I watched on Netflix “The Last Dance” (Episodes 1 and 2) on Monday afternoon.
The first two episodes were not really exciting to watch for me because I had known already most of the things that had happened during his NBA career except that part in his rookie year (1984-85) wherein he entered the Chicago Bulls’ hotel room and found his teammates doing some hanky panky.
Also felt some pain for the Bulls’ rotund General Manager at the time, Jerry Krause, who had an acrimonious relationship with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen (contract problems) and Phil Jackson (saying 1997-98 would be his final season as Bulls head coach regardless if the club went 82-0).
A Bulls breakup was imminent at that time because of those developments.
A lot of that had to do with Krause suposedly uttering the words, “organizations win championships, and not the players and coaches.” The word “alone” was omitted from the statement “not the players and coaches alone” and that set the Bulls on fire in what is now called “The Last Dance.”
Krause was a two-time NBA Executive of the Year awardee. He would die in March 2017 and sadly was not able to defend himself in the documentary that dates back to the 1997-98 season but is being aired only now once Michael Jordan agreed to the project that was initiated by NBA Entertainnent producer Andy Thompson, a former PBA import in 1986 and uncle of current Golden Star star Klay Thompson, and then co-producer Adam Silver, who is now the NBA commissioner.
MJ was great as a player undoubtedly but I just felt Krause’s role in the Bulls’ title years was not properly appreciated by him, Pippen and Jackson, and, worse, was full of derision.
He was portrayed as the “bad guy” in the docu-series, which is far from being fair to him and his family.
Remember that Krause was instrumental in putting together a Bulls team that won five championship before the so-called “The Last Dance.”
Is it fair for Krause’s reputation to be completely soiled just because of the 1997-98 season that the Bulls also eventually won?
Just my thoughts. We can agree to disagree.
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Was Jordan telling the truth… that some of his teammates during his rookie year were into drugs?
With his revelation in part 1 of “The Last Dance”, his former teammates are now asking MJ to name names.
Prove it they ask.
Three of Michael Jordan’s 1984-85 teammates with the Bulls have already passed away — Orlando Woolridge, Quintin Dailey and Caldwell Jones — during a four-year stretch (2011-14).
How then can they refute Michael Jordan’s claim that his teammates were into drugs?
Just asking.
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On April 20, 1986, Jordan registered an NBA-playoff record 63 points but the Bulls dropped a 135-131 double-overtime decision to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the best-of-five Eastern Conference first-round series at the Boston Garden.
It was the day that Bird said, ‘It’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
Jordan shot 22-for-41 from the field and 19-for-21 from the free-throw line in the loss.
However, Boston went on to sweep the series, 3-0.