COLUMN: Enjoying 'The Last Dance'

     Like so many desperate sports fans, I have been enjoying the ESPN 10-part documentary about the end of the Chicago Bulls dynasty, “The Last Dance,” on Sunday evenings.

     ESPN has been airing two episodes per week. This past Sunday was the second week, so four episodes have been shown, with six to go.

     Here are a few of the things I have either learned, or had forgotten, or never knew, that have been brought to light by this series.

     • That Scottie Pippen may have been the most underpaid player in NBA history. He signed a long-term deal very early in his career, and wound up being much more valuable than what he was paid.

     To underscore that, there was a season in which Luc Longley, a reserve Bulls center at the time who also spent time with the Timberwolves, was being paid more than Pippen was.

     • That the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons, in the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago in 1991, walked off the court with 7.9 seconds to play when they were about to be swept in the series. One lone Piston, John Salley, stayed on the court to shake hands with the victorious Bulls. The rest of them? Their thuggery was matched only by their classlessness.

     • That the amazing plays from back then, mostly by Michael Jordan, are still fun to see. Dennis Rodman had one too, leaping into the first few rows to scoop out a ball that was going out of bounds. When one of the Bulls took an ensuing pass and sank a three-pointer, Rodman’s reaction was terrific.

     • That it blew me away then, as it still does now, that front office types can be so eager to do away with hugely successful coaches.

     • That Bulls coach Phil Jackson allowed Rodman to take a 48-hour “vacation” to Las Vegas (which turned into several days), right in the middle of the season, because he believed it would help Rodman and the team in the long run. And that Jordan was the one to fetch Rodman from his hotel room to bring him back.

     • That I’m enjoying the flashbacks. The show will sometimes cut from the 1997-98 season back to the early days of Jordan, or Pippen, or Rodman, sort of forming the background for what was to come. Normally I’m not a big fan of flashbacks in movies or shows. These are worth it.

     • That while I wasn’t a Bulls fan back then, and in fact often rooted for them to lose because they were too good, it’s hard to watch “The Last Dance” and not pull for these guys.