THE LAST DANCE

What time is it!?

Game Time!

WHOOOO!!

Man what a nostalgia trip this documentary was, felt like I was back in the 90’s watching it. Growing up everybody was a Michael Jordan/Bulls fan. The gear, the shoes, the games, everything. Jordan and Pippen. Rodzilla. Kukoc. Kerr. Horace. You couldn’t go anywhere and talk about sports without hearing about MJ and the Bulls. Watching this doc put me right back in my mindset of what I was thinking and feeling during these moments. Even had me thinking about my hopes and dreams, all the big plans I had for the future lol I didn’t expect the Last Dance to affect me the way that it did but I really enjoyed the trip back to a great time in the world. The 90’s were far from perfect and had a lot of the problems we still face today but there was a different energy. 9/11 really did make a lot of evil things possible but it also changed the energy of the world. Things were different after and haven’t felt close to the same since. This documentary reminded me of that and gave me a little taste of that 90’s energy.

The Last Dance has been almost universally praised but there are some that criticize it as a Michael Jordan puff piece and claim it’s not an accurate walk down memory lane. I have to take issue with that as it revealed some not so great moments from MJ with the gambling, practice fights and almost bullying of some teammates. You hear claims they left out some of the negative moments but if people were expecting an E! True Hollywood Story tabloid style take down of MJ they came to the wrong place. This doc could have easily avoided all of the negatives and painted MJ as some sort of saint but it didn’t and held him accountable for his flaws.  Some have said it gave MJ too much credit for the Bulls success but that is laughable to me. Through relentless hard work, overcoming of adversity and never ending tank of competitiveness MJ was easily the driving force behind the Bulls success and absolutely solidified himself as the best basketball player of all time. Could he have done it alone or without the teammates he had? Fuck no but MJ himself would never claim that. “When you speak of Michael Jordan, you should speak of Scottie Pippen.” Says it all right there. Could his teammates have done it without MJ. Once again, fuck no.

I have heard people say the documentary did Jerry Krause dirty and was unfair to him by making him the villain but I have to ask what documentary those people were watching. Krause was constantly booed by Bulls fans in real clips throughout the doc. They have interviews from the 90’s with MJ and Pippen criticizing Krause so there was nothing in the doc Krause didn’t hear himself. But many times it’s mentioned what a great job Krause did in building the team, looking for new players in places like Europe where not many were looking. Even Scottie Pippen in the last episode calls Jerry Krause the best GM ever and Pippen despised Krause at one point. Jerry Krause no doubt is the best Gm ever but pride was his sin and it broke the team. Listening to quotes and watching what he did esp saying that Phil could go 82-0 and he would still be gone, you can’t deny his pride was his biggest downfall and the reason the Bulls didn’t go after 4 in a row in 1999. The doc didn’t say anything about Krause that wasn’t said when he was alive and gave him all the credit in the world for his successes. But like MJ it also brought to light some of his flaws which is part of what made the documentary so great.

Apparently Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were not happy with the documentary. MJ claimed Horace Grant gave the info for ‘The Jordan Rules’ book but Grant vehemently denies it. Nobody knows except Horace and the writer I guess but it doesn’t seem that far fetched considering they were friends. Plus in one clip when Horace is on the Magic and goes to half court, he shows love to Pippen but seems to kind of give MJ the cold shoulder although he does pretend to give him some shots so maybe I’m wrong. Horace accused MJ of being a rat about the 80’s ‘Bulls travelling cocaine circus’ lol but MJ was asked the question and never mentioned any names, he was just being honest so I don’t think Horace was right about that. Horace was a huge part of that first 3-peat and got the credit he deserved for it. Pippen hasn’t said exactly what he didn’t like about it but it’s not hard to get an idea as they highlighted some of his worst moments on the team with the migraine game and not going back into the game for the final play in 1994 playoffs. The doc was about The Last Dance 1998 run so I can see why he wouldn’t think they would be a topic but he answered questions about both moments for the doc so he couldn’t have been surprised that they were in there. MJ was frustrated he didn’t have Scottie on the floor when they needed him most as anyone would be but didn’t call him out negatively for it. Not going back into the 1994 playoffs was a mistake and something he deserved criticism for. Pippen saying he would do the same thing again got some fans riled up so that reaction might be part of why he was upset at the doc. But they also highlighted him for gutting out Game 6 in the 1998 Finals and establishing that if he didn’t there is prob a Game 7 that the Jazz have a good chance of winning. I thought the doc did a great job showing his gritty upbringing and how much of a hero he was for taking care of his family. It absolutely established that MJ wouldn’t be MJ and the Bulls wouldn’t have 6 rings without Scottie Pippen.

I watched the series once as it aired and decided that I wanted to write about it so I watched it again but took notes on each episode so the episode breakdown will be in note form. It will match up with the documentary if you watch it but might be confusing without watching it so I’ll do my best to make it clear. This is one of my favourite documentaries I’ve ever watched, I knew it would be good but didn’t expect to love it like I did. I’m assuming that if you’re reading this you have watched it but I highly recommend it for anyone that has even a passing interest in sports. With 10 episodes it is very rewatchable and for someone like me that lived alongside of the events, I’ll def be giving it multiple viewings. So let’s get into the episode discussions:

 

