The Last Dance 1.10

Chapter X

The 1998 NBA Finals opened in Salt Lake City. The Jazz had the home court advantage and won the first game, in overtime. The Bulls had to come back to put the game into OT. The Bulls came back and won game 2. Both games were close.

The series moved to Chicago and game 3 was a blow out. The Bulls won game 3 by 42 points. Dennis Rodman didn't show up for practice the next day. He appeared on a WCW wrestling show instead with Hulk Hogan. Phil Jackson wasn't happy but he took it very even-handedly. The Bulls won the next game, which was close, to go ahead 3-1 in the series.

The Last Dance 1.09

Episode IX

The Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers met in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls had home court advantage and won the first two games in Chicago. The Pacers came back and won game 3 by two. The Pacers came from behind to win game 4 but almost lost it on a last second three point shot by Jordan which almost went in. The series then went back to Chicago tied 2-2.

The Last Dance 1.08

Episode VIII

The Bulls played the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 1998 NBA playoffs. The Bulls won the first game by 13 but the Hornets came back and won the second game by 2. They make a big deal in the episode about how BJ Armstrong, who was playing at the time for the Hornets, was the key to them winning the game but he attempted 8 shots and hit four of them. He did not lead his team in scoring.

They make a lot in this episode about how BJ Armstrong's game winning shot motivated Michael. I think they spend too much time on talking about it. It feels like filler, especially as this topic comes up on a regular basis, how Jordan was motivated to play harder by x, y, or z.

The Last Dance 1.07

Episode VII

The Chicago Bulls opened the 1998 playoffs by playing the New Jersey Nets in Chicago. The Nets led most of the way but the Bulls wun the game by 3 points.

James Jordan, Michael Jordan's father, was murdered in July 1993. Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA in August 1993. Rumors swirled around that this was ordered by the head of the NBA, David Stern.

The Last Dance 1.06

Episode VI

1993. Some of the shine started to evaporate off of Michael Jordan. The book Jordan Rules by Sam Smith had something to do with that. There was speculation about who was talking to Sam Smith. The finger was pointed at Horace Grant (who denied it) by some but others think there had to be more than one person talking to Smith.

The Bulls make it to the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals where they play the New York Knicks. The Bulls don't have the home court advantage so the first two games are played in New York. The Knicks win the first two games. Jordan was seen coming back from Atlantic City the night before Game 2. His past experience with gambling leads to speculation about his commitment to the team by outsiders.

2nd Quarterfinal - 2004 ACC Tournament Men's Basketball

Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro, NC

Mar 12, 2004

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

North Carolina came into the ACC Tournament with a record of 18-9 and ranked 16th nationally. The Tar Heels were the 5th seed in the tournament. North Carolina ended the regular season with a loss at Duke by 5 points. This was Roy Williams first season as head coach at North Carolina. Williams was an assistant coach at North Carolina under Dean Smith from 1978 to 1988. He left North Carlina in 1988 to take the head coaching job at Kansas. He stayed there until he returned to North Carolina in 2003 to take over as head coach.

Georgia Tech came into the ACC Tournament with a record of 22-8 and ranked 14th nationally. The Yellow Jackets were the 4th seed in the tournament. Georgia Tech ended the regular season with a three game winning streak which included wins at Clemson, at Duke, and at home against Florida State. Paul Hewitt, the head coach of the Yellow Jackets, was in his 4th season as head coach at Georgia Tech. This was the Yellow Jackets first 20-win season under Hewitt. The last time Georgia Tech had won more than 20 games going into the conference tournament was in 1990 when they entered the ACC tournament with 21 wins under their belt.

4th Quarterfinal - 2004 ACC Tournament Men's Basketball

Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro, NC

Mar 12, 2004

Maryland Terrapins vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Maryland came into the ACC tournament with a record of 16-11. The Terrapins were the 6th seed in the tournament. Maryland ended the regular season with a two game wining streak by first winning at North Carolina State (ranked 16th in the country at the time) by a point. They followed that up with a win at home over Virginia by 9 points.

Wake Forest came into the ACC tournament with a record of 19-8. The Demon Deacons were the 3rd seeded team in the tournament and ranked 15th in the county. Wake Forest ended the regular season with a two game losing streak. The first loss was at Virginia by 2 points and the second was at home against North Carolina State by 11 points.

Wake Forest swept the season series against Maryland. They beat the Terrapins at home (at the end of Jan) by 8 points and then at Maryland (at the end of Feb) also by 8 points. Wake Forest was ranked 19th nationally at the time of the first game and 11th at the time of the second one.

The Last Dance 1.05

Episode V

Michael Jordan wins the MVP award at the 1998 All-Star Game. He was playing against Kobe Bryant who was 19, making him the youngest person to ever play in the All-Star Game. 

Jordan wears the original Nike Air Jordans for his final visit to Madison Square Gardens in March 1998. David Falk, his agent, originally tried to get him deals with Converse and Adidas but neither was willing or able to make him a deal in 1984. Jordan had to be pushed into signing with Nike who offered him considerably more than other NBA players were getting at the time. Jordan had a good game but the shoes hurt his feet when he wore them in 1998. His socks were bloody when he went to take them off after the game.

