Michael Jordan and the Finale of The Last Dance: Final Thoughts
By: Andrew Martin
Tags: Basketball, History, Film, NBA, Sport

Michael Jordan and his six NBA titles made for fascinating material in The Last Dance. (Photo via Flickr)

Michael Jordan and the Finale of The Last Dance: Final Thoughts

The conclusion of the epic 10-part documentary about the NBA legend left a lot to take in

Sunday night marked the airing of the final two episodes of ESPN’s groundbreaking 10-part docuseries The Last Dance, chronicling the career of NBA legend Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ hunt for a sixth and final championship during the 1997–98 season. The wide-ranging film finally pulled back the curtain and gave fans a view of the inner workings of the player many consider to be the greatest of all time and his nearly unquenchable thirst to not just win but bring complete domination to his opponents.

Determined to not be saddled with an expensive team of over-the-hill veterans and a coach in Phil Jackson, so skilled and accomplished he would have been within his rights to name his price; the Chicago front office brazenly declared the 1997–98 season to be the last go-around no matter what happened. The final episode showed this became a classic case of them playing their hand too early, as Jordan still looked pained when discussing not being given an opportunity to return to the Bulls for a shot at a seventh title. It appeared that team owner Jerry Reinsdorf realized in the afterglow moments of beating the Utah Jazz for title number six that it was a mistake to declare that magical season a final ride together. The details of the feeble attempt made to get Jackson to return after declaring for a year leading up to their win of their intentions to move on from him was pathetic.

General manager Jerry Krause is painted as a villain throughout the series. He does not appear to have been well-liked by the players, and him telling Jackson that even going 82–0 in 1997–98 wouldn’t earn him an invitation to return was in retrospect completely tone deaf. That all being said, he doesn’t get his due for putting together great rosters. Obviously, he had Jordan and he had Pippen, but part of the genius of what he built around them was finding players who were skilled and knew their role. So many players, no matter what their talent or stats may suggest, believe that if they just get more minutes or take more shots, they can evolve into a star. The players who filled the other roster spots held so such illusions and their acceptance of that truly made the team gel. Somehow, Krause identified those guys and had the vision of how they could fit together with the big pieces already in place.

While The Last Dance is a celebration of Jordan, the film also serves to also highlight some excellent players he played against over the years that don’t get the same level of attention. In particular, quiet John Stockton and his silky play at point guard for two decades with the Utah Jazz is on full display in the final two episodes. He never scored points at the same clip as other stars, but the way he ran his team left no doubt about who was in complete control.

Jordan’s closeness with his father and his subsequent murder in 1993 is a well-known and tragic part of his story. The filmmakers highlighting his teammate Steve Kerr’s own painful loss of his father, who was killed by militants while presiding over American University in Beirut during the mid-1980s, is a story much less familiar to basketball fans but one that brings a lot of context to another basketball great.

Jordan’s killer attitude in practices, games and off-court activities at times made him appear to be a bully. This was no more evident than his treatment of teammate Scott Burrell, who he seemed to have a particular disdain for as being soft. As the series progressed, it became clear that MJ didn’t pick at others who weren’t as talented as him. Rather, it grated on him when he perceived people didn’t share a similar value of working hard or winning. This is evident with his closeness with teammates like Kerr, Bill Wennington and Jud Buechler, who nobody would ever mistake as NBA All Stars, but scrapped to the best of their abilities. That is not to say Burrell didn’t work hard or have a drive to win; it just seems his sunny demeanor seemed to obscure that to his famous teammate, who may have believed he didn’t leave it all on the floor.

Jordan famously drove himself based on perceived slights he experienced during his career. Some snubs have been based in reality more than others but that really doesn’t matter. He found something to tap into that could transform him to higher levels than he might not have been able to access otherwise. His chuckling dismissal of some, like Gary Payton’s confident assertion that he gave the guard troubles, may seem cocky but really the entire point of athletics is striving to be better than your opponent. For a great winner like Jordan, should any other reaction be expected?

The 10-hour running time of the film may seem onerous to some but now that it’s over it feels like it came in just about right. Clips and game tapes will always exist for modern athletes and their feats. However, projects like this are so important because of the context they provide by combining the perspectives of coaches, teammates, the media and many others. Here’s hoping that more sports documentaries continue to be made in such detail and richness to celebrate and examine those who have provided so much emotional connection and enjoyment over the years.