May 21, 2020
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
The Last Dance was quite a ride. Who could have imagined a documentary playing such an integral part of our sporting lives? The timing could not have been any better and I am thankful ESPN changed the release date.
I have not paid much attention to the “postgame” interviews and analysis each week. Usually, I monitor the general reactions to sporting events to avoid regurgitating opinions that have been shared repetitively. My apologies in advance, but here are the parts I found particularly interesting.
Naturally, the basketball itself was especially interesting to me. Did you see the final scores? The total points in most of the games was between 160 (82-78 ish) and the high scoring games registered a total of 200 points (102-98 ish). Now, the point totals range from 210-240!
The way the game is officiated and the emphasis on the three point shot are the main reasons. The acceptance of transition threes opens the floor for quick shots and easier finishing around the goal.
What I didn’t realize was how influential the Bulls were on the game today. The Bulls were small compared to other teams. Almost all the top teams had true centers from Smits, Shaq, Ewing, Robinson, Olajuwan, Mourning, and others. Chicago would often start the game with a true center, but most of the time they finished games with Kerr, Jordan, Pippin, Kukoc, and Rodman. Steve Kerr coached the most recent dynasty for Golden State who played much of the game without anyone over 6’8” on the court. Of course, the Rockets have taken that to an extreme.
Watching this documentary reminded me how the pick and roll has changed. It was not used as often as a post up isolation play. Often, the pick and roll was on the side of the floor. The roll was only executed with the screener opening to the ball.
In the late 80s and 90s, the pick and pop option was popular for guys like Karl Malone, but the pop out was for a 15 foot shot. Now, the pop back is for a three. The pick and roll happens all over the floor and often will be used to force a switch to get the right matchup. The ball handlers are much more creative in how they finish off the pick and roll as well.
This change and many others came from the foreign influence, and we saw in the documentary how Jordan’s popularity grew the game across the world. And the world brought to the NBA a variety of styles had never been seen before. Big men like Dirk who could handle and shoot the ball. Point guards like Steve Nash who used the pick and roll better than anyone had before him. Imagine, there was basketball before the Euro step.
Every episode praised Jordan’s work ethic and leadership, but throughout the series, the manner in which he challenged his teammates was highlighted and deservedly so. As a result, I enjoyed seeing two instances that contradicted this narrative.
First, when Jordan was playing minor league baseball, you could see how he was able to be one of the guys. As the top dog in the NBA, he had one leadership style, but he was able to adjust as a minor league baseball player and that is impressive.
The second example was after the Bulls beat the Pacers in seven games and had to play Utah two days later in Salt Lake City. Throughout the series, we saw Jordan casually walk into practice. Not in this instance, though. He had new music playing on his headphones and was giving off a lot of energy. Once on the court, he immediately started messing around with Pippin and other teammates. He knew the team was short on energy and he was going to lead by bringing the energy to practice.
As the Bulls dynasty was happening, I was a bitter Laker fan. As an older person, I was glad to replay that era without the bitterness. Now that the series is over, I have just one question. What’s next?
HEY REF
For the first time in my brief career of writing a weekly sport’s column I’m at a crossroad and have been struggling with how I should proceed. Everyone’s been trying to adapt to this new way of life because of the coronavirus and I’m no different. Usually at this time of the year I’d be reading my football rulebook. As I’ve explained before I used the end of March Madness as my reminder that it’s time to prepare for the upcoming football season. But with all the distractions and “stay at home” orders I just can’t get excited about the upcoming season.
Please allow me to explain and maybe you can understand why I feel this way. Last year at this time I was preparing for my last season of high school football. I’d logged nearly twenty five years running up and down the sidelines in the Baton Rouge area and my wheels were just about shot. In those twenty five years I’d worked every classification there is in Louisiana, too numerous playoff games to count and one trip to the Superdome in December for a state championship.
I’d been working in another association for a few years and since I planned for 2019 to be my last hurrah I contacted the referee from my old crew in Baton Rouge and asked if he’d want to work together one last year. And as “old timers” would have it we talked about everything. We brought up all the good times we had and even whispered about that one bad game we shared. And of course it was my entire fault for that one bad game but we laughed about it. We were able to laugh at our mistakes since we both learned from them.
