Good afternoon, everyone. I am here to give you my thoughts on the 4th episode of “The Last Dance”, the documentary about the Chicago Bulls championship dynasty of the 1990s. Let’s get right into it.
The episode begins where the last one left off, with Rodman on his vacation in Las Vegas. To no surprise, he exceeded the 48 hours that he was given permission for it. He was partying and drinking all day and night with Carmen Electra (who was his girlfriend at the time). There were other people partying with him in Vegas. Jordan found Rodman in a room near the practice facility (not in Vegas). He brought Rodman to practice while Carmen Electra hid from view with covers over her. To help Rodman get back into shape, Phil Jackson made the whole team run a drill called the “Indian Drill”. Basically, the players ran in a line and the person in front controlled the pace. During this drill, Rodman took off and the other players had to catch up to him (keep in mind that they can’t stop during this drill). After 4 laps, they caught up to Rodman.
The episode then focuses on coach Phil Jackson, who had a Native American bond with Dennis Rodman. Jackson grew up in Great Falls, Montana with a very Christian family (his dad was a Pastor at the local church). In his college years, he played basketball for the University of North Dakota. After that, he was drafted in 1967 by the New York Knicks. In his NBA career, he made the All-Rookie team and won 2 championships with New York. In a book called “Maverick” (co-written by Charley Rosen), he talked about taking acid back in the ‘70s. After his playing days were over, he coached in Puerto Rico and for the Albany Patroons of the CBA (Continental Basketball Association). He won a championship with Albany in 1984. In 1987, he was brought to the Bulls by Jerry Krause as an assistant under Doug Collins. Jackson was named head coach after Collins was fired in 1989. Tex Winter, the creator of the “Triangle” offense, was an assistant under Collins and Jackson. The “Triangle” was set up for everyone to get the ball rather than it be all about Michael. Jordan was not a fan of the “Triangle” at first. Specifically, he did not want Bill Cartwright to shoot the ball with 5 seconds left in the shot clock.
Under Phil Jackson, the Bulls finished the 1989-90 season with a 55-27 record (good for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference). After beating the Bucks in the first round and the 76ers in the second round, they faced the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals for a second year in a row. The Bulls pushed Detroit to 7 games in the series. Scottie Pippen could not play well due to a migraine suffered the previous night. He really could not see straight during the game. The Bulls lost to the Pistons (who went on to win their second championship in a row against the Trail Blazers in 5 games). After the loss, the Bulls players worked out together instead of going on vacation. Tim Grover, Jordan’s personal trainer, helped him get stronger so he could beat the Pistons next time. In the 1990-91 season, the Bulls were determined to get past Detroit and win the NBA championship. They finished that regular season with a 61-21 record, which was good for the top seed in the East. They took care of the Knicks and 76ers in the first 2 rounds before facing Detroit again in the Conference Finals. This time, the Bulls got past the Pistons and moved on to the NBA Finals after a sweep. With 7.9 seconds left in the 4th quarter of Game 4, the Pistons starters decided to walk out without shaking hands. Isiah Thomas tried to explain why they did it, and Michael went off on him after seeing Isiah talk on a tablet. Jordan mentioned in his rant that he and the Bulls shook hands after losing to Detroit in ’89 and ’90. The way that I see it, there is no excuse for the Pistons to walk out that way after losing to the Bulls. There was a funny moment where Pippen and Jerry Krause were dancing on the flight back from Detroit to Chicago before the NBA Finals.
In the Finals, the Bulls faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The Bulls were nervous in Game 1, which the Lakers won after Sam Perkins made a game-winning shot (plus Jordan missing a shot himself). They were ready for Game 2, which was highlighted by 13 consecutive made shots by Jordan (including the iconic switch-hand layup). After the Bulls won Game 2, the series shifted to the Forum for the next 3 games. Game 3 was won in overtime by Chicago, while Game 4 was not that dramatic a victory for the Bulls. Entering the 4th quarter of Game 5, the Bulls and Lakers were tied at 80-80. During a timeout, Phil Jackson told Jordan to get the ball to John Paxson. Jordan did just that, and Paxson did his part in making the shots. The Bulls won their first NBA title with a 108-102 Game 5 victory over the Lakers. It was great seeing Jordan get emotional after winning the championship. The episode has the classic shot of Jordan crying next to his father James while holding the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The episode then goes back to January of 1998. Jordan won a bet after the Broncos won the Super Bowl over the Packers. He made fun of Scott Burrell on that same flight. In Utah, the Bulls were scheduled to play the Jazz on February 4, right before the All-Star break. The Bulls led by as much as 23 in that game, but the Jazz came back in the second half to beat Chicago. The Bulls had a 34-15 record at the All-Star break. The episode ends with that.
There were a couple of new things that I now know from watching this episode. First, I did not really know that Phil Jackson coached in Puerto Rico and for the Albany Patroons (in addition to writing about taking acid). It was crazy seeing the footage of Rodman's vacation in Vegas. It was weird to see the episode show Jordan winning a bet against the Packers in the Super Bowl. I was not really offended by that, but I got a laugh or two during the airplane scene. I am on Michael’s side when it comes to his rant on Isiah Thomas. Even though it hurt for Michael to lose the previous 2 seasons, he shook hands with the Pistons players after the loss. The Pistons were not showing sportsmanship after the ’91 loss to Chicago.
We are almost halfway done with this. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the fifth episode, which includes a segment with Kobe Bryant. Have a great day, everyone.
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