The Last Dance: Things left to explore after episodes 1 and 2

The Bad Boys Battles

During one of the commercial breaks, it was teased that part of next week’s episodes will focus on Michael Jordan and his unforgettable battles with the Bad Boys era Detroit Pistons.

Any story about Jordan’s career would feel eerily complete without a discussion of those formative years.

Legends across all sports often have those teams or individuals that they battle with before their careers develop. Wild success is earned, not given.

For Jordan, that opponent was the Bad Boys.

But his connection with Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Chuck Daly is not just the story of any normal type of obstacle. It was personal.

The Jordan Rules were born out of that contentious relationship.

The blue-collar Pistons took umbrage with how they perceived Jordan was treated around the league. That was nothing unique. Superstars receiving Superstar treatment will be a criticism (valid or not) until the end of time.

How the Bad Boys reacted to their perceptions made their battles with Michael legendary. They were always physical and often dirty when 23 hit the lane. Nothing was easy.

Jordan’s response was to get bigger and stronger. Teasing out that thought process and how those events shaped him will be interesting. Equally fascinating will be to hear how satisfying overcoming a nemesis was from the unfiltered mouth of a legend.