So we agreed that working one last season together would be the way to call it a career. But what we didn’t plan on was for the Assignment Secretary in Baton Rouge to nix our plans. His denial to allow us to “go out in style” caught us both by surprise. Well, I can’t say that because it wasn’t surprise we felt, no; it was more like his denying us this one last season together SHOCKED US! What was gained by this Assignment Secretary denying officials with 35 and 25 years’ experience the opportunity to work together?
There’s just one word that comes to mind; NOTHING. I went to the LHSAA’s office on Old Hammond to ask them to help. But they refused to intervene just saying when you transfer to another association you’ve got to sit out one year before you get your classification back. That isn’t true and I told them that. I’d been in the Baton Rouge Association for more than 20 years and transferring back there shouldn’t cause me to lose my classification and that this rule is often overlooked for officials with as many years as both of us had. So I went back to the association I’d been a member of for three years.
And to prove I knew it was pure BS what they told me guess what happened next. An official from Baton Rouge that had been sitting out for five or more years joined the association I’d been working for and he was able to work in a crew with his friends. Can you say DOUBLE STANDARD?
But my situation isn’t/wasn’t news, OH NO! The problems in Baton Rouge are many. But the overall number one problem in Baton Rouge is the news that the Assignment Secretary has been retained! I can hope this isn’t true but I checked the LHSAA’s home page and they do list they’ve retained the Assignment Secretary in Baton Rouge. I did speak with some coaches after last season and they all told me they were looking forward to working with a new Assignment Secretary.
I feel for those coaches that want a change. It’s sad when the wishes of the coaches are ignored. Facts are facts and one huge fact is the number of schools withdrawing from using Baton Rouge officials is growing.
A fact that can’t be denied is the fact the association I’ve been working for the past few years is growing. We’re growing because schools are asking for us to work their games instead of Baton Rouge. It hurts to see my association, the one I helped become and remain the best association in the state, being destroyed yet no life-line is being thrown out.
For those that’ve read my column through the years you know I hate cliché’s but I’ve got to close with one this week. It goes something like “Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different outcome”!
Nuff said, till next week…
FINE IDEAS By Jon Fine
It was a grand ball. I’m glad that we all were invited to The Last Dance (TLD). This was a terrific documentary of the Chicago Bulls 1997-98 season—its 6th championship in 8 years—along with a comprehensive look at Michael Jordan. Yes, this 10 part/10 hour ESPN series was presented largely through the eyes of MJ. But, if you are going to chronicle the history of Gotham, why not do it from the perspective of Batman? There has been a fair share of criticism leveled against TLD. But to me, especially considering the inhibiting force of the pandemic while this series was being constructed to meet a deadline that was advanced to feed a sports-starved public, it was a remarkable piece of journalism. Some thoughts on the series, Jordan and others:
A glaring bit of revisionist history was TLD portraying the player Phil Jackson as an integral part of New York Knicks championship teams. To me, Action Jackson’s role was largely to guard the inbounds pass in critical situations. Yet, TLD made it sound as if Jackson should be mentioned with the likes of Coach Red Holzman, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe and Bill Bradley as being a vital component of those great Knicks teams. He was not.
What Jackson was--The Zen Master--was an amazing coach, arguably the greatest coach in NBA history. He has the most titles—11 (in 20 years.) Did he have superstar players? Yes. And, these players had superstar egos. Jackson’s genius was his ability to mold his team’s disparate personalities into championship units. Goodness knows how he got the Bryant/O’Neal Lakers to work as Kobe and Shaq did not like each other. TLD illustrated how he was able to transform the Jordan/Pippen Bulls teams into a dynasty.
Michael Jordan was a bully. MJ thinks—rationalizes?—his behavior towards his teammates as one of a competitor that elevated them to championship caliber play. Certainly, there is a correlation between Jordan tormenting his comrades and the Bulls winning championships. Is there a connection? One can argue that the Bulls won in spite of their, at times, insufferable floor leader intimidating his supporting cast. I don’t see how ridiculing one’s teammates inspires them to greatness. We’ll never know. But, I truly believe that a good guy MJ, still an intense competitor, could have led the Bulls just as effectively, maybe even more so… without having to bruise other people’s feelings. And I think part of MJ, today, has some regrets along these lines. As evidence, I present to you Jordan emotionally saying “stop, break” on TLD—telling the cameras to stop filmng after discussing the sometime contentious dealings he had with his teammates.