E1

• Loved the jumping between years. I’ve read criticism about the timeline not exclusively following the 1998 season which is crazy to me bc the journey of Michael Jordan and the Bulls winning 6 championships is so interesting. Each player has an intriguing story and each season from MJ’s rookie year to the Last Dance could be the subject of a documentary. Pippen and Rodman rising up from humble origins, Kukoc surviving war, Kerr having to deal with his own tragedy of his father being murdered, Phil Jackson going from great player to legendary coach. If this stuck to 1998 we def wouldn’t have got 10 episodes and missed out on a lot of great content like the individual player profiles and Dream Team stories.
• Dennis Rodman. What’s up lol everybody else gives these official introductions and Rodman just says what’s up. Love it.
• Crazy to talk about rebuilding after 5 ships – Cubs rebuilding for 42 years lol there is no guarantee rebuilding leads to a championship. If you have something great built, you do everything in your power to keep it together.
• MJ became an icon. He wasn’t just a great basketball player, his greatness transcended the NBA and MJ became a worldwide phenomenon.
• Krause is the greatest GM ever but pride was his downfall. Pretty clear that the credit being given to numerous people before himself started to eat away at Krause. But that’s just the way it goes, the players are on the court so they get the credit first, then the coach on the sidelines and then it goes to the people in the organization like Krause.
• Organizations win championships is a true statement. Krause may have been trying to deflect credit from going to MJ and Phil but it is a true statement. If Krause doesn’t put the right pieces around MJ, the Bulls don’t win 6 championships. Look at the first run for LeBron on Cleveland, he didn’t play with scrubs but the team was nowhere near the calibre of the Bulls and didn’t look like it was heading in that direction. I was very critical of LeBron leaving the Cavs and while I don’t support the way he did it with the Decision, I understand it better after watching the way Krause built the Bulls team and kept looking for pieces even when he had a great team in place.
• Feud with Phil Jackson was stupid. Phil deserved a good chunk of credit for implementing the schemes that would get the job done and being able to manage and get the most out of all the big personalities and ego’s. Krause should have recognized what he had in Phil Jackson and checked himself.
• “Don’t care if you win 82 games you are done”….wtf what a ridiculous quote and to say it publicly before the season is just madness.
• French reporter shut down for an autograph…awkward. You think why not just sign it but if you don’t set ground rules and boundaries people will start taking advantage of you and the little bit of time you have.
• Hilarious reading MJ’s letter home from college asking for money. We see all the luxury that came with being Michael Jordan later but it didn’t start like that, he had to earn every dime. And it’s awesome to see that even the greatest of all time started out just like all of us.
• Nobody can ever say success was handed to MJ, he WORKED right from high school to college to the pre-ship years. Loved hearing about the failures and how it caused him to work even harder to reach the next level of success. Being cut from his high school team is hard to believe considering the greatness we see later. Having a solid parental unit that kept him from quitting or going down a bad path was crucial.
• Cool seeing MJ vs Ewing in college, game winning shot sign of things to come. The hard work started to pay off early. Great exchange with Jordan telling Roy Williams that he would be the best player that ever played at North Carolina: “I said, well, you’ve got to work harder than you did in high school,” Williams said. “I worked as hard as everybody else,” Jordan replied. “I said, oh, excuse me, I thought you said you wanted to be the best to ever play here,” Williams said back. “I’m going to show you, nobody will ever work as hard as I will.” I’d say he achieved that becoming a champion for the first time hitting the game winning shot to win the 1982 NCAA Championship.
• Hit his head on the backboard! Unreal how high he could jump.
• Loved the 84 draft footage. At the time MJ wasn’t MJ so drafting Bowie who was 7’1 wasn’t a bad call bc the NBA was big man’s league. But in hindsight, it’s gotta hurt knowing you could have had the best ever.
• “hopefully I can go and contribute” lol talk about an understatement.
• Gold medal winner before his NBA career started. This was huge to solidifying the confidence he had coming into his rookie year and allowing him to dominate. I’m sure he still would have been the ROTY without the Gold Medal but winning on a world stage like the Olympics makes you feel like you’re on another level.
• Bulls traveling cocaine circus lol sports we’re def different back then but what a great lesson for younger athletes. MJ avoided the things that would take him off track even if it meant being alone sometimes. The herd mentality has been damaging to a lot of potentially great careers.
• Saying he exposed his teammates is complete bullshit, said no names, just answered a question and spoke truth.
• Not 7 foot so he won’t carry a team lol but like I said earlier, it was a different NBA. People had no idea what kind of greatness MJ had in him.
• The winning mentality is real, perfect example the comeback vs Bucks in Yr 1. Right from the start, MJ was obsessed with winning and would go after a win at any cost. When you start accepting losing, you stop winning.
• Soundtrack is off the hook. Huge props to the people responsible for picking the songs, just perfect to establish the 80’s/90’s energy.
• MJ did dunk contests and Lebron didnt bc MJ had to earn spotlight, Lebron already had it when he was in high school. I know that LeBron never entered a dunk contest bc he was afraid of messing up and being laughed at. But that is the difference between them. MJ needed to take the risk entering the dunk contests to prove himself and force the spotlight onto him bc nobody was expecting him to be the best. LeBron had the spotlight on him from high school so there was nothing to prove to anyone, everyone knew he was a great talent and expected him to be the best.
• Barack Obama former Chicago resident lol to say the least.
• ROTY no brainer, he smashed the league right from day 1.
• French tour proves the icon status, it was like Michael Jackson type crowds. That kind of fame is only reserved for extremely special talents.
• Cant say the doc made Krauss a villain when the Bulls fans were constantly booing Krauss.
• Cant tell me Ray Lewis pre game “What time is it? Game time. What time is it? Game time? Any dogs in the house. WHOOO WHOOO WHOOO WHOOO” wasn’t inspired by the Bulls ‘What Time Is It? GAME TIME! WHOOO!’ Great recognize great.

