Real story documentaries are getting more and more popular at the moment, especially when legends like Michael Jordan decided to explain all the things from his point of view. The Last Dance is one of the best NBA TV Series that is here to change people’s perspective of how they see the sport.
This is a rather different series that we are used to seeing where athletes use the sport in order to talk about different things as a spiritual release. No, The Last Dance is purely about basketball and nothing else.
More importantly, it is about Michael Jordan’s career and his dominant appearance when he played for Chicago Bulls that won six NBA championships in the 90s. At that time, Chicago Bulls were everyone’s pick when it comes to the NBA betting odds.
Michael wanted to highlight some information that will help you if you are an athlete competing in the NBA or even a coach. More specifically, Michael talks about how to build a team that can win that much.
The best thing about The Last Dance is the realism. Many superstars focus on their career path as an individual when they make a documentary, but Michael wanted to show that in order to win you need a good team.
The TV series focuses on the dominance of the Chicago Bulls and the secret behind their success. It seems like building a team spirit is very important even if you have a player like Michael Jordan.
At the same time, they wanted to highlight how the team’s dynamics were affected by such a towering figure that broken so many records.
Basically, the show is about all the things that come with the NBA as a sport including egos, whims of general managers, and owners.
So how is The Last Dance different from other documentaries?
When it comes to the structure of the show, things get a bit complicated. It seems like the director wanted to give two perspectives at the same time just to show how the sport affects life. The show features two timelines that run simultaneously, and the one is catching up to the other.
The first timeline is about the first part of Jordan’s career in the Bulls. It shows highlights from the drafting of Jordan back in 1984 throughout their six championships until 1998.
The second perspective shows a timeline that focuses on their last winning season, 1997-98 which was very important despite the fact that they won five seasons. This was the time where the future of Michael Jordan, the coach Phil Jackson, and the extremely underpaid second man Scottie Pippen were uncertain.
Just to make things clearer, director Jason Hehir makes interesting visual clues and even a sliding on-screen timeline just to keep you informed where the story takes place.
The most compelling thing in The Last Dance is Jordan’s fine line between unmatched competitive drive and his extreme sensitivity to slights. The most difficult thing for Jordan is when people compare him in any way with another player or criticize his team.
We can see that on his feud with Isiah Thomas, who refused to shake hands with Jordan when the Bulls defeated the Pistons in a playoff. Thomas is one of the best ball handlers in the NBA history, according to this list by the TwinSpires Edge: edge.twinspires.com/nba/the-best-ball-handlers-in-nba-history/
The feud was an important part of the series, with Jordan calling Thomas an a**hole. Something that actually rattled the point guard, who affirmed the Bulls shouldn’t be praised for “lifting weights”.
Additionally, Michael Jordan says he uses the negative critics to fuel his desire to win a particular game. He even goes to a point where he attributes one is best performances just to get back at someone who didn’t greet him at a restaurant.
So, did Michael Jordan made things personal on purpose just to stay motivated? It seems like that is the best explanation just because he could have crushed his enemies in multiple ways at that time.
In the end, The Last Dance won’t change anyone’s opinion when it comes to Michael Jordan. These TV series are mainly focused on the extraordinary talent that goes along with his hard-working personality as a recipe for success.
If you still haven’t seen The Last Dance, you should go ahead and watch it. It is definitely one of the best sports documentaries that will stay for a long time.