It was well known that Jordan was cut from his high school team (Wilmington NC Laney HS) as a sophomore. The series revealed that Jordan was sent home from school a couple of times as a freshman for bad behavior. MJ says a talk with his beloved father, James, got him back on the straight and narrow after those 2 incidents. And, this led to his future immense success… The only person to ever hold Michael under a 20 a game? His college coach at North Carolina-- Dean Smith! However, Jordan speaks in reverent tones about Coach Smith…
MJ was the third overall selection in the 1984 NBA Draft. The Houston Rockets took Houston Center (H)Akeem Olajuwon #1 overall. The Portland Trail Blazers picked Kentucky Center Sam Bowie #2. The Blazers have been panned for selecting Bowie, even though, at the time, it was thought that the Blazers already had a shooting guard in Clyde Drexler. The Rockets, who had selected Center Ralph Sampson #1 overall the prior season, felt that Olajuwon—another center-- was just too good to pass up. In retrospect, both teams should have applied this logic with Jordan. They did not. And, future history of basketball was being determined by the Rockets and Blazers draft mistake.
When MJ came into the league in 1984, the prevalent thinking was that one needed a big man to win championships in the NBA. Although well-removed from the Russell/Chamberlain era, there was still the thought process that having strong inside play was essential to winning NBA titles. (One example is that in the 1983 NBA Draft when Sampson went #1 overall, Steve Stipanovich (Missouri) went 2nd overall to Indiana. Also, as mentioned earlier, Bowie went #2 in 1984.) The Celtics (Parish/McHale) and the Lakers (Kareem) helped perpetuate this notion in the 80s.—Yes, I know that that Magic and Bird were huge factors on these teams. The Bad Boy Pistons won with brute strength (and a HOF backcourt in Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars).
MJ’s Bulls help render this Big Man-centric NBA thinking as antiquated. Centers on the Bulls championship teams included Bill Cartwright, Will Perdue, Luc Longley and Bill Wennington. Yet, the beauty of these great Bulls teams is they really did not have set positions. MJ was listed as a shooting guard, yet he would often operate as a point guard and would also post up undersized opponents down low. The Bulls really did not have a prototypical point guard. In fact, Pippen helped usher in the Point-Forward position into the league. Yes, MJ was the key. Yet, the Triangle Offense and its somewhat positionless players were largely instrumental in the Bulls championship run. Remember, Jordan was in the league for 7 years before winning a title. Having Pippen as his Robin, with Jackson and the Triangle Offense made the Bulls a 90’s dynasty.
The only years that the Bulls did not win championships in their 8 year run, they either didn’t have Michael Jordan or had him for only the stretch run. MJ retired after the 1992-93 season. In 1994 he played baseball in the White Sox minor league system. TLD brought out that Baseball being on strike at the start of 1995 was the catalyst towards Jordan returning to play for the Bulls during the end of the 1994-95 season.
Michael Jordan was one of the best conditioned basketball players in the world. Yet, after his 18 month hiatus from 1993 to 1995, he was not able to recapture his basketball physical fitness at the conclusion of the 94-95 season and in the playoffs. One wonders what level of conditioning NBA players will have (if and) when the 2019-20 season resumes. Yes, it will only be a 3--4 month inactive period. But, with many players, it will be overall inactive, not just basketball inactive. How will this affect the level of play? More important, will we see injuries to players that will result from not being in 100 percent basketball shape?
I always felt that the Bulls would have likely won championships in 1993-94 and 1994-95 if MJ had not retired. What TLD helped illustrate was that the senseless killing of his father James and the wear and tear of being Michael Jordan really took its toll on MJ. In August 1993, after James was slain, MJ was at his lowest point emotionally. Would Jordan have been able to pull it together and lead the Bulls to championships in Year 4 and Year 5 if he had not retired? I think that Jordan’s mental toughness would have enabled him to do so. We’ll never know. TLD raised the possibility that this might not have been a foregone conclusion, given Jordan’s precarious mental state at that time.
