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

1. Wanna bet?

So what exactly is the story, you might ask?

Well, after falling down 2-0 to Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks during the ’93 Eastern Conference Finals, Jordan decided he needed blow off some steam – and did so by taking an impromptu trip to Atlantic City for a fun-filled night with family and friends.

Upon hearing word of his little excursion, media members had an absolute field day, and by the time Game 3 tipped off, news stories questioning Jordan’s dedication to his team, the game, and alluding to a more severe problem dominated most of the area’s top headlines.

Jordan quickly verbally squashed speculations of a larger character flaw with regards to a gambling habit, and let his play on the court the next night speak vibrantly for itself, showing it was more than possible for him, of all people, to have a night on the town and still show up to perform his necessary duties.

Extra motivation was never a requirement for him, but with it, he drove a steady cruise ship in heading an impressive Bulls charge to a 103-83 beat down of NY in Game 3, before exploding for 54 points in Game 4 at the United Center.

The Knicks wouldn’t see the light of day for the remainder of the tilt.

But the media reports that did allude to a more inherent habitual motivator in Jordan’s psyche did have some merit, and those would come to spark further revelation as time wore on.

In fact, Sam Smith’s “Jordan Rules” book seemed to open the floodgates for more sources with behind-the-scenes attestants on Jordan’s nature to come forward, and that they did – with ferocity.

Golf “hustler” Slim Bouler was the first. Before Bouler was sentenced to nine years in prison for money laundering and conspiracy, Jordan himself was required to testify on a $57,000 check he had written his fellow golf compatriot, a payment he was ultimately forced to reveal came as a result of a lost bet.

And then came another book. This one, called Mike and Me: Our Gambling Addiction. My Cry for Help!  The story’s author, Richard Equinas, alleged that Jordan had lost $1.25 million to him over the course of a few rounds of golf with him in Sep. of 1991, and claimed that Jordan had only agreed to pay him about $300,000 of the total sum.

Now, the exact detailed remnants of Jordan’s escapades with both these men are unclear, but both signify tremendous amounts that he was willing to wager over competitive bets.

And we saw it during The Last Dance. The high-risk, high reward card games that took place in the back of Bulls planes that scared away some of the team’s more conservative novices. The late-night gambling expeditions that predated early morning practices during the “Dream Team’s” 1992 trip to Barcelona. Even his not-so-friendly object-tossing contests with team security guards and administration.

The man was indisputably driven by winning – but the winning of money drove that urge to an entirely different level.

A level we very well may have been clueless about prior to the film’s in-depth examination of it.