E2

• Loved Scottie Pippen. MJ is the GOAT but it was always Jordan & Pippen to me. I always put Pippen up with the greatest players in the league and knew that without him, there isn’t 6 championships.
• The amount of mics in front of MJ is unreal. Just a post game interview and it’s almost overwhelming how many mics are being shoved in his face. Gives you perspective on why the spotlight started to wear him down. Seeing that every day, every game would be enough to make anyone start to crack.
• Whenever they speak Michael Jordan they should speak Scottie Pippen…says it all. Maybe the biggest compliment MJ could give out.
• Pippen had to scratch and claw for every thing he had, playing on dirt basketball court is a crazy visual but you work with what you have. I’m sure it made Pippen appreciate every luxury he experienced in college and the NBA.
• Growing up with 2 people in wheelchairs couldn’t have been easy but prob helped motivate him and fuel his will to never quit or waste his money.
• Went from 6’1 to 6’7 in a year…bastard lol why couldn’t I hit that jackpot.
• Hard to deal with a guy that big and athletic, similar to Lebron. Being 6’7 is hard enough for opponents but when you can move and handle the ball like a point guard it’s exhausting to defend.
• Krause got excited when he saw Pippen play, the man had a phenomenal ability to recognize talent and going after him is why Krause was the best GM.
• Oakley was def a hard ass but a guy you wanted on your side. Getting smacked like that def pisses you off but as a rookie you gotta take it in stride like Pip did.
• MJ giving Scottie golf clubs lol he saw dollar signs.
• Def disgustingly underpaid but if Pippen doesn’t sign that deal, Bulls prob don’t win as many ships bc they wouldn’t have the money for the other role players. Krause/Reinsdorf knew that which is why they refused to re-negotiate contracts starting the friction between Pippen and Krause.
• If Jordan came back in 99 its prob without Pippen bc Scottie deserved to get paid. But I’d like to think they would have found enough to get Pip back on a 1 year deal to go after the 4^th
• I can see both sides of MJ/Scottie surgery situation. Pippen isn’t being paid near what he is worth so he has to look out for himself and with how hard they grind, he wanted to enjoy his summer. MJ is being more than compensated for his efforts and is obsessed with winning as many games and championships as they can. If Pippen had a better contract I think he gets the surgery in time to be ready for the season.
• I was like MJ playing football with my friends lol so I get it. I was talking like it was the Grey Cup/Super Bowl and if someone dropped an easy pass, I’d smack the back of their hands when they came back to the huddle lol
• Interesting and sobering that racism motivated MJ to work to get out of his position and reach the highest levels. Sad that has to be a reality but hopefully with all the protests going on now and the awareness that brings, we can start to see some real progress towards a world that gives equality to all human beings.
• As an older brother I understand the rivalry between MJ and his siblings. Having something to sharpen your sword on from a young age is a big reason why MJ’s game was able to evolve to the level it did.
• Working his whole life for his father’s approval and not getting it early on helps to understand the baseball decision.
• Wow led the 85/86 Bulls in PTS, Rebounds, Steals, Assists. I guess you don’t have to be 7 feet to carry a team.
• Thank God the broken foot was only a short term injury. Scary to hear the doctor say it could have been something that bothered him his whole career or even career ending.
• MJ disobeyed doctors orders but in hindsight maybe that strengthened it to keep it from recurring. No way to know for sure but it never came up as a problem again.
• Tanking is a losing attitude, completely agree. Can’t teach the winning mentality, it’s just something that is in you. If you have the winning mentality, the idea of losing even 1 game drives you insane. Tanking is ok if you’re in the front office bc it’s potentially good business for the future and you don’t have to be on the court taking the losses.
• Making playoffs/minute limits started the friction between MJ and management. I know MJ wanted to play and felt his body was ready but you have to follow what the doctor says. Tough one bc if he gets hurt again, everything is done.
• Young MJ was a treat to watch. So fast and skilled.
• Talking trash to MJ was always dangerous…63 pts. Celtics just lucky the team around him wasn’t the strongest.
• Highlight tape vs Celtics to LL Cool J was so sick
• God disguised as MJ…damn what a quote. Kind of blasphemous but the level of talent MJ had was so unbelievable that was the only explanation.
• Losing despite scoring 63pts kind of proves Krauss point about organizations, 1 player can’t do it all. You need that strong supporting cast.
• After that Krauss went to work to build a championship team and he built arguably the best ever.
• Losing Oakley was def tough but key roster move. I can understand bc I was so disappointed when the Raptors traded Oakley bc I knew what his presence alone did for the team.
• Reinsdorf saved the 6^th ship by nixing the Pippen trades bc trading Pippen would have cost them that but prob would have been better for the long term future of the team.
• Sad that Pippen/Krauss relationship deteriorated to toxic considering it was Krause that recognized his top level talents.

E3

• Rodman prob the most unique, enigmatic players in NBA history. The hair, the attitude, the dominance, nobody did it like Rodzilla.
• Without Rodman, hard to say they win as many ships. So dominant on boards and defense. Other players could have fit in the role but not at the level Rodman played.
• Deespite winning 2 rings in Detroit, MJ def brought out the best in Rodman as seen when Pippen was out and they needed Rodman to step up into a bigger role.
• Rodman threw caution to the wind to grab rebounds, pics of him diving through the air and into the crowd with reckless abandon are crazy.
• Considering his early life, amazing he stayed away from drugs and a bad path. Shows that his good heart was closer to the surface than people would have you think.
• Like MJ and Pippen, Rodman had to grind to earn everything he got. Nothing was handed to him and if he hadn’t decided to put in the work, he doesn’t get anywhere near the NBA.
• Interesting to hear him described as naïve, loving the outdoors, cooking fires and looking at stars. Makes you realize not to judge a book by it’s cover.
• Studying trajectory of the ball coming off the basket when different players shot…incredible. He wasn’t lucky, he worked in ways nobody else did. Never occurred to me that you could study the way guys shoot to know how the ball would come off the rim.
• Pistons def earned the bad boys nickname, it wasn’t about being nice or liked it was about winning.
• Love that old school basketball that was physical. That’s what is missing from today’s game. It’s only so entertaining to watch guys just jack 3’s but the physical play in the paint is always fun to watch.
• Doug Collins an unsung hero in MJ’s story. It’s all about Phil and while he was responsible for putting the team in position to succeed, Collins def helped MJ grow significantly as a player in those early years.
• MVP, All Star MVP, Dunk Contest Champ, DPOY…WOW the hype is real.
• Highlight pack to Party Man was fn great.
• “We took care of you(Cavs in 3), took care of you(Cavs in 4), take care of you today(Cavs in 5)”…lol MJ was always watching and aware of the narrative.
• The Shot – go home motherfuckers, go home! lol what a great sequence. 1^st LEGENDARY moment of MJ’s career. I know the talk was about Harper should have been on MJ but hard to play better Defence than Ehlo did on that play, he made MJ wait until it was almost too late to take it.
• The hate for Isaiah and the Pistons carries to this day lol sports hate makes the best rivalries.
• Pistons were def an easy team to sports hate with the way they played.
• Get the ball to Michael everybody get the fuck out the way lol great advice.
• Jordan rules – necessary for the Pistons to win but a reason trading Oakley was a bad thing. Oak would have made it very difficult for the Pistons to go after Jordan the way they did.
• Are you willing to be injured to score a basket lol my how times have changed. Miss this type of game.
• As Rodman said, surviving that punishment and still being great is why MJ is the GOAT
• Tough to hear how close Rodman came to tragedy, thank God he had people around him to help.
• Madonna bringing out the eccentricity of Rodman makes sense lol
• Rodmans antics put him on the radar with me and my generation. Everybody knew about the hair and were always talking about the things he did.
• Tough to deal with a guy that doesn’t care about showing respect or the magnitude about where he is but if you show up on game day that’s all anyone really cares about. And Rodman def showed up on game day.
• The antics hide how basketball smart he was. You bring up Rodman and people immediately go to the crazy stuff but the guy had a brilliant basketball mind.
• The media Jordan had to deal with would be exhausting answering the same questions over and over about the last year, Pippen, etc..
• Sniff brothers lol he was talking about being yes-men but your mind immediately jumps to something else
• Crucial to get Pippen back instead of holding out. Rodman stepped up big time but doing it the whole season and playoffs might have been too much.
• Love hearing the talk about strategy between MJ and Rodman on the bench
• I play the game for free but get paid for the bullshit…great quote
• When Dennis wants to tell me something I know its not something I wanna fuckin hear…Dennis needs a vacation lol….i need to go to Vegas….if you let him go to vacation we not gonna see him, if you let him go to Vegas we def not gonna see him. Not getting him back in 48 hours….LOL drinkin a beer then riding a motorcycle…yikes

