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The Last Dance!
Have you ever been curious about one of sports greatest dynasties? Well, “The Last Dance,” a new ten-part documentary might just be a must watch. I mean after all, think about teams that have formed dynasties. The NFL had Brady and the Patriots, for a time baseball had the Yankees and of course, basketball has seen more than their fair share. You could look at Magic and Bird’s Celtics teams of the 80’s. The “Bad Boy” Pistons with Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars. Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers, even Tim Duncan and David Robinson’s Spurs. All different teams in different eras, each loved and remembered in their own way.
However, there is one particular dynasty that everyone seems to love above all others. Of course, the team I’m referring to is the 90’s Chicago Bulls lead by the incomparable, Michael Jordan. Yes, you remember the Bulls don’t you? Perhaps, the greatest team of all time and a team that won six championships in a span of eight years. Well, thanks to “The Last Dance” we get a behind-the-scenes look at the Bulls 1997-98 season and their quest for a sixth title.
The first two episodes of “The Last Dance,” aired two weeks ago. Both episodes covered a lot of territory. From Michael Jordan’s to the greatest player of all-time, Scottie Pippen’s off-court issues and turmoil between management, coach Phil Jackson and the players themselves. If those episodes are an indication of what’s to come, I’d say we truly haven’t seen anything yet.
What broke up the Bulls dynasty?
That’s probably not the correct question to ask. A better question might be: Who was responsible for breaking up the Bulls dynasty? Enter one Jerry Krause who became the Bulls GM in 1985. Plenty of turmoil that surfaced within the team during that final season seems to stem from this man. How did it start? Well, that’s a little harder to pinpoint. In my opinion, I think the tension truly began when Krause gave a rather shall we say interesting, quote during an interview. Krause was quoted as saying: “Coaches and players alone don’t win championships, organizations do.”
Yes, that may sound like nothing, but to some Michael Jordan in particular, it was an insult that rubbed many the wrong way. It wasn’t just this quote from Krause. Jerry thought he wasn’t getting a lot of the credit for the Bulls’ success. In addition, he wanted to blow up the Bulls after their fifth title and bring in a coach named Tim Floyd, to replace then coach Phil Jackson. Not exactly the best idea if you ask me. Replacing the coach? Rebuilding the entire roster when Chicago was winning? It makes absolutely zero sense!
At the end of the day however, it comes down to the fact Krause couldn’t get out of his own way and was bitter about not getting enough credit. He was bitter that Jordan and Pippen both of whom openly mocked him, were getting heaps of praise while he wasn’t. Unfortunately, it’s a sad occurrence in sports. It does happen. Also, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf deserves some share of the blame too.
Scottie Pippen’s issues
Without a doubt, Scottie Pippen is one of the greatest players in NBA history. Originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 1987, the Bulls pulled off a trade that would send Pippen to Chicago. As the old saying goes the rest was history. Scottie was a perennial defender who could guard multiple positions. He could score, rebound and carry the team when Jordan was on the bench. He was also vastly underpaid and in some ways even under appreciated. During the 1997-98 season Pippen wound up missing 35 games due to a foot injury he had suffered the previous season. Rather than have surgery over the summer he instead elected to wait until the start of the 97 season, because he was trying to get management to give him a better contract.
Pippen ranked 122nd in salary in 1997-98 and was the sixth highest paid player on the Bulls roster. The contract he had signed in way back in 1991, a seven-year deal worth just $18 million, was about to expire and Pippen wanted to renegotiate his deal. Of course, the Bulls didn’t do that sort of thing. Paying a player more money when they clearly deserve it? Preposterous! Did Pippen deserve more money? Absolutely! Did he get his money? At the time, he didn’t and it’s a shame, because if he played in today’s NBA landscape he’d get a max contract. No question.
Dennis Rodman and the Pistons
Episode III of “The Last Dance,” focused heavily on Dennis Rodman, while Episode IV, focused on the Detroit Pistons. Jordan and the Bulls met the Pistons four times in the playoffs from 1988-1991, with Detroit eliminating Chicago for three straight years. Jordan’s Bulls got over the hump in 91, sweeping Detroit 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals en-route to their first NBA title. Dennis Rodman was of course, on those Piston squads that eliminated Jordan in those prior years. Who would’ve thought they’d eventually become teammates? They did and Rodman added his brand of wild antics and rebounding to the squad. Seriously, how Dennis approached rebounding is astounding!
Episodes XVI and VI will focus on the 1992 Dream Team. Yeah, that team that won a Gold Medal at the Olympics. Buckle up, because I’m sure that’s going to be something.
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