1990 Duke at NC State Men's Basketball

Reynolds Coliseum

Raleigh, NC

February 21, 1990

Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina State Wolfpack

Duke came into this game with a record of 22-4 (9-2 ACC) and ranked 3rd nationally. Their only conference losses were at North Carolina and at Virginia. The Blue Devils were on a four game winning streak at the time.

NC State came into this game with a record of 17-8 (5-5 ACC). Their five conference losses were to Georgia Tech (twice), at Duke, at Clemson, and at home to North Carolina. Their five conference wins were against at home against Clemson, Maryland, Virginia, and at Wake Forest and at North Carolina. They had played 6 games against nationally ranked opponents and lost 4 of them, which included losses to Georgia Tech (twice) and at Duke.

1990 NC State at Georgia Tech Men's Basketball

Alexander Memorial Colliseum

Atlanta, GA

Jan 13, 1990

North Carolina Wolfpack at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Both teams got off to good starts but had only just started playing against other schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina State was 12-2 (1-0 ACC) and was ranked 17th nationally. They had been ranked since the beginning of the season and they had two wins against ranked teams: 18th ranked Pittsburgh and 15th ranked St. John's. Georgia Tech was 10-1 (1-1 ACC) and was ranked 9th nationally. Georgia Tech was still rising. It had one win against ranked opponents: 18th ranked Pittsburgh. Tech's only loss was to Duke that was ranked 10th nationally at the time. The two teams played Pittsburgh within days of one another. Georgia Tech's game was part of that year's ACC-Big East Challenge but NC State's was not.

The Last Dance 1.04

Episode IV

Dennis Rodaman does not return on time from his trip to Las Vegas. Michael Jordan has to go get him but when Rodman gets back he is ready to train, eager to play.

Phil Jackson came from Montana. He played professionally for the New York Knicks. He started his coaching career in Puerto Rico. The next stop in his coaching career was the Continental Basketball Association where his team won the championship in 1984. He was hired by the Bulls as an assistant coach when Doug Collins was the head coach. He worked closely with assistant coach Tex Winter. Collins didn't think much of Winter's coaching philosophy. Collins preferred to make Jordan the focus of the team's offensive game, Winter preferred to distribute the offense. Collins was fired in 1989 after the playoffs and Jackson was promoted to head coach.

The Last Dance 1.03

Episode III

Dennis Rodman talks about his life growing up, his college basketball career, and his early NBA career when he was with the Detriot Pistons.

1986 - Doug Collins becomes the new head coach of the Bulls. He gets along very well with Jordan.

The Last Dance 1.02

Episode II

The series continues to focus mostly on the past with glimpses here and there on the 1997-98 NBA season.

Scottie Pippen gets the spotlight first. The focus is on his early years and why his relationship with Chicago Bulls management got so contentious over time. 

The spotlight then shifts to Michael's early life including his relationships with his brothers, his father and his high school career.

The episode then shifts forward several years to 1986. Michael injured his foot and had to sit out for a weeks. He got impatient and started practicing secretly back in North Carolina. The Bulls let him return to playing but limited his playing time. The Bulls made the playoffs that year and faced the Boston Celtics in the opening round. The Celtics won the series but Jordan put on a show. He scored 49 points in the first game, which the Bulls lost by 19 points. The next game went to double overtime but the Bulls lost again, this time by just 4 points. Jordan scored 63 points in game 2.

There was no mention of game 3 which was played in Chicago. The Bulls lost that one too. Jordan fouled out of that game after scoring just 19 points in 39 minutes of game time.

The episode ends in 1997 by focusing on the feud between Scottie Pippen and GM Jerry Krause. Pippen was still recovering from an injury and had yet to play in any games. He wanted to be traded and was very public about his interest in leaving the Bulls and his dislike for Jerry Krause.

1990 Duke at Clemson Men's Basketball

Littlejohn Coliseum

Clemson, SC

Feb 28, 1990

Duke Blue Devils at Clemson Tigers

These two teams were in some respects very evenly matched. They were tied for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference and had almost identical win loss records. Both teams were ranked nationally.

Duke came into this game with a record of 23-5 (9-3 ACC) and ranked 12th nationally. The two non-conference losses were to nationally ranked teams, Syracuse and Michigan. The three conference losses were all road games. They lost at North Carolina by a point, at Virginia by three points, and at North Carolina State by 5 points.

Clemson came into this game with a record of 22-5 (9-3 ACC) and ranked 20th nationally. The two non-conference losses were to Alabama and Villanova. The three conference losses were all road games. They lost at North Carolina State by two points, at North Carolina by 23 points, and at Duke by 14 points.

The Last Dance 1.01

Episode I

This 10-episode series focuses on the Bulls last run at the NBA championship while Michael Jordan was still on the team. This episode sets up the premise of the series. It includes a spotlight of Jerry Krause, who was the General Manager of the Bulls from 1985 to 2003. There is brief look at a preseason exhibition event in Paris, France before the 1997-98 season began. The episode also flashes back for a look at Michael Jordan's college basketball career at North Carolina and his first year with the Bulls.