E4

• Carmen Electra in her prime and even now – WOW…Rodman was the man lol
• MJ has to go get Rodman from his vacation in Vegas LOL that’s how you know youre important when MJ is comin to get your ass.
• Rodman always showed up on gameday which is why he could get away with the other shit
• Hilarious hearing MJ pissed about getting caught up in a Dennis getting in shape drill. But then Dennis is good to go making them run 4 laps to catch him lol one of a kind
• Interesting to hear Phil Jacksons connection to Native American culture and that he was always the Indian playing cowboys and Indians
• Phil was such a legendary coach I forget he was also a great player that won 2 rings
• Sad hearing Phi/Krauss started out having a great relationship knowing how it was at the end. Pride can ruin even the best of things.
• Tex Winter was also an unsung hero to the Bulls greatness with his offensive mind pushing the triangle and mentoring Phil.
• Having the balls to fire Collins to hire Phil is another reason why Krauss is the best GM ever. Tough to fire a guy that made the ECF but it was needed for MJ to get his game to the next level.
• Collins was all about MJ, Phil was all about the team which was what took them to the next level
• I didn’t want Bill Cartwright to have the ball with 5 seconds left, that’s not equal opportunity offense that’s fuckin bullshit LOL MJ was all about what was best for winning, not what was best for people’s feelings
• No I in team but there is in win lol Kobe has a similar quote. 2 peas in a pod.
• Phil’s triangle offense was key to getting Pippen to the next level and man did Pip step up.
• Having gone through migraines my whole life, if Scottie had one it’s a miracle he played as long and as well as he did. If you haven’t had one, I can understand why they wouldn’t get it
• These crushing losses to the Celtics and then the Pistons got the Bulls and MJ ready for the mountaintop. Built the resolve to succeed and started the training required to be great and compete at the highest level.
• Shows what a great sportsman MJ is to agree to be interviewed seconds after losing Game 7 and still be respectful and professional.
• “Michael Jordan is a great player but can’t lead his teams to championships”…bullshit take but shows why he became so hard on his teammates in later years. He was gonna bring the best out of them whether they liked it or not.
• The toughness of the Pistons caused the Bulls to pick each other up and fight together. You need great opponents to bring the greatness out of yourself.
• Don’t sell it…key philosophy to deal with bullies like Pistons and something I adhere to in my own life.
• MJ, Pippen and Grant were the big 3 in the first run.
• Seeing the tough road they went through to get there, easy to see why the Bulls went on the run they did.
• Crazy to see Rodman as a Piston almost injure Pippen considering they would be like brothers down the road.
• I hate the lovey dovey stuff we see today after losses but a punk move for the Pistons to walk off without at least shaking hands, don’t care what the excuses are.
• Sweep of the Pistons was so huge, built the confidence to win 3 straight championships.
• You need great opponents to push you to be great and the Bulls def did
• Sports hate is real and MJ vs Isaiah proves it lol I can attest having watched Paul Pierce shatter my hopes year after year.
• Magic vs MJ, doesn’t get much better than that but Pippen’s D on Magic was the key to victory.
• MJ trusting Paxon to hit shots shows he can lead and make his teammates better.
• One of the most iconic shots of all time, MJ crying on the Larry OB with his Dad by his side.
• MJ messing with Burrell to the camera was so funny, “don’t put that on camera, my mom n dad are gonna watch this” lol
• MJ wouldn’t play for another coach so Krauss insisting Phil leave is maybe his greatest failure

E5

• RIP Kobe. Mamba Forever
• “That little Laker boys gonna take everybody 1 on 1”….damn man that is priceless video
• “If I was his teammate I wouldn’t pass him the fuckin ball. You want this ball again brother you better rebound”…LOL
• “I got Mike”…Kobe waited for that his whole life.
• Happy that Kobe got to do this but damn it aint right that he’s gone
• “I don’t get 5 championships here without him”….ultimate respect, legend recognize legend
• crazy to hear MJ wanted to go with Adidas for his shoe deal and didn’t want anything to do with Nike. Someone check on the Adidas execs and Nike owes his Mama some cash lol
• 126 million in shoes sold in year 1…unbelievable.
• I never got into shoes bc we couldn’t afford to get Nike or Air Jordans. Only shoe I wanted was Reebok Pumps but never got a pair until 2016 lol wish they still made em
• Wearing the Jordan 1’s for his last game in MSG was a big deal to shoe fans.
• Continuing to wear them despite making his feet bleed is some serious dedication lol
• Have I said the soundtrack is fn awesome.
• “MJ didn’t play basketball, he knew how to win the game”…great quote
• MJ worked just as hard on both offense and defense. You can be a great scorer or passer but if you don’t play hard defence your teammates have to pick up the slack and your team gets exposed.
• “I took offense to that”…that’s another level of confidence when being compared to a great player like Drexler gets MJ riled up.
• The Shrug…love it, 1 of my fav MJ moments.
• Disrespect was gasoline to MJ and he would always find something to fill up the tank. You hear people say things like if you need extra motivation, you’re not doing it right but that’s BS. MJ used disrespect to fuel him and became the greatest player ever so obviously he was doing it right. Everybody on the court is playing to compete so getting an extra edge on them can be the difference between winning and losing.
• Krause going on about the organization and not mentioning specific players or coaches, I think the spotlight growing bigger on MJ was starting to get to him after the 2^nd
• Back to back puts the Bulls on the same level as the Lakers and Celtics but MJ wanted to separate from the pack so 3 in a row was the goal.
• The feud and sports hate with Isaiah was so real he couldn’t even put it aside for country lol
• MJ said here he never told anyone he wouldn’t play on the Dream Team if Isaiah was on it. It just came out that he did say that. I don’t see it as lying. I put it down to being younger and full of fire compared to now when he is older and wiser and realizes he was wrong so MJ wanted to change the narrative. I guess you could say he lied but I don’t think it was malicious, I just think he grew as a person and this was an attempt to make it right.
• That’s the cost of playing the way Isaiah and the Bad Boys did, his opponents couldn’t just turn it off.
• Man I’d love to see full videos of all those Dream team practices, GOAT level talent and trash talk.
• When Magic’s team was winning – this aint the Bulls stadium.
• When Magic’s team was losing – all they did was move Bulls stadium here LOL
• Game on the line who would take the last shot…Me. That’s a dumb question lol no doubt who the man was.
• Krause recognizing the talent of Kukoc and drafting him is another reason he is the greatest GM
• Considering the contributions Kukoc would make to the Bulls, Jordan and Pippen look like jackasses the way they treated him in the Olympics.
• MJ needed disrespect for his gas tank so he manufactured it through Krause courting Kukoc but that’s what a good GM does, finds talent.
• Krause did some shitty things that deserved the ire he got but Jordan and Pippen don’t come off good with the quotes about Kukoc in the moment.
• Kukoc had a really good game the 2^nd time they played USA and still lost by 32 which shows you how devastatingly great the Dream Team was.
• I guess I can understand wanting to cover the Reebok logo due to business with Nike but its still kind of petty. Im a Reebok mark and don’t like Nike so maybe im biased.
• MJ def transcended being an NBA superstar and became a global icon. Every kid knew who Michael Jordan was and accepted that he was the GOAT. Bulls gear was cool no matter who you cheered for and everyone wanted the shoes.
• Republicans buy sneakers too – that was a mistake but as MJ said it was said in jest on a bus to the team not a public statement. MJ put money before culture when he could have had an impact on keeping a filthy racist out of power. MJ was such a powerful figure that he wouldn’t have seen much of a hit on his business line if at all. But the power of the dollar is real.
• I cant even imagine how impossible Bulls tickets would be to get in the MJ era, would have been like gold bar. Could you imagine the storm that load management would have caused back then. But MJ was a beast playing all 82.
• Sheeeeeeeit lol MJ channeling Clay Davis before there was a Clay Davis.
• Never would have thought there would be a MJ/Seinfeld connection but they both left on a high note when their fans desperately wanted more. Cool video of Seinfeld in the locker room.

