The Last Dance – Episode 7
The Last Dance Episode 7
As Episode 7 rolls in, we learn more about the Bulls dynasty. Michael Jordan experiences a tragedy and steps away from basketball, shocking the world. The Bulls begin their 1997-98 playoff run and quest for a 6th title.
Episode 7
It is April 20th of 1998, and Jerry Krause is holding a pre-playoffs press conference. Craig Sager asked Jerry Krause a question, to which he answered that there was no backstabbing going on. Obviously there was backstabbing, or at least bad blood between Krause and Jackson and Pippen and Jackson, and all of the things that we had heard the two sides say over the course of the regular season. Krause stormed off and left the press conference.
The Bulls opened their quest for a 6th title by facing the 8th seeded New Jersey Nets. The Nets were widely believed to be swept, and the Bulls would walk all over them during the series.
The Nets opened Game 1 with a surprising 12-3 lead early in the 1st quarter. The Bulls were able to come back, but the game was tied at 89 as the two clubs headed into overtime. The Bulls hung on to win 96-93 in OT as Michael Jordan had 39 points.
Even though the Bulls won, people’s questions if the Bulls could really win a 6th championship arose once again. Jordan looked exhausted. He looked like the Jordan of 1993.
Flash back to June of 1993. After a tough year for Jordan and the Bulls, they beat the Phoenix Suns in 6 games to win their 3rd straight NBA Championship. After the win, Jordan and his father were in the back as usual, talking and celebrating. “In the back of my mind, I knew that that was probably my last game,” said Jordan. “And nobody else knew except for my father and myself.”
“He was my rock. You know, we were very close,” said Jordan about his father. “He was constantly gave me advice. In 9th grade, I got suspended three times in one year. My father pulled me aside that summer and said you don’t look like your headed in the right direction. If you want to do all of this mischievous stuff, you can forgot about sports.”
Michael and his father were very close, and remained close throughout Michael’s life. He had a major influence on his life. They were always together, like best friends. James [Jordan] was there when Michael lost to the Pistons in 1990. He was there when Michael won his first championship in 1991. He and Delores [Michael’s Mother], where at almost of all of Michael’s games. “He always drove and challenged me. He was like a friend,” Michael later said.
On July 23rd, 1993, James Jordan was supposed to come to the airport and get picked up by George Koehler who was a friend. Jordan was supposed to come to a charity dinner Michael was hosting. Koehler said that Jordan did not show up.
James was playing golf and they figured that he had gotten sidetracked. James drove down to Wilmington, North Carolina. He was going to see some old friends and just hang out. But, after a few days with no contact from James, the family started to get worried.
James had been missing for 3 weeks. His car had been found near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The car had no license plates, and some of the windows had been shattered. There were multiple dent marks around the car.
On August 13th, 1993, they found James’s body near the border between North and South Carolina. Jordan was taking a nap late in the night by the side of the road, when he was robbed and shot in the chest. Two 18 year old men were charged. They held a funeral for James on August 15th.
After Jordan’s death, many reports and members of the media speculated that Jordan’s death was related to Michael’s gambling, which was insane and delusional.
David Falk, Michael’s agent, told Jerry Reinsdorf that Michael was going to retire during a charity event. Jerry said that he didn’t believe it.
Jordan had come off of 3 championships, and he had fulfilled his promise to bring championships to Chicago. He said that he was done, he had finished what he had set out to do. Reinsdorf said that Michael should talk to Phil before he made his final decision.
Phil and Michael met in the Berto Center, the facility where the Bulls practiced. Jordan said that me had no motivation or challenges left to stay with the game of basketball.
Jordan was attending Game 1 of the ALCS between the White Sox and the Blue Jays. Jordan threw the first pitch and then he was sitting in a box for the rest of a game. Krause and Reinsdorf met with each other, and Reinsdorf told Krause that Michael was quitting, which he did not believe either. The game was on Tuesday, the Bulls wanted to wait until Wednesday to break the news. But, the news leaked out and Jordan was forced to leave the game in the 7th inning and he was surrounded by media and people, hoping to see what was going on.
