by ESPN did the sports world a giant favor by releasing the groundbreaking documentary “The Last Dance” earlier than originally scheduled. It is a behind the scenes, never seen look at the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls season. The final season of their incredible dynasty.
Just when I thought I knew everything about this team, I learned even more! I grew up with the 90’s Bulls and the best era of NBA basketball in my humble opinion. The league had teams that didn’t split apart after two years. In my heart, it was the best decade in NBA history.
Here below are just a few things that jumped out at me in Week One of the Five Part Series.
Why did Jerry Krause ruin it after 98?
Was it the ego of Krause that ruined the Bulls dynasty?Comments in the past would lead you to believe so. Almost as if he had everything to do with the success of the team and not the players and coach. He was eager to prove he could do it all over again without them and made it clear he was only giving Phil Jackson one more year on the bench.
I remember watching all of this unfold in High School and it was known that this was the last year of the Bulls as we knew it. None of it made sense to me then, and still doesn’t today. You keep that team together as is and they continue to rattle of championships in my opinion.
Was Scottie Pippen underpaid?
Yes! He was the 122nd highest paid player out of 360 players in the league at the time. That is insane as he was one of the top 10 players in the game. A true shame that the Bulls front office didn’t take care of him. There is no Bulls dynasty without Scottie Pippen.
Did Scottie Pippen wait too long to have offseason surgery in 97 to stick it to the Bulls?
Yes! They got off to a slow start, however it didn’t work in getting him paid and it would be his last season in Chicago once he came back. He demanded an in-season trade, but it fell on deaf ears despite making multiple angry scenes on the team bus and plane.
Did Michael Jordan have the greatest work ethic in the NBA upon entry into the league?
This is a firm yes. While others were having drug parties, Jordan came in ready to work. He took the bottom feeding Bulls and got them into the playoffs right away. Jordan was hungry from day one when Roy Williams, an assistant at UNC at the time, challenged him. He took that mentality with him to the NBA and never looked back.
Why was Jordan’s brief 18-month sabbatical glossed over in seconds?
Well, time will tell on this one as it is clear they are going back and forth from 97-98 to each season of Jordan’s career. With the way this is unfolding you will see episodes featured on Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, Phil Jackson, Toni Kukoc and so on down the line. I would have to believe that they cover in detail his stretch away from the team after the 1993 NBA Finals.
Will they bring up the long-standing conspiracy that unpaid gambling debts got his father killed? Furthermore, that upon finding out NBA Commish David Stern told him to “try baseball” until the heat cooled down? How they handle all of that will be fascinating.
Was the Chicago Bulls entrance theme the greatest in sports history?
Another firm yes here. It was a 10-point advantage the second the other team heard it. A polarizing moment that all fans remember. Who didn’t practice those same warmups in their backyard? I sure as hell know I did!
It didn’t matter if it was BJ Armstrong, John Paxson, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Will Perdue or Bill Wennginton. If you had your name your announced during that song, you weren’t a role player, you were idolized!
How important was that song? How else would 99% of basketball fans know that Scottie Pippen played his college ball at CENTRAL ARKANSAS!!! If we didn’t scream it in your backyards.
The behind the scenes video was a pre-cursor to ESPN 30 for 30
Somewhere, somehow, the original 30 producers from ESPN 30 for 30 saw this footage. It’s remarkable to me how this was done in 1997-98. Just incredible behind the scenes access to the team in a time when that was unheard of. They blend the far past, the 1997-98 stretch and then current day perfectly. I can’t justify how good this vintage footage is with words. You really need to go back and watch if it if you haven’t already.
Everything from the old videos of Greg Gumble and Bob Costas, to the behind the scenes audio and video of Jordan and the Bulls in Paris pre-season in 1997. You hear and see everything, and it is incredible!
My favorite behind the scenes part thus far is Jordan screaming at teammates in practice when Pippen was out. Even the amount of swearing not cut out is incredible, raw, real and emotional.
Did you know Jordan went back to college during his second year in Chicago?
I had no idea of this. Did you know? He went back and took classes while he rehabbed a broken ankle his second season in Chicago. The Bulls front office gave him permission, little did they know what he was really doing. He was practicing daily on the broken ankle until it got stronger than his non injured ankle.
When they brought him back to Chicago and found out about it, they were furious and put him on a 7 minute per half restriction. Then even took him out of a tie game with 14 seconds to go with a shot at the playoffs on the line because he reached his limit. Clearly this didn’t sit well with Jordan because he felt they were losing on purpose to get a higher draft pick.
He put up 63 points in Boston in the NBA Playoffs because he was pissed off about a golf game.
I love Michael Jordan, always have, always will! The simple fact that he was pissed off losing to Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson in golf, so he came back the next day and put up 63 against the Celtics at the Garden is the thing of legends. Nothing else needs to be said. GOAT!
Like Larry Bird said, Jordan never took his foot off the gas. He was a killer who never stopped until he beat you. He didn’t quit! Therefore, I will always rank him higher than LeBron. Same with Kobe Bryant as well. Kobe had that same killer instinct. I would always rank Kobe higher than LeBron as well.
I rank Night One of Five a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Simply because we haven’t heard from many key players yet. However, I’m sure we will! This can only get better! Night one left me with chills.
