It was never just about the basketball. Honestly, if you look back at the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season, it felt more like a traveling rock show on the verge of a messy breakup than a professional sports team chasing a sixth ring. We call it The Last Dance Michael Jordan era because Phil Jackson literally wrote that title on the cover of the team's handbook before the season even tipped off. He knew. Michael knew. Scottie Pippen definitely knew, mostly because he spent half the season frustrated about his paycheck.
Jerry Krause, the general manager who often gets cast as the villain in this saga, had already made it clear: Phil Jackson wasn't coming back, even if he went 82-0. Imagine telling the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of Nikes that his Hall of Fame coach is out the door regardless of performance. That tension created a pressure cooker. It wasn't just a quest for a championship; it was a middle finger to the front office.
The Internal War That Defined The Last Dance Michael Jordan
You can't talk about that final season without talking about the sheer disrespect Pippen felt. Scottie was arguably the second-best player in the entire league, but he was the 122nd highest-paid player. Let that sink in for a second. He was making less than some benchwarmers who barely saw the court. This led to his decision to delay foot surgery until the season started—a move Michael Jordan famously criticized in the documentary, calling it selfish.
But Jordan's own intensity was the real engine. He wasn't just leading; he was bullying, cajoling, and dragging his teammates to his level of obsession. Scott Burrell took the brunt of it. Jordan saw Burrell as a nice guy who needed to be "hardened" for the playoffs. It was psychological warfare in the practice facility.
Why the 1998 Bulls Were Vulnerable
Most people remember the "Shot" over Bryon Russell and the confetti. They forget how exhausted this team was. They were old. Dennis Rodman was pushing 37 and taking mid-season vacations to WCW wrestling events with Hulk Hogan. Luc Longley’s ankles were screaming.
The Indiana Pacers, led by Larry Bird on the sidelines and Reggie Miller on the court, nearly ended the dynasty in the Eastern Conference Finals. That Game 7 was a slog. It wasn't pretty. The Bulls won because of sheer defensive willpower and Jordan's refusal to lose. If you watch the tape, you see a team that had nothing left in the tank. They were running on fumes and spite.
The Myth vs. The Reality of the "Flu Game"
Wait, wrong year. People get the Flu Game (1997) mixed up with the 1998 finale all the time. But the narrative of The Last Dance Michael Jordan is essentially a continuation of that 1997 grit. In '98, it was about the "Pizza Game" or rather, the lingering effects of being at the top for so long.
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The documentary The Last Dance clarified that the 1997 sickness wasn't the flu—it was food poisoning from a late-night pizza in Utah. Jordan was shaking, dehydrated, and still dropped 38 points. By the time 1998 rolled around, he was playing a different kind of game. He wasn't the high-flyer of the 80s anymore. He was a mid-range assassin. He'd back you down, hit the fadeaway, and move on. It was surgical.
The Rodman Factor
Dennis Rodman was the wild card that shouldn't have worked but did. During the 1998 Finals, he literally skipped practice to go to Monday Nitro. Phil Jackson, in his infinite "Zen Master" wisdom, let him go. He knew if he tried to cage Rodman, the whole thing would explode.
- Rodman provided the rebounding.
- Pippen provided the versatile defense.
- Jordan provided the soul (and the scoring).
- Steve Kerr and Toni Kukoc provided the spacing.
It was a delicate ecosystem. If one piece moved, the whole thing would have collapsed under the weight of the media circus following them.
Breaking Down the Final Sequence in Utah
June 14, 1998. Delta Center. Salt Lake City.
The Bulls are down by one. Pippen’s back is so bad he can barely run. Jordan takes the ball, drives, and then comes the play everyone debates to this day. Did he push off?
If you look at the physics of it, Michael's hand definitely makes contact with Bryon Russell’s hip. But Russell’s momentum was already carrying him toward the baseline. Jordan’s "push" was more of a guide. He crosses back, finds his spot, and holds the follow-through. It’s the most iconic image in sports history.
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What people forget is what happened thirty seconds before that. Jordan had just scored a layup to cut the lead to one. Then, he sneaks up behind Karl Malone—the "Mailman"—and strips the ball away. Without that steal, the "Last Shot" never happens. It was a masterclass in two-way basketball.
The Fallout: Why They Didn't Go for Seven
There is a lingering "what if" that haunts Chicago. Could they have won in 1999?
The 1999 season was a lockout-shortened mess. The San Antonio Spurs won it all. Jordan has gone on record saying he would have signed a one-year deal. Pippen would have needed a massive pay raise, and Rodman was falling apart, but Michael believes they could have won a seventh.
Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner, disagreed. He saw the mounting costs and the aging roster. He chose a rebuild over a legacy. It was a business decision that felt like a betrayal to a city that had become the center of the basketball universe.
Modern Comparisons: LeBron vs. MJ
The debate never ends. LeBron James has the longevity and the counting stats. But the The Last Dance Michael Jordan era provides the "aura" argument. Jordan never let it go to a Game 7 in the Finals. He went 6-0. There was a sense of inevitability when he stepped on the court that no player since has quite replicated.
Kobe Bryant came closest in terms of mentality, but even Kobe didn't have the same stranglehold on the league's collective psyche that Jordan had in 1998. Every kid wanted to "Be Like Mike," but every opponent was terrified of him.
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How to Apply the "Last Dance" Mentality Today
You don't have to be an NBA superstar to take something away from the way that team operated. It was about "The Standard."
Embrace the friction. The 1998 Bulls hated each other at times. They hated the front office. But they used that friction as fuel rather than letting it burn the house down. In a professional setting, disagreement isn't a dealbreaker; it's a catalyst if handled with a singular goal in mind.
Know when the window is closing. Jackson's brilliance was in naming the season. He forced the players to stay present. When you know something is ending, you stop worrying about the future and start obsessing over the now.
Identify your "Jordan." Every successful project needs a driver. Someone who holds people accountable, even if it makes them uncomfortable. Accountability isn't supposed to feel good; it's supposed to produce results.
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific era, start by watching the raw game footage of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. It’s much more revealing than the highlights. It shows the struggle, the missed shots, and the grueling physical toll that the "Last Dance" actually took on those players.
To truly understand the legacy, you have to look past the shoes and the marketing. Look at the sweat. Look at Michael Jordan on the floor of the locker room after winning, clutching the ball and crying. That wasn't just joy; it was relief that the "Last Dance" was finally over and he didn't have to carry that weight anymore.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Study the 1998 salary cap: Look up the disparity between Pippen and his peers to understand the true roots of the team's dysfunction.
- Watch the "unfiltered" interviews: Seek out Phil Jackson’s coaching clinics where he discusses the triangle offense during that final year.
- Analyze the defensive rotations: Rewatch the final three minutes of Game 6 of the 1998 Finals—specifically focusing on Jordan's off-ball movement, not just his shooting.