The next day, the Bulls held a press conference to announce the news. The element of surprise was taken away a bit with the speculation that Michael would be retiring, but it was still a historic event. Hundreds of reporters and camera filled the room, waiting for Michael to arrive.
Jerry Reinsdorf, Jerry Krause, Phil Jackson, and even NBA commissioner David Stern sat with Michael at the table. Jordan, of course, announced his retirement from the game of basketball, but he did not say that he was done forever.
Of course, the media speculated why Jordan was leaving the sport. Why? He was the best player in the world, on the best team in the world, so why on earth would he leave? Some people thought that Jordan’s gambling and his father’s death had a role to play in all of this, with Jordan leaving being a secret suspension from David Stern. But, there were no facts and everybody was just being speculative, and none of these had a real chance of being true. David Stern even said that he did not suspend Michael Jordan for 18 months, he left on his own.
Mark Vancil said that Jordan had told him what he was going to do a year earlier, during the summer of 1992 with the Dream Team. He would shock the world, quitting basketball and go to baseball. Jordan would have left that summer, but his peers like Magic and Isiah had never won 3 straight titles before, and he had to finish the summer with the Olympic team. But, without these constraints, Jordan would have left in 1992.
On February 7th, 1994, Jordan was training with the White Sox, trying to become a professional baseball player. He got offered an invitation to their camp, and Jordan’s path to become an MLB player began. Along with owning the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf also owned the Chicago White Sox.
When he was a kid, Michael always wanted to become a baseball player, and his siblings thought that he was going to become one. James always wanted Michael to play baseball, and with his passing, Jordan decided to do what his father wanted him to do.
Usually, when a college or high school player gets drafted to signed, they play in rookie or A ball because the other levels were too high. But, below Double A, there was not enough room for the media. And, of course, wherever Michael went, there was a crowd of media. So, Jordan started off at Double A, even if he was not ready for it.
Every ball park that Michel went to, was sold out. Everybody wanted a piece of him, like nothing had changed from him being in the NBA.
Jordan started off his baseball career hot, starting with a 13-game hitting streak. After this hot streak, Jordan did not see any fastballs in the strike zone for a month and a half. It was always breaking balls, and they were getting him. At this point, with Jordan struggling, the media was giving it to him. Then, Sports Illustrated did a piece where Jordan was on the cover. He was swinging at a ball, and he missed by a mile. The title was ‘Bag it Michael.’ After this, Jordan never spoke to anybody from Sports Illustrated ever again. He felt betrayed. They didn’t even give him an interview, or talk to him at all, they just made the piece.
Without his father, it have Jordan something to do without his father. He was fulfilling both his and his fathers dream of him playing baseball. It sort of took his mind off of it a little bit.
But, Jordan was determined to become good at baseball and prove everybody wrong. He kept working and working, and by August, you could see that something was building. And, that season, Michael hit over .200, which was a huge accomplishment. But, he also drove in 50 runs, which not a lot of players can do at that level. With 1,500 at bats, Jordan might have been able to work his way up to the Majors.
Flash forward back to April of 1998, and the Bulls are in the playoffs. After a tough game 1 victory in OT against the Nets, people were starting to question the Bulls and if they could really win their 3rd straight championship and their 6th of the decade.
Michael was always challenging guys in practice, pushing them to be at their very best. This came out in the playoffs as well. Jordan would constantly be on his teammates, especially Scott Burrell. But, Scott never backed down and he took it, and even fired back at Michael. Scott was talented as he was drafted 20th overall in 1993, but he lacked determination. So, Michael would constantly be on him, and try to get him to push back and show some of that talent. But, it never happened. “He was such a nice guy,” said Michael.
Jordan always wanted to win at any cost. If you did not feel like working, he would ridicule and berate you a whole lot more. Some of Michael’s teammates were afraid of him. But, Michael’s way of pushing everybody worked.
Flash back to October of 1993, and the Bulls prepare for their first season without Michael. Without Michael, Scottie became the leader. He was no longer in the shadow of Michael. While Michael was always yelling and screaming at his teammates, Pippen was much more calm and caring towards his teammates. Both were effective strategies that worked. Instead of Michael beating the opponent, it became the Bulls who were beating their opponents. The Bulls formed into one unit, and their ball movement and triangle offense was at its peak.