E6

• A lot of people say they would like to be Michael Jordan for a day or a week but let them try to be Michael Jordan for a year….damn man, puts it in perspective how exhausting the spotlight is esp when it shines as bright as Jordan’s.
• The cost of that level of greatness is that everyone wants a piece of you almost every second of the day. Privacy is almost non existent. Time to yourself is like time at the peak of Mt Everest
• Watching the doc and seeing the media grind, you start to understand why he was able to walk away at the top of his game even after winning a championship
• MJ would gamble on anything lol good thing he had enough money to not worry about it effecting his bottom line or well being of his family.
• Too bad the security guard with the sweet fro John Michael Wozniak died before the doc and didn’t get to enjoy the fame this gave him. Loved his mimic of ‘The Shrug’ lol
• “I wanna say I got your money in my pocket” lol sounds like my Uncle
• “Watch this roll right in my pocket” lol great line. RIP John Michael Wozniak
• Grant seemed kind of cold to Jordan meeting at half court and showed more love to Pippen before the game in 98. Might be wrong but it makes it seem possible that Grant could have given the info for the Jordan Rules book.
• “Don’t want y’all filming us drinking beer…back when I started half the team was drinking beers at halftime” lol different times, man.
• The Jordan Rules book gave ppl jealous of MJ’s success the ammo they needed to try and take him down a peg.
• MJ used disrespect to fuel him to another level so I think his treatment of some teammates was his way of trying feed them disrespect to fuel them to another level. MJ didn’t just want to win he wanted to be great. People have tried to stick up for Burrell but Burrell came out and said it made him a better player and wasn’t malicious. End of story.
• Competition isn’t always nice and Jordan was fiercely competitive. Reminds me of the Bob Sugar quote from Jerry Maguire, “It’s not show friends, it’s show business” It’s not friends time, it’s winning time. With the monster teams the Bulls had to go up against, they needed to be sharp and ready for a battle.
• Anyone complaining about the treatment couldn’t have ever played pickup games bc you hear the same things there nevermind in the fcking NBA on a championship team.
• Wasn’t really a foul till you drew blood lol damn I miss that type of game.
• That 3^rd ship is the one that separates them from the pack but as a fan of greatness, I really wanted to see them win 4.
• Those Ewing Knicks teams were def great and if they had got by the Bulls prob win themselves a ship. Wish Ewing could have won a ring bc he was one of the best ever.
• MJ going to gamble and staying out late isn’t a big deal, with his reality in the spotlight he needed that mental break. Not going would prob have been worse for his psyche and possibly affected his play.
• Gambling is competition and provides adrenaline esp when you win which is why its addicting and why ppl with lots of money still do it. You just have to be careful bc things can start going downhill and get bad fast.
• Obviously MJ had the money to pay any bet he lost and wasn’t losing property or increasing debt so it wasn’t a problem. People just wanted something to try and take him down a peg. Gambling isn’t a righteous activity so people hung onto that and played holier than thou.
• Bulls lost Game 1 and 2 bc the Knicks were fn good and its tough to win in MSG. The judgment from gambling gave MJ the disrespect to fuel the tank and lead the Bulls to win the next 4 games.
• Hilarious to watch MJ pull Pippen and the team away from the media, honking the bus horn n shit bc he has a tee time lol
• Great picture of MJ in the drivers seat of the bus asking for a fare.
• “Im going to Hooters, watch them tits n ass” lol fn Rodman. Obviously you see beautiful women but don’t ever let anyone tell you Hooters doesn’t have great wings bc they are glorious.
• MJ is right in that if he had a Gambling problem, he would be selling personal items or putting his families well being in danger but everyone was eating, had a roof over their head, had possessions so it really was just a hobby. As I said, it provides adrenaline and for guys like MJ that compete on the highest level, it’s one of the only ways to replicate the adrenaline you get from playing games.
• Barkley and the Suns were a casualty of the Bulls dominance. If it couldn’t be the Bulls, I wanted Barkley to get a ring.
• Once again MJ found disrespect to fuel his tank in Barkley winning MVP over him and Krause loving Majerle. MJ talked trash on the court like everyone but in the media he let his play do the talking so other teams didn’t have disrespect to use.
• Beating the Bulls in the 90’s wasn’t just about playing great yourself but having to stop and play better than Jordan which is why the Bulls won 6 ships.
• “Don’t take it personally Charles” lol little fucker
• Barkley also used disrespect to fill his tank as seen when the city of Chicago was ready to celebrate a 3^rd ship before it was won. But he didn’t have it when they went back to Phoenix and we saw the result.
• “Im only packing 1 suit”…that’s the confidence you have when you know you’re the best.
• Paxson hits the game winner scoring the only 4^th quarter points other than MJ…being the greatest is about hitting the clutch shot but also knowing when to trust your team to hit it. That’s why MJ was on them so hard, so they would be ready for that moment.
• MJ just wanting a few minutes to himself to relax after winning the 3^rd ship says it all about the toll his fame was taking on him esp at this time when everyone was constantly taking shots at his character.
• Everyone says MJ will miss the game if he leaves in 98 but he says he wont. For us who have never been in that kind of spotlight its hard to fathom walking away but actually living it for so many years its way different for MJ.

