They drop on Netflix at 12:00am on April 27th.