The Last Dance – Episode 10
The Last Dance Episode 10
The Bulls narrowly defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and now tried to finish the dynasty with their 6th title in 8 years against the Utah Jazz.
Episode 10
In 1997, the Bulls beat the Jazz in the NBA Finals 4-2. This time, the Jazz had home-court advantage in the Finals, and they looked to knock off the Bulls. The Bulls had beaten the Pacers in 7 games in the Conference Finals, so they only had two days of rest to prepare for Utah and the thin air of Salt Lake City. From 1997 to 1998, the Jazz improved a lot. In both seasons, they got 60+ wins. Utah and their fans believed that they could finally vanquish the Bulls.
Michael was beyond other superstars in the league because he never thought about failure. He never let something that he couldn’t control affect him. He never thought about losing, and that’s why he won. He was always present.
“We were there to win,” said John Stockton. The Jazz were all confident that they could beat the Bulls. With 23 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Jazz led 79-77. Michael found Luc Longley under the basket for a score, and the Bulls tied the game at 79. The game would go into overtime. But, Utah prevailed in overtime with a 88-85 win in Game 1. Michael had 33 points, but Malone and Stockton proved to be too much.
Although the Bulls were tired both physically and mentally, they had been here before. 6 times in the last 8 years. They knew what it took to win with these stakes. They were not shaken by the Game 1 loss. Game 2 would again be played in the hostile Utah crowd. But this time, the Bulls were determined to win. The Bulls won 93-88 in Game 2, tying the series 1-1. Michael had 37 points to lead Chicago.
Both games 1 and 2 were close, with each team winning one game. Game 3 would be in Chicago. This game was not close. The Bulls dominated the first half, leading 49-31. The Bulls continued to dominate, and they won 96-54. The Jazz who had two Hall Of Famers in Stockton and Malone. The Jazz who had been to the finals for 2 straight years were held to 54 points. These 54 points were the lowest amount of points in any game since the shot clock was introduced. Malone was the only player to score in double digits for the Jazz. Michael had 24 in a dominating win. The Bulls led 2-1 in the series, and looked to win Game 4.
Following the dominating Game 3 victory, something was missing. Not the Jazz’s offense, it was Dennis Rodman. Rodman missed practice the day after the Game 3 victory. Nobody knew where he was.
Rodman was in Michigan, becoming a wrestler with Hulk Hogan. Typical. Rodman faced a fine, and punishment from the Bulls for missing practice. Rodman had to be him, but it was a distraction. Rodman was forced to escape 300 media members trying to ask him questions. Rodman just wanted to get away.
Even with the Rodman madness, the Bulls had to prepare for Game 4. Already leading 2-1 in the series, a game 4 victory would essentially end the series. Even with his distraction, Rodman proved that he would still be effective for Chicago. Rodman pulled down 14 rebounds for the Bulls in Game 4. The Bulls were able to hang on and win 86-82, giving them a 3-1 advantage in the series. Michael had 34 points and 8 rebounds for Chicago.
During the press conference following the Game 4 win, Michael said, “The job’s not done yet, so lets not celebrate now.” Even with a 3-1 advantage, Michael knew that the Bulls could not allow the series to last any longer.
Game 5 would be in Chicago, and the Bulls were just one win away from championship number 6, but the Jazz wanted to extend the series and get back home to Utah.
But, Utah came out and played well. The game was close, and with 5 seconds left, the Bulls trailed by one, 82-81. Jeff Hornacek made 1/2 free throws, and the Jazz led 83-81. The Bulls had the ball with 1.1 seconds left. Jordan’s last second prayer was off, and the Jazz held on to win 83-81. The series was now 3-2 in favor of Chicago, but now games 6 and 7 would be in Utah.
The Bulls had come up short in winning the series in 5. Now they had to go back to brutal Utah to try and finish the series out.
As the Bulls prepared for Game 6, the locker room was silent. Usually everybody would be talking and joking around, but this was different. It was like the calm before the storm. The Bulls were running on fumes, and now they had to finish it out. To make matters worse, Scottie was having back problems. The problems started after Game 3, in which he drew numerous charges. He as experiencing back pains that made it hard to play.