E7

• “Are you surprised the team has stayed together with all the backstabbing between coaches and management” lol what a question. RIP Craig Sager
• “Starts with hard work, ends in champagne”….great quote
• Going into 1998 MJ looked mentally and emotionally exhausted, similar to 1993. Considering that maybe they wouldn’t have had the gas to win 4.
• MJ’s father kept him on the right path always driving and challenging him. Big reason why he became the man he is. The allegations from MJ’s sister are tough to hear but I can only speak on the relationship MJ had with his father.
• I have a similar relationship with my Dad, father and good friend.
• As a kid I remember being more upset about what happened to his Dad than MJ retiring, I was just blown away that something like that could happen to Michael Jordan’s father. I really wanted them to try for 4 but I understood how hard it would be to play after losing your Dad like that.
• The rumours about MJ’s gambling causing his death were just gross.
• From the details its clear James Jordan accidentally witnessed a drug deal when he woke up from his nap, the dealers panicked when they realized someone was in his car and killed him.
• MJ was already mentally and emotionally done before his father died but with that on top there was no way he was coming back.
• When you learn about how MJ always wanted his fathers attention and love, it makes complete sense that he tried to play baseball which was his fathers favourite sport to honour him after his death. Esp since he was done with Basketball at that point.
• That MJ retirement media scrum was insane, could you imagine that happening in the social media age.
• I thought it was crazy to not want to go after 4 in a row but I also understood the impact his Dads death had on that decision and as a kid I didn’t understand how much the spotlight he had on him drained him.
• The Gambling suspension conspiracy is fcking ludicrous.
• I def wanted MJ to play basketball but was intrigued to see if he could be great at Baseball too.
• ‘Jordan Rides the Bus’ 30 for 30 is a great doc on his time playing baseball.
• Terry Francona being Jordan’s baseball manager is a pretty cool trivia fact.
• Love the clip of Jordan stopping his sports car to sign a kids ball in the middle of the street
• Its not fair but Error Jordan is a great pun lol
• That Sports Illustrated cover/story was complete bullshit and I understand why MJ was done with them for a while. Just a hit piece with no journalistic relevance.
• No shortage of disrespect to fuel the tank when he was playing baseball.
• Hitting .202, 51 RBI, 3 HR, 30 SB are incredible numbers for just walking onto the diamond from the basketball court after not playing since he was a kid.
• “Better watch out for the lead dog, hell bite the shit out you” lol don’t have to tell Burrell that
• MJ on Burrell was like a brotherly relationship givin each other shit, they always had smiles on their faces.
• MJ was so hard on his teammates bc of how hard he worked. He was not going to allow someone else’s slack to bring him down so the way he tried to keep them sharp was to stay on them. I’m sure he came off like a bully and an asshole at times but that was the price to pay for keeping the team on a level above everyone else.
• MJ wasn’t in it to play basketball, he was in it to Win at any cost.
• I was really cheering for Pippen and the Bulls to win without Jordan. Thought it would give Pippen the respect he deserved as one of the best players and not just a second to Jordan.
• Getting Kukoc was a big part of winning the 2^nd 3-peat considering all the clutch shots and performances.
• Scottie not going back is a tough moment and def a mistake but I get it. Pippen is an alpha male and when an alpha male gets disrespected, you don’t want anything to do with the person that disrespected you. In hindsight Pippen should have went in but I can understand his mentality. He only had a few seconds to make a tough choice and prob made the wrong one.
• Wish I could have seen the Cartwright speech but that’s a team moment. Addressing it immediately and putting it behind them was huge for the future.
• Pippen coming back to dunk on Ewing and walk over him is a legendary moment.
• Nice is for off the court. On the court, its about winning. Winning championships is not about nice, achieving the type of greatness MJ wanted is not about nice. Your mentality during game time is not about nice, its about winning.
• MJ never asked anyone to do anything that he didn’t do.

E8

• Love those Hornets colours and logo
• Respect to BJ Armstrong for a great performance but 1 game does not a champion make…actually nevermind no respect I forgot he refused to report to the Raptors lol
• BJ Armstrong gave MJ the disrespect to fuel his tank.
• MJ could take something like ‘nice game Mike’ from LeBradford Smith and use it to fuel that disrespect tank which we learn was not true proving that he would fabricate disrespect if he had to, to get his game to the next level.
• Thank God for the baseball strike bc without that MJ may never have come back to basketball.
• ‘I’m back’ man that would have shut down social media in todays world
• Totally forgot he played in the 95 season so the door actually was open to win 4 in a row but he was not in playing shape for basketball.
• Would have been tough to play his first game that his father didn’t see.
• Def weird seeing him play basketball wearing 45 instead of 23 but I understand why he did it.
• 55 in MSG…MJ is def back. That arena brings out the best in the greatest athletes.
• 2 TO vs Magic in crunch time in the playoffs showed there was some rust to shake off. Not often someone is able to pick MJ’s pocket with the game on the line.
• Never thought about MJ having to change his body for different sports. That is serious dedication to being the best.
• Long time since MJ had to experience the sting of a playoff loss but it might have been the thing that fueled the run for the next 3 championships.
• If the loss wasn’t enough, the Magic over the top celebrating def fueled his disrespect tank to get ready for the next 3 peat
• The Jordan Dome is fn awesome, that work ethic is why he is on another level than everyone else.
• Would love to see some of those Jordan Dome scrimmages with all those great NBA players, prob the only games that could rival the Dream Team practices.
• Space Jam is a great piece of the MJ legacy that separated him even further from the pack.
• Fighting with your teammates is def crossing the line but sometimes that brings you closer like it did with MJ and Kerr. MJ did have a point in that to be ready for what they would face vs teams like the Knicks, had to step up the intensity but it’s still your team so you gotta know when its too far. From his comments about being embarrassed, MJ def knew he went too far.
• Rodman doesn’t get enough respect for his skills bc of the off court stuff, the man was a legit beast on the boards and playing defence.
• The expansion Raptors are 1 of those 10 losses in the 95/96 season, our Championship for a long time lol
• 72-10 don’t mean a thing without the ring…damn rights *cough*Warriors*cough*
• The Glove Gary Payton was another casualty of the Jordan Bulls dominance, wish he could have won a ring. Glove to Kemp made for some fcking nasty dunks
• “It became personal with me” Could be the theme of this doc lol George Karl gave MJ a full tank of disrespect by not acknowledging him at a restaurant. Somebody would always give MJ what he needed for the extra edge.
• How you could not have the DPOY on MJ is beyond me, gotta slow him down somehow and your best chance is your best defensive player.
• Watching MJ laugh at Gary Payton talking about the series changing when he guarded MJ was hilarious but I think Jordan should have given Payton more respect bc his defense def was a factor in the Sonics winning 2 games.
• MJ winning a championship on Fathers Day in 1996 is one of those poetic moments I love about sports.
• Emotional watching MJ react to winning the title, esp in the locker room. We have seen the pic/video but that’s the first time with audio I believe.
• “You are going to retire Michael Jordan”…He wouldn’t be Reggie Miller if he didn’t have that confidence but if anyone could do it its Reggie.

