We'll have a lot to talk about on #TheATeam from 3-6p on SportsTalk 790. Here are the most memorable quotes from Michael Jordan and others from Sunday night's The Last Dance, episodes 7 & 8, plus a couple of statistical tidbits.
EPISODE 7
"Way to go Craig." - From the opening scene, after reporter Craig Sager hit GM Jerry Krause with his question about team chemistry being so good despite "the backstabbing" going on inside the organization. Krause answered, scolded Sager and walked away. Then another media member made that comment.
"Total bullshit. Total bullshit" - Brian McIntyre, former NBA media relations director on if Jordan's retirement after the '92-93 title was due to a league imposed "suspension" because of the stories surrounding Jordan (gambling, his father's murder).
"Ridiculous" - David Stern, former NBA commissioner on the same subject above.
"Let's not get it wrong - he was an asshole. He was a jerk." - teammate Will Perdue about Jordan's drive to get his teammates to rise to his level.
"He would be a tough guy to be around if you didn't love basketball. He was difficult." - teammate B.J. Armstrong on Jordan
"Winning has a price. Leadership has a price. I pulled people along when they din't want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t wanna be challenged." - Jordan
“It’s one of those incidents where I wish it never happened, but if I had a chance to do it over again I probably wouldn’t change it.” - Scottie Pippen on refusing to be in the game w/ 1.8 seconds left in a tie game with the Bulls down 2-0 in their conference semifinals series against the Knicks because Bulls head coach Phil Jackson had drawn up a play for Toni Kukoc to get the game-winning shot attempt with Pippen in-bounding the ball. (Kukoc hit the shot, the Bulls would lose the series in seven games.)
"Break." - Jordan. This word closed out episode 7 as Jordan was getting emotional talking about how he was with his teammates.
EPISODE 8
"Mike does not need any more gas in his car to get going." - Hornets forward Glen Rice on Jordan and MJ's former teammate B.J. Armstrong hit a game-clinching shot to even their playoff series at 1-1 and Armstrong was very vocal and demonstrative in his celebration.
"I'm back." - Jordan in his own words on the press release/fax when he came out of retirement in 1995.
"His shooting touch was missing and his shorts were on backwards." - TV news report on Jordan's first game back vs Pacers.
"When he came back we were at full power again. We were off and running." - Jackson in 1995 after Jordan returned to the team (they ultimately lost to Orlando 4-2 in the conference semifinals.)
"I had no problem with The Glove." - Jordan (laughing) after watching an interview of Gary Payton talking about what he did defending Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals starting with game 4. Sonics coach George Karl had wanted Payton's offense and didn't want him to wear down also defending Jordan. But with the Sonics trailing 3-0 in the series, Payton said enough with that and starting in game four he was the primary defender on Jordan.