After the successful premiere of the first two episodes of the highly anticipated documentary “The Last Dance”, parts three and four will air tonight focusing on the figure of extrovert forward Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan’s war with the Detroit Pistons between 1989 to 1991.
The broadcast of both chapters will begin at 9:00 p.m. on the ESPN network.
Rodman, who stood out as one of the best rebounders in NBA history for 14 seasons despite his crazy lifestyle, will take center stage after being practically absent in the two hours of last Sunday’s broadcast on ESPN, which went bankrupt. audience marks.
The chapter will present the importance of Rodman in the first part of the Bulls’ 1997-98 season, who were left without Scottie Pippen’s services due to foot surgery. Rodman’s impact helped Chicago get off a bad start to his sixth championship, and third in line for the second time in the 1990s.
In a preview, Jordan and manager Phil Jackson recall how Rodman asked for “vacation” after Pippen’s return.
“I need a vacation …”#TheLastDance continues Sunday, April 26 at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fIiLZ75J7q
– NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2020
“When Scottie was gone, Dennis was a model citizen to the point that he was driving him crazy. So when Scottie came back, Dennis wanted to take a vacation, ” Jordan recalled about the unexpected request.
Jordan warned Jackson that if they let him go they would never see him again. The final deal was Rodman’s 48-hour getaway to Las Vegas. It should be noted that Rodman played 80 of the 82 games in the 1997-98 tournament.
War with the ‘Bad Boys’
In the opening chapters, “The Last Dance” effectively balanced the documentary’s central theme with looks at Jordan’s rise from his early days at the University of North Carolina to his arrival in the NBA to bring to life a mediocre Chicago franchise.
In episodes three and four, we’ll see how Jordan continued to value the Bulls as he expanded his legend. He’ll go over the famous basket against the Cavaliers with the buzzer that knocked out Cleveland in the fifth game of the first Eastern Conference postseason round in 1989.
In two days, it continues. Sunday night at 9 PM ET on ESPN #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/SIC1WcGPIG
– ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2020
But, the main theme will be the war that Jordan had against the so-called “Bad Boys” of the Detroit Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer and Rodman himself.
These Pistons made life impossible for Jordan. With a strong and physical defense, they eliminated the Bulls in the finals of the Eastern Conference in 1989 and 1990. Detroit won the NBA championship in those years.
Jordan took so many punches from the Pistons that he had to increase his muscle mass, making his debut in weightlifting for the first time in his career, to withstand Detroit’s brutal punches.
“I wanted to give them pain,” Jordan confessed.
With a muscular Jordan, the Bulls took it out in 1991 by sweeping them away in the Eastern Final. The Pistons withdrew from their home court without clashing hands with the Bulls, a gesture that Jordan, to this day, resents.
“I hate them. Hate carried him to the present. They made it personal. Physically, they gave us a fight “Jordan said.
Thomas was interviewed by the producers of the documentary to recall the rivalry.
Phil Jackson’s rise
The continuation of “The Last Dance” will also detail Jackson’s hiring as a Bulls manager in 1989 after two seasons as a technical assistant and the origin of the “triangular offense.” Initially, Jordan was reluctant to get the new mentor for fear that he would snatch the ball from his hands.
Jackson’s mindset helped Jordan trust his teammates to limit his load on the team until he won the first of six championships in 1991.
“Congratulations, let’s go win a championship.” Michael Jordan to Phil Jackson after the @chicagobulls named him head coach in 1989. The Last Dance continues Sunday, April 26 at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hcn36yvkWN
– NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2020
Meanwhile, the first episodes broke audience records with a total of 6.1 million viewers, becoming the most watched documentary in the history of the sports channel.
The premiere of the documentary was moved from June to April to fill the gap left by the sports pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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