Another surprise for the Bulls was rookie Toni Kukoc. After being drafted, Kukoc spent a couple years in Europe before making the jump to the NBA. He proved to be effective for the Bulls. But, like all European players at the time, Kukoc was a great shooter but not great defensively.
The Bulls finished the season 55-27. They swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-0 in the 1st round of the playoffs. In the next round, they would face the rival New York Knicks.
The Bulls fell into a 0-2 hole to start the series, and they desperately needed a Game 3 win to stay in the series. Patrick Ewing scored with 1.8 seconds left to tie the game at 102. The Bulls called timeout to draw up a play for the win. Jackson drew up a play where Kukoc would get the last shot. It was a sequence that Kukoc could run well. Kukoc had been very clutch during the regular season.
On November 10th of 1993, he hit a 3 with under 3 seconds left to give the Bulls a 91-90 win over the Bucks.
On Christmas Day of 1993, Kukoc scored in the paint to give the Bulls a 95-93 win over the Magic.
On January 21st of 1994, Kukoc scored a fadeaway 3 pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 96-95 win over the Indiana Pacers.
So, Kukoc had proven to be a clutch performer. But, Scottie was mad about the play-call. He felt like it was an insult. He was the most dangerous and best player on the team, and yet he was not the one taking the shot. So, Scottie did not come in for the final play. He sat on the bench while his team tried to win a pivotal playoff game.
So, with 1.8 seconds left, the Bulls were without their leader and star player. Kukoc got the ball at the top just inside the 3-point line and he hit the fadeaway jumpshot at the buzzer to win the game for the Bulls. The Bulls now trailed 2-1 in the series. But, the Bulls were angry at Scottie for sitting out and being selfish. But, they didn’t know what to do as they went into the locker room. What Scottie did affected the whole team and their demeanor. Bill Cartwright made a speech saying that you let us down Pip, I cannot believe it. He started crying, like actual tears. Scottie realized what he had done, and he apologized to the team. But, this would be a big stain on his career. Michael called Phil the next day and said that Scottie would never live it down. But, Scottie says that he never wished that it happened, but he would not change it if he had a chance to do it over again.
The Bulls had to regroup and refocus for Game 4, which they did. They won game 4, which tied the series. They lost Game 5 on the road, and then coming back to Chicago for Game 6, the Bulls needed to win. Scottie gave us one of the greatest dunks of all time over Patrick Ewing, then stood over him disrespectfully. He also talked trash to Spike Lee who was sitting court-side. The Bulls won Game 6, but they lost the series in Game 7 back in New York. The Rockets would beat the Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Flash forward back to 1998, and the Bulls look to bounce back after a close Game 1 victory. The Bulls won 96-91, but they looked much better than they did in Game 1. Still, the game was close and although the Bulls led 2-0, the two games at home had been tough. The Bulls traveled to New Jersey for Game 3 as they looked to sweep the Nets.
In Game 3, the Bulls were again dominant. The Bulls were led by Michael Jordan who had 38, but the unsung hero of the game was Scott Burrell. The man that Jordan tried so hard to push had 23 points in the closing game. The Bulls won 116-101 and they swept the Nets 3-0. The Bulls will face the Charlotte Hornets in the 2nd round.
No matter how Jordan acted on the court and around his teammates, he was still a fun guy to hang around off the court said Burrell. But, many people don’t perceive Jordan as a nice guy because of his attitude.
“Winning has a price. And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn’t want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged. And I earned that right because my teammates came after me. They didn’t endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you live at a certain standard that I play the game, and I wasn’t going to take any less. Now, if that means that I have to get into you a little bit, then I did that. You ask all my teammates, the one thing about Michael Jordan was, he never asked me to do something that he didn’t f**** do. When they see this, they going to say I wasn’t a nice guy, I was a tyrant. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win and be a part of that, as well. Look, I don’t have to do this. I’m only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don’t want to play that way, don’t play that way,” said an emotional Michael at the end of the episode.
What did you think about this episode? What was your favorite part? Leave all of your Last Dance comments down below.
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