On the Bulls first possession, Scottie scored on a dunk. This did not help his back as he was wincing as he went down the court. He had jammed his back, and he felt like he was done for the game. The Bulls were still able to jump out to a 17-8 lead in the 1st quarter, but Scottie was forced to head back to the locker room to try and fix his back.
Without Scottie, the Bulls lost their lead fast as the Jazz led 19-18 with 1:38 left in the 1st quarter. The situation would not improve for the Bulls as they trailed 49-45 going into halftime. Pippen continued to work on his back, trying his best to get it in as good of shape as he could. Pippen felt like he could go, so he was back on the floor for the Bulls.
With Pippen back on the floor, the Bulls seemed to play better. With 8:02 left in the 3rd, the score was 53-51 in favor of Utah. “I was a decoy that whole game, and they didn’t know it,” said Scottie. Chicago was trying to get Utah to double Scottie just based off of his stature. Pippen was really like a rag doll out there, not being able to play really physically.
With Pippen barely being able to run up and down the court, Michael was taking most of the shots. He was bringing all the energy. But, he was using lots of the little bit of fuel he had left in the tank. Now he had to will the Bulls throughout the rest of the game.
At the start of the 4th quarter, the Jazz led 66-61. Now throughout the 4th quarter, all of Michael’s jump-shots were coming up short. This was a sing of fatigue. Michael could not get the ball past the front of the rim. The Bulls were in trouble. Pippen again went to the locker room to try and stretch out his back. Pippen came back with around 10 minutes left, hoping to play the rest of the game.
Pippen was called soft by some people, and now he was showing people that he wasn’t. Lots of guys would have quit, or stopped playing. Not Scottie. The Bulls continued to hang in there, making sure that they were in striking distance. With 6:40 left in the 4th quarter, the Bulls led 74-73. With just under 5 minutes remaining, the Jazz led 77-76.
With 41 seconds left, John Stockton hit a 3 that gave the Jazz a 86-83 lead. Now, it was Michael’s turn to respond. Even at his age, he was still the best in the world. He was taking all the shots, he was playing extra minutes. He was beyond human. Now, it was crunch time, and the Bulls had the perfect weapon. Michael Jordan.
Michael got the ball near half-court and attacked quickly. He scored a layup with 37 seconds left, making it a 85-86 game. He had scored very quickly, and the Bulls needed just one stop. Michael suspected that the Jazz would be running a play to Malone, and he knew a way to stop it. Rodman and Malone had been dog fighting all night long, so Malone would not be suspecting Jordan to come from the weak-side.
Stockton entered the ball to Malone on the left block, guarded by Rodman. Michael came from the baseline and swiped it away from Malone. Michael had the ball, and now the Bulls had a chance to win the game. Michael saw that Phil was not calling a timeout. Now, it was his turn. Michael cleared everybody out and was guarded by Bryon Russell.
Jordan aligned with the left wing, shadowed by Russell. Michael waited for his time to attack. He dribbled towards the middle of the key, and made a crossover, shaking Bryon Russell. Jordan pulled up for the mid-range shot. He was wide open, all alone. He drilled it with 5.2 seconds to go. The Bulls led 87-86.
Now, it is said that Michael pushed off on Bryon Russell while he was making his crossover, and that the refs did not call it. But, it is pretty clear that Russell’s momentum was moving him. Michael’s hand did almost nothing. He probably did not even did the “push off.” But, no matter, he hit the shot and the Bulls were now seconds away from championship number 6.
Jordan shooting the shot is one of the most iconic pictures in history. When he hit the shot, the energy was sucked out of the building, and everybody was either silent, or groaning. Now, the Bulls just needed one more stop, and they were NBA Champions once again.