E9

• Only Reggie Miller could cause MJ to come unhinged and lose his shit like that lol
• Don’t ever talk trash to Black Jesus lol those types of things are prob the worst of MJ’s character but its funny bc Jesus was closer to black/brown than white.
• Reggie Miller and the Pacers are another casualty of the Jordan Bulls, really wish Reggie could have won a ring.
• “Every time I came out I had another scratch. It became personal with me”…what didn’t lol
• “Lets give em something to boo about”…that’s why I don’t like booing certain players who use it as fuel, McGrady killed the Raps bc we always booed him.
• “Lightly shoved him” lol Reggie doesn’t have a ring but he has a bunch of truly legendary moments
• Man that Jordan shot after Reggie hit the go-ahead bucket is as close to in without going in as it gets.
• “Still gotta come through Chicago”…not an easy road and most didn’t make it through.
• MJ could always find that disrespect to fuel his tank and did again vs the Jazz when Malone won MVP.
• Bryon Russell also gave MJ some of that disrespect fuel as if he needed more by telling him when MJ was retired, “Why did you quit? You know I could guard you.” Relevant to know that Russell was guarding MJ when he hit ‘The Final Shot.’
• What a pass by Stockton to Malone to tie the series. 2 of the all time greatest no doubt.
• The Flu game is now the Pizza game, he ate the Pizza himself so he is a regular guy like all of us in some ways lol
• I loved the lore of the Flu game but it might be even more of a feat to play with bad food poisoning. Incredible performance. One of my fav shots is Pippen holding Jordan up.
• Had no clue about Steve Kerr’s own tragic story with his Father, so fn sad. Surprising Kerr and MJ never talked about that but I’m sure it’s not something MJ wanted to talk about often.
• Hard to earn MJ’s trust but when you did you were made. Paxson in the first run, Kerr in the 2^nd.
• Every kid dreams of making a shot like Kerr did, I love that chaotic sequence with Pippen diving on the floor to end the 97 finals.
• “I guess I gotta bail Michael out again” lol when you’re hitting clutch shots like Kerr did, you can have jokes.
• So much respect to Gus Lett one of MJ’s security team for filling some of the void left by MJ’s fathers death and becoming a father figure for him. Without the strong team around him, MJ doesn’t have all the success he did.
• Disrespect is a great fuel but so is honour as we saw when MJ won Game 7 for Gus.
• Kerr with another huge shot hitting a 3 in Game 7 vs IND, shows how big momentum is in basketball.
• Awesome to see MJ give Gus the game ball. RIP
• “You bitch, fuck you”…..LOL love seeing the camaraderie between 2 legends like Jordan and Bird.
• AIR license plate is sick

E10

• Watching in 98 finals, I wanted to see MJ and the Bulls get that 2^nd 3-peat but also wanted Stockton and Malone to get a ring so I was good either way.
• MJ didn’t allow himself to think about failure – “why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken”…great advice for sports and life.
• Utah was such a tough place to play Mj didn’t bring his kids lol damn that’s when you know you have a home court advantage.
• TSN replayed every game of the 98 finals, such a treat to see to watch that classic style of play with all the legends. But that game 6 the movie was horrible, the zoomed in camera angle was brutal. Couldn’t watch the play develop or anything.
• “I ain’t Shaq”…didn’t matter that Utah swept a great player like that, MJ wasn’t phased bc he knew his talents were on another level.
• Crazy to see the Jazz totally destroyed in Game 3 only scoring 54 points, not what anyone expected. Loved the guys celebrating up 42 bc Wennington hit the last shot to put every Bulls player on the score sheet lol
• It was staggering to watch how bad the other players including Stockton played compared to Malone in the series, Malone had a bad Game 1 but stepped up after that. Wish they would’ve highlighted Pippen’s GOAT level trash talk of Malone that caused him to brick 2 key free thows, “The Mailman don’t deliver on Sundays.” Lol Nobody else on the Jazz could find their game most of the series, so many missed shots and opportunities.
• Rodzilla left practice to go to Nitro and attack DDP lol as a huge wrestling fan I loved it, Rodman fit right into the wrestling world.
• “I was just tryin to party and fck all the girls” lol fn guy
• “He brought fame and dishonour on all of us”…”that’s a good piece of money though” – Jordan knows what’s up lol
• Hilarious watching Rodman sneak out to avoid the media, 300 media scrambling to get to him but he somehow did it.
• Once again no matter what he did off the court, Rodman showed up on Gameday grabbing huge rebounds and hitting clutch FTs something he was not great at. Not much Phil can say when he performs like that but I’m sure he would’ve loved to tear a strip off Rodman lol
• “I’m comin to California with you”…”If I ever see you again imma whip your ass” LOL settle down ppl that’s how brothers do
• What an ending that would have been if Jordan hit the 3 in Game 5 but he had something else cookin.
• I have issues with my back tightening up for a good week 1-2 times a year and when it happens its tough to do anything nevermind play in a NBA finals game. If Scottie doesn’t gut out that Game 6 performance it prob goes to 7 giving Utah a great chance of winning. Interesting how things come full circle in the Last Dance from the migraine game to gutting out his back injury to win the 6^th
• Awesome to watch the Rodman/Malone battle on the court that would culminate in the ring in a match for WCW. Rodman/Hogan won that too so Malone just couldn’t catch a break lol
• MJ was def showing signs of the tank being empty coming up short on a lot of shots down the stretch so going 7 would have been bad news esp without Pippen.
• Scottie was a decoy which was huge but he made more of a contribution scoring and on the boards than you would have thought given the injury.
• I was watching and can still see MJ stealing the ball from Malone and then hitting the game winner in my memory. What legends are made of and a fitting end to the Bulls career of a global icon like Michael Jordan.
• “He is not gonna pass this fuckin ball” lol truth. Rodman knows, he isn’t an idiot.
• Bang! What a way to end his legendary career with the Bulls. Greatest of all time. ‘The Last Shot’
• And then it was over. The Last Dance ends in the 6^th I love MJ holding up the 6 fingers to the Utah crowd and Rodman doing the DX ‘Suck It’ lol 1 last on court embrace for Jordan and Pippen 1 of the greatest combos in sports history.
• I had faith! I had faith! I never gave up – Phil Jackson and MJ the greatest Coach-Player combo ever
• Great video of Leo congratulating MJ in the locker room. “On the way over I was watching Man with the Iron Face” lol not quite but nobody is arguing with the GOAT after his 6^th ship
• Respect to Karl Malone for coming on the Bulls bus to shake their hands
• “Is this the smoking floor?” “It is now” lol damn right.
• Carmen Electra kissing the trophy…DAYUM! She was so fine and still is. “Kiss it.” “The trophy?” LOL
• 11 rings as a coach, cant fuck with Phil Jackson’s Zen philosophy. Given all the pressure MJ was under and the heat of the spotlight, Phil’s focus on keeping the mind, body and soul calm was prob an understated reason why they were able to deal with it and have the success they did. Greatest coach of all time.
• Love to hear Pippen give Krauss the respect as the greatest GM considering their history.
• Say what you will about Krauss but the Bulls had the greatest organization top to bottom and it lead to 6 championships, it wasn’t just 1 man that did it.
• So tough to hear MJ say that the group could have been brought back on 1 year contracts to try and win a 7^th. I wanted it bad, I couldn’t fathom in 98 why anyone would give up and not go after 4 in a row to really get to that rarified air.
• It was true that the market value of the individual guys had exceeded what the Bulls could afford but the run also brought Reinsdorf and the organization A LOT of money so he could have taken the luxury tax hit.
• Such a great idea for Phil Jackson to bring the team together and have them write their thoughts and feelings down and then burn it to say goodbye. Considering the team was being broken up after 3 in a row, prob made it easier to not look back and play the ‘what if’ game.
• That montage at the end man, fucking great. So grateful I was alive at the same time and old enough to appreciate the Championship run.
• Jordan in 84, “I just want the Bulls to be respected like the Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, hopefully we can build something like that”…mission accomplished