What often motivated MJ was perceived slights or even manufactured perceived disrespect from opposing coaches/players. Whether it was LaBradford Smith saying “nice game” to Jordan after a Washington playoff win over Chicago or Seattle coach George Karl not saying hello to MJ off the court or former Bull BJ Armstrong exulting in victory after a Charlotte playoff win over Chicago or Charles Barkley winning the MVP in 1992-93 and many other examples cited in TLD, MJ used these denigrations as motivation to playing championship basketball. This runs counter to the prevailing theory that games (especially playoff) games should provide competitors enough incentive to excel. All the outside “noise” is supposedly superfluous. Not to MJ. It motivated him.
The way Jackson handled some problems with Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen were big reasons why the Bulls overcame these “crises” and were still able to stay on point. Rodman took a vacation during one season in which he went to Vegas and partied with Carmen Electra. He also skipped a team practice during a playoff series. Pippen held out, feeling he was underpaid. He also once refused to enter a playoff game after a timeout when Jackson designed a last second shot for Toni Kukoc. Upon Rodman and Pippen returning to the team after these incidents, they were welcomed back with open arms and the Bulls did not miss a beat. This, also, is counter-intuitive. When star players bail out on a team, there is supposed to be some disciplinary measures meted out by the coach. This was not the way Jackson proceeded. Having MJ’s backing on this had to play a big part in the Bulls moving forward as if nothing had been amiss.
Pippen, to this day, still doesn’t get it. He had signed a lengthy contract early in his career that provided security, but also ended up having Pippen being vastly underpaid given his performance. He held out in the beginning of the 1997-98 season. The fallacy in Pippen’s thinking is that let’s say Pippen had a career ending injury early on or let’s say Pippen was a bust
The Chicago Bulls would have still had to pay him his salary for the duration of the contract. So, if Pippen underachieved, the Bulls would have to live with his contract. In that Pippen overachieved, he should have lived with his contract
Needless to say, you can’t quit on your team just because the coach draws up a play for someone else.
Yet, I can understand Pippen’s actions. Pro players renegotiating their contracts has been a part of sports since the free agency era commenced. And, Pippen’s refusing to enter a game can be viewed as a rash, spur of the moment decision by a young, immature athlete. What is disheartening is that in 2020, with Pippen being in his 50’s, he said on TLD that he would do both things again, even with the benefit of hindsight.
Jerry Krause was/still is the whipping boy of MJ and other members of the 90s championship Bulls teams. Yet, Krause should get credit for putting together MJ’s supporting cast. Krause hired Phil Jackson. He traded for Rodman when no one else was interested in Rodman (and his mercurial personality). Krause also drafted Pippen out of Central Arkansas. Scouting and then drafting Toni Kukoc was also a coup. Krause, who inherited Jordan, assembled every other piece of the Bulls Dynasty. Now did the Bulls needlessly disintegrate after the 6th championship and is Krause responsible for this? Maybe and Yes. There is no guarantee the Bulls would have kept on winning titles with Jackson as coach and MJ/Pippen leading the way. But, Chicago Bulls fans were never afforded the opportunity to find out. And, that has to be part of Krause’s legacy too.
What is amazing to me is how many star players in the NBA during the Bulls run came from unheralded, if not unknown schools. Pippen was from Central Arkansas. Rodman went to Southeastern Oklahoma. Ron Harper came from the Cradle of Coaches University—that being football coaches—Miami of Ohio. Detroit’s Joe Dumars went to McNeese State. Karl Malone was first delivering mail at Louisiana Tech. John Stockton played at (then) under the radar Gonzaga. The Hick from French Lick made a cameo at IU before finding stardom—did Larry Bird—at Indiana State. The Chief, Robert Parish, played at Centenary. Small school stars made a large impact on the NBA during this era
Then again, this has always been the case. The aforementioned Knicks championship teams included Willis Reed (Grambling), Walt Frazier (Southern Illinois), Dick Barnett (Tennessee State), Bill Bradley (Princeton) and Earl The Pearl Monroe (Winston Salem State). The long-armed late-game inbounds pass defender (Jackson) played his college ball at North Dakota.
