The Last Dance: Things we learned from episodes 5 & 6

2. Not everyone liked Mike

Everyone loves a good underdog story.

It’s the basis of so many of the beloved sports stories that we hold near and dearest to our hearts – and the epitome of the American dream.

Start from scratch, work from virtual nothingness, beat the odds stacked against you, and eventually overcome all obstacles as you chart your way to whatever pinnacle awaits you at the story’s exalting end.

That’s the mold, and it’s one that Michael Jordan became the embodiment of so seamlessly.

But once you make it to the top, the embellishment and adoration of those who rooted for your success oftentimes turn to entirely contrasting reservations for your descent.

Just ask the Golden State Warriors of the past five years about the amount of outside hate they received from fans, critics and fellow basketballers alike – and about how desperately teams tried to knock them from their reigning pedestal.

No one likes to see the same faces responsible for repeated victories.

Like I said, familiarity breeds contempt.

And people were sick of seeing Jordan singlehandedly out-man the rest of the league for so long.

The Detroit Pistons and their “Jordan Rules” during the late ’80s. The nasty New York Knicks of the early ’90s. All were hellbent on taking him out – literally.

But lethal attempts at his stature came from sources outside the hardwood as well.

There was yet another “Jordan Rules” with a specific set of purposive vendettas against No. 23. These, though, came in book form, and were ironically penned by one of Chicago’s own – Sam Smith.

In the book, entitled The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of a Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, Smith chronicles the turbulent up-and-down 1990-91 season and does so with specific attacks levied against Jordan’s character and propensity as a teammate.

His implied selfish spouts with management, clashes with teammates (including apparently sucker-punching former center Will Perdue during practice), and money-driven greed vices destroyed the happy-go-lucky role model persona Jordan had so effortlessly portrayed to fans and the media in year’s past.

Many of his Bulls’ teammates denounced the book’s material as complete falsehood, but that didn’t stop audiences from running with the themes present within its pages, nor did it halt its ascension to the New York Times’ bestsellers list.

And speaking of New York, the account may have led to another damaging story published on Jordan’s extra-curricular habits during a playoff series with the Knicks – and leads me to my next slide.