3 takeaways from episodes 9 and 10 of The Last Dance, ESPN’s MJ doc

The Chicago Bulls wrapped a bow on one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties in the final episodes of The Last Dance, though title No. 6 was hardly a guarantee.

We always knew how the finale of The Last Dance, ESPN’s MJ doc, was going to unfold. Michael Jordan holding the pose in Salt Lake, sealing the Chicago Bulls‘ sixth NBA championship to cap off an incredible eight-year run of excellence.

That knowledge didn’t make reliving the journey one last time any less entertaining, even if the finality of it made for some bittersweet emotions.

Episodes nine and 10 of The Last Dance brought Chicago’s run full circle, showing us just how grueling that final championship was.

The Indiana Pacers were the toughest team the Bulls faced. At least, according to MJ. The Utah Jazz were looking to avenge their Finals loss in 1997 heading into the ’98 series. That made them incredibly dangerous as the energetic championship hopefuls against the broken down reigning two-time champs looking to summon the strength for one more.

There’s a newfound respect for Reggie Miller as one of the few NBA stars unafraid of Jordan’s presence. More Dennis Rodman shenanigans that never get old. A young Leonardo DiCaprio even managed to make his way into the final episode.

Independent of the solace it brought many during these unpredictable times, The Last Dance was a genuinely remarkable telling of one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports — even if Jordan’s influence was a bit too much for some’s taste.

We still don’t know why it had to end at six and likely never will. Maybe that’s what made The Last Dance what it is, a unique insight into the type of awareness most only come to know after it’s all said and done.