Steve Kerr went to Arizona. John Paxson went to Notre Dame. So much for small school heritage in their cases. Yet, both made championship winning shots in the Bulls run. Kerr came to the Bulls during Paxson’s last season. TLD brought out that Paxson took Kerr under his wings and helped groom him to be part of MJ’s supporting cast. Paxson’s shot came in the decisive Game 6 Bulls victory over the Phoenix Suns in 1993 to give the Bulls the 1992-93 NBA championship. Kerr’s championship winning shot came in Game 6 vs the Utah Jazz in 1997. Paxson’s shot came off a Horace Grant pass, but MJ had taken the ball up the court and all 10 eyes of the Suns were on him… well maybe 8 or 9. Who knows where Charles Barkley’s eyes were the way he played defense. Kerr’s shot came off of a pass from Jordan.
I still marvel that the sports world often doesn’t get it when a superstar player does not take the last shot and his team loses. If this player doesn’t want the ball in crunch time, that is one thing. But, when a stud player is double-teamed, makes a good pass, and his teammate misses a shot, that is quite another story. LeBron James has needlessly endured mindless guff of this nature.
Like MJ, Steve Kerr also lost his father prematurely. Kerr’s dad, Malcolm, was shot to death in 1984, as he was serving as President of American University in Lebanon, while Kerr was a freshman at Arizona. James Jordon was shot on the side of the road in a robbery. Kerr said in TLD that MJ and he never discussed their fathers’ deaths
One example of Jordan’s bullying had a happy ending. One practice early in Kerr’s tenure with the Bulls, MJ was physically guarding Kerr. This resulted in fisticuffs between the 2. Kerr did not back down. Jackson threw MJ out of practice. Jordan, to his credit, called up Kerr and apologized. Kerr attributes this incident to earning MJ’s trust and fitting into the Bulls as a valuable contributor.
Other takes on TLD…
There was a conspicuous absence of coverage of Jordan’s family. In fact, when Jordan’s family was mentioned, it usually referred to his Bulls “family”… MJ has had a tough go at it as an NBA executive. Why has his playing greatness not translated into NBA management greatness? This is well after the 97-98 season, the cutoff point for TLD. It still could have been addressed. Interestingly enough the poster boy for star player/substandard executive is Jordan antagonist Isiah Thomas
Pat Riley had come up with the concept of “Three-Peating”, going so far as having “three peat” trademarked. Ironically, his 80’s Lakers never won 3 titles in a row. Jordan’s Bulls did it twice in the 90s… ”Republicans buy sneakers too” is something Michael Jordan had said in the 90s when responding to why he was not socially active. He never really addressed this statement when he was playing. On TLD, he said it was an innocuous remark during locker room banter. If that is the case, he should have clarified matters when he first made this utterance… Throughout TLD Jordan used the media as a scapegoat. This Republicans Buy Sneakers deal is a good example of this. So are some of the rumors surrounding Jordan’s dad’s death and possible ties to MJ gambling. Yes, there was some irresponsible tabloid journalism. But had MJ been more forthcoming to the media, he could have clarified this nonsense instantaneously.
What has always amazed me is how superstar athletes can stay focused. Especially in this day and age, where they are celebrities of such repute, that they can not go out in public without being mobbed. A movie star produces his work in a studio that is off-limits to his loving public. A superstar professional athlete does not have that luxury. He almost has to establish a cocoon around him in order to be able to have any sanity. MJ’s inner circle included his dad and after his dad was murdered, MJ’s security detail. Yet, with the circus that surrounded Michael Jordan, his still being able to keep it together and perform as the best basketball player of his era (all time in my opinion) is mind-boggling. Perhaps this is The Last Dance’s greatest contribution. Michael Jordan was an athlete that was an international superstar of unprecedented magnitude.—His popularity transcended sports. In its 10 hours of programming, The Last Dance provided viewers with an inside feel of Michael Jordan and how he functioned—both on and off the floor as a warts and all human being— under intense, omnipresent public adoration and press scrutiny-- in producing his greatness.
Hard work. The very best players are often the hardest workers. First to practice, last to leave. It seems that whenever you read the story of the very best athletes, they are the ones that put in the most consistent effort. And, when your best player has this work ethic, it is easier for the coach to get everyone else to fall in line. Michael Jordan was incredibly gifted. Yet, what made him an incandescent superstar was his unending attention to craft and physical conditioning. That he was able to sustain this incredible regimen while being intergalactic in scope speaks volumes towards Michael Jordan’s heart and mental toughness.
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