And that brings us to the end of the documentary. Like MJ it was one of the greatest of all time. I think it stayed true to the reality of Michael Jordan and the Bulls. MJ was a global icon that had unbelievable celebrity. MJ was the greatest basketball player of all time. The 90’s Bulls are in the conversation for greatest team of all time. Phil Jackson was the greatest coach of all time. Jerry Krause was the greatest GM of all time. Jerry Reinsdorf is 1 of the greatest owners of all time. They couldn’t have won 6 rings without Pippen. And Rodman. And Kukoc. And Kerr. And Grant. And Paxson. And Burrell. And Harper. And Perdue. And Parish. And Salley. And Longley. And Wennington. And Brown. And Caffey. And Armstrong. And Cartwright. And King. And Simpkins. And Williams. And I’m sure I missed a bunch but you get the point. Krause was right in saying this was the best organization, from top to bottom everything/everyone clicked and contributed where they needed to.

Hearing Reinsdorf say they couldn’t have kept the team together versus MJ saying they could have convinced everyone to come back on 1 year deals to go after 4 in a row and the 7^th championship was tough. I thought Reinsdorf at times threw Krause under the bus acting like he couldn’t do or say anything about the decisions Krause was making. Obviously you have to let your GM be the GM or there is no trust and it doesn’t work but Reinsdorf could have told Krause that getting along with Phil and keeping the team together is a priority. To this day I can’t believe they didn’t go after 4 in a row, only a select few teams have ever been in that position so it would have been worth the money to give it a shot. There is a quote from Reinsdorf saying he would trade all 6 Bulls Championships for 1 White Sox World Series which kind of shows where his priorities were and why he didn’t push hard for a 7^th ring. But no point in focusing on the negative when there is so much positive to celebrate.

We got 10 episodes but I could have easily watched 10 more. This doc hit in the middle of the quarantine and I am def grateful for all the hard work the documentary team put in to bring us this distraction. As I said to start, I’ll be giving this multiple viewings over the years to try and experience that 90’s energy. Since I was a kid, I have been a fan of greatness and it doesn’t get much greater than the 90’s Bulls and Michael Jordan. I loved the nostalgia it brought back seeing all the clips and pictures of a great decade. The music throughout was fucking incredible, what an awesome soundtrack. I always thought those Bulls championship caricature shirts were awesome and really wanted to be able to buy one to celebrate a Raptors championship and I finally got my wish last year. Pretty cool to know the 2019 Raptors are now able to call themselves champions just like the Bulls did 6 times. I don’t know that we will ever see another run like the 90’s Bulls but we will def never see another player like Michael Jordan. Technology has made the world smaller and athletes/celebrities more accessible so it will be hard for someone to reach that level of fame again. I said it at the beginning but I’ll say it again, I’m so grateful I was alive to experience and appreciate the greatness of Michael Jordan and the run of the 90’s Bulls.

Only thing I was disappointed they didn’t mention was the best sports commercial of all time, MJ’s ‘Maybe It’s My Fault’ NIKE spot so that’s what I’m going to end with. Bc of this doc, nobody can ever accuse MJ of being handed anything or that he didn’t work relentlessly for the success he had. From day 1 he had to work hard for everything he got. There was no luck involved, MJ made his own luck. But after watching this, nobody will ever say he did it on his own either. Jordan and Pippen. MJ had the best supporting cast a player could ask for from teammates, to coaches, to the front office. Michael Jordan took the gifts that God gave him, combined it with unshakeable hard work and turned himself into a global icon breathing air only a handful of people in the history of Earth ever have. And yet we still got to see that he is flawed just like the rest of us. Every one if his great teammates, coaches and front office staff had flaws. That could have been the theme of the documentary, being great doesn’t mean that you are flawless. It just means that you work through your flaws to turn them into strengths. The Last Dance took us on an incredible journey and I’m sure it will be watched by basketball and sports fans for generations to come.

“Maybe it’s my fault.
Maybe I led you to believe it was easy,
When it wasn’t.
Maybe I made you think my highlights started at the free throw line,
And not in the gym.
Maybe I made you think that every shot I took was a game winner.
That my game was built on flash, and not fire.
Maybe it’s my fault that you didn’t see that failure gave me strength,
That my pain was my motivation.
Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a God given gift,
And not something I worked for,
Every single day of my life.

Maybe I destroyed the game.

Or maybe,

You’re just making excuses.”