In the timeout, Jordan sat on the bench, exhausted. He was done. All he needed was one stop, and it was over. Just one stop. John Stockton got the in bounds pass, and he received a screen. He got a great look at a 3, that was just off. The ball was tapped out and time expired. The Bulls were on top once again. They had defeated the Utah Jazz 87-86, winning the series in 6 games. Michael had won his 6th title in 8 years, and now the dynasty was complete. Michael finished his final game as a Bull with 45 points and a Finals MVP.
The Bulls celebrated with champagne in the locker room. Leonardo DiCaprio even showed up to congratulate Michael. Jerry Krause was in a good mood, saying that he wasn’t thinking about the off-season which would likely destroy the dynasty. The Bulls exited the arena on the bus, chased by screaming fans. As they approached the hotel, hundreds more screaming fans awaited for autographs and a glimpse of the team.
As the Bulls celebrated the title, basketball fans around the world awaited on weather the Bulls would come back next season and attempt another title run. Although many fans wanted to boo at Jerry Krause for ending the team prematurely, you had to give the man credit. After Michael was drafted, he gave him lots of good talent like Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and John Paxson with Bill Cartwright. He discovered the talents of Toni Kukoc. After Horace Grant left, he got Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, and Ron Harper. While the ending of he dynasty was sweet, Krause will be remembered as one of the best GM’s to ever have the job.
And, as the Bulls got more successful, the happiness of the City of Chicago went up. At that last championship rally, thousands of people, going miles in every direction, crammed to see the Bulls. That was the Michael Jordan affect. Jerry Reinsdorf said that he was more proud for the effect the winning had on the city, to see everybody happy and cheering for something.
The NBA had also gotten bigger. Following the 1992 season, and the 1992 Dream Team, the NBA expanded from 80 countries, to over 200 countries nowadays. All of that success can be pegged to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. They were larger than life, a team that we will never see again.
That evening, after the championship rally, Reinsdorf called Phil Jackson into his office. He offered Phil a chance to come back for another season. Another chance at a title. Regardless of all that was said throughout the season, Jackson would be returning as coach if he accepted. Jackson declined, saying that he needed to take a break. He didn’t think that it would be fair to Jerry [Krause] if he came back again, after all that had been said.
Reinsdorf offered a reason to why the Bulls broke up, saying that it would have been near impossible to bring back an aging Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman and all the other key pieces. This was because of their market values going up. Everybody in the league saw how valuable they were, and they would pay them much more than the Bulls could offer. Reinsdorf said that they wouldn’t be worth all of the extra money they would be getting. With the Bulls facing a rebuild, Reinsdorf offered Phil a coaching spot, but Phil declined, saying that he did not want to coach a bad team. So, that’s how the dynasty ended.
Michael’s response was that Krause had said at the start of the year that Phil would be coaching his final year with the Bulls. Even if he went 82-0. So, when Phil labeled the season as the “Last Dance,” everybody knew that this was it, the last year of the dynasty. Jordan questioned why even say that at all, why not just keep this on the inside. Jordan reckons that if you would have given everybody who had won in 1998 a one-year contract, they all would have resigned with the hopes of winning a 7th title. Michael himself had been signing one-year contracts for a while. Phil would have come back too. So, if Krause had not said anything, and none of this tension would be out in the open, and the Bulls gave everybody one-year contracts, Michael thinks they would have a chance at championship number 7.
Michael continued by saying that it was maddening to leave a his peak. He was still the best player in the NBA, just live he had been since the 1990’s began. Even if Pippen, Kerr, Rodman, and Harper were all getting older, they were still serviceable. And with a healthy Michael, who knows what the Bulls could have done? Michael says that losing would not be so bad, but at least trying would be good enough. “Time to go,” said Phil about him leaving the Bulls after the 6th title.
In typical Phil Jackson form, he had some sort of ritual to send everybody off. Everybody wrote something on a piece of paper on what the team, the dynasty meant to you that season. You would read it out to the team, and then you would throw it into a coffee can, and then they’ll burn it. Everybody wrote something emotional, and Michael even wrote a poem. And that was it. The Bulls dynasty ended with a burning coffee can.
What was your favorite part about Episode 10? What was your favorite part of this whole series? Leave all of your Last Dance comments down below.
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