This is a highlight reel. It is not an in depth story. There is too many things going on and the focus is too scattered for this to be a comprehensive study. It was interesting to watch, I will very likely continue to watch but honestly I prefer to watch a single game or a more focused look at a single person, whether that be the star of the team or one of the supporting cast.

1984 Duke at North Carolina Men's Basketball

Carmichael Auditorium

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mar 3, 1984

Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tarheels

North Carolina came into this game with a record of 25-1 (13-0 ACC). Their only loss was to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Feb 12. They were way ahead of Maryland, the second ranked team in the ACC, which had a conference record of 8-5.

Duke came into this game with a record of 22-7 (7-6 ACC). The conference losses were spread around with one loss to all the other ACC teams with the exception of Virginia. They were in sole possession of 3rd place but just half a game ahead of Wake Forest which had a conference record of 7-7. The Blue Devils, under head coach Mike Kryziewski, were just 1-6 against the Tarheels coming into this game. Duke, oddly enough had a better record on the road in conference games (5-1) than they did at home but the Blue Devils had not won a game at North Carolina since 1966.

This video was good enough to watch on a regular sized monitor but it probably isn't clear enough to watch blown up on a large TV screen. One thing that unfortunately was not clear enough was the clock in the lower right corner of the screen. They actually used two different clocks in the lower right corner of the screen. The first one didn't look very slick but it was easy enough to read. The second one was too fuzzy to read.

The video is divided into two parts. The first is about 90 minutes and the second about 60 minutes. It includes all the commercials and the half-time feature which included interview with some of the coaches of ACC women's basketball teams.

My biggest complaint about the camera work is that they sometimes would switch to the camera that was underneath the basket for too long. It's a great angle when there is a big play under the basket or in the paint but it isn't so great if the ball is moving all over the place.

Championship - 1984 Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

Madison Square Gardens

New York, NY

Mar 11, 1984

Syracuse Orange(men) vs Georgetown Hoyas

The Georgetown Hoyas came into this game with a record of 25-3 (14-2 Big East) during the regular season. Their two conference losses were both at home against Villanova and St. John's. Their only non-conference loss was against DePaul. They finished the regular season ranked 2nd nationally.

The Syracuse Orangemen came into the Big East Conference Tournament with a record of 19-7 (12-4 Big East) during the regular season. Two of their four conference losses were to Georgetown. Their other two conference losses were to Boston College and Villanova. They finished the regular season ranked 16th nationally.

Georgetown made it to the conference final by beating Providence in the quarter-finals and St. John's in the semi-finals by an average of 15.5 points. Syracuse made it to the conference final by beating Connecticut in the quarter finals (by 15 points) and Villanova in the semi-finals (by 1 point). 

Lakers at Warriors - 1987 Western Conference Semifinals - G4

Game 4 Western Conference Semifinals

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, CA

May 10, 1987

L.A. Lakers at Golden State Warriors

The Lakers led the series 3-0 and were looking to close out and advance to the next round. The Lakers won the first game by 9, the second game by 15, and the third game by 25. They were the top seed in the West and finished the regular season with a record of 65-17. They defeated the Denver Nuggets 3 games to none to advance to this round. The Lakers made it all the way to the NBA Finals 5 of the previous 7 years and won the title 3 of those times. Lakers head coach Pat Riley was in his 6th season in that position and 9th season overall with the team.

The Warriors were the 3rd seed in the West and finished the regular season 42-40. Two of those wins were against the Lakers but they also lost 4 games against the Lakers during the regular season. They defeated the Utah Jazz 3 games to 2 to advance to semifinals. The Warriors were in the playoffs for the first time since 1977. The Warriors head coach was George Karl. This was his first season coaching the Warriors and third season as an NBA head coach. It was also his first winning season as a head coach.

1990 Duke at Maryland Men's Basketball

Cole Field House

College Park, MD

February 10, 1990

Duke Blue Devils at Maryland Terrapins

Maryland was 12-9 (3-5 ACC) and Duke was 18-4 (7-2 ACC) coming into this game. Both teams were coming off of losses. The Blue Devils had won the first match up with the Terrapins 91-80 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The video I watched of this game included all the halftime commentary. There was a brief glimpse of the halftime show which was the University of Maryland's Gymkana club. On the whole the recording of this game was nice and crisp for a YouTube video but not quite good enough to blow up on a big screen TV.

Championship - 1982 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball

1982 NCAA Final Men's Basketball

New Orleans, LA

March 29, 1982

Georgetown Hoyas vs North Carolina Tarheels

I didn't know a ton about this game going in. I knew about the ending but I didn't know if it was competitive game. One of the stories of this game, which I didn't know prior to watching the semi-final games was that each team had a man from Gastonia, NC. James Worthy of the Tarheels and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd of the Hoyas played against one another in high school. Their teams went as far as the state championship game which Floyd's school won.