‘The Last Dance’ has been nothing short of spectacular thus far. Here are the five best quotes from Episode 3, which aired on Sunday, April 26.
5. Dennis Rodman’s confidence
"“You got the great Michael Jordan, the great Scottie Pippen, the great Phil Jackson. But if you take me away from this team, do they still win a championship? I don’t think so. I love Michael Jordan to death. I love Scottie Pippen, all these guys. But they really don’t do the things that I do.” -Dennis Rodman"
This quote from Dennis Rodman is so wonderful because that’s the attitude you have to have to be a successful third wheel on an NBA tricycle. Everybody knew Rodman wasn’t as good as Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen, but he brought other things to the table. In order for the team to be successful, he had to be aware of what he contributed.
He’s not wrong, either. MJ and Pippen didn’t do the things Rodman did. Nobody could do the things Rodman did.
4. MJ piles on Craig Ehlo
"“They had Craig Ehlo on me at the time, which, in all honesty, was a mistake, because the guy that played me better was Ron Harper.” -Michael Jordan"
Poor Craig Ehlo. A whole generation already knows him as the guy that Jordan hit “The Shot” over. Usually, when people talk about “The Shot,” they can’t get through their thoughts without saying the phrase “The shot on Ehlo.” Now, in front of the entire world, MJ had to bury Ehlo again with that quote? Sheesh!
Everybody knows having Ehlo on MJ was a mistake. Jordan didn’t have to say it. But, as we know, he doesn’t care, and I’m here for the no-cares version of MJ (this is really the only version of MJ).
3. Doug Collins describing his play call
"“That was, uh, get the ball to Michael. Everybody get the f*** out of the way.” -Doug Collins"
Doug Collins responded with this when asked what the play call was that led to a victory over the Detroit Pistons. It’s a pretty simple play but it seemed to work out for everyone involved on the Chicago side. It’s hard not to love Collins’ honesty here.
The quote also works as a brilliant precursor into one of the main topics of night two of The Last Dance, which was the different coaching styles of Collins and Phil Jackson. Collins wanted Michael to have the ball. Jackson wanted everybody to have the ball.
2. Rodman gets deep
"“Basketball is simple. It’s a simple game. But when you leave this confined zone, it’s hard. It’s hard.” -Dennis Rodman"
As silly as Rodman can be, he actually brought some serious truth to light here. He’s absolutely right: Basketball is a very simple game, but life is difficult. And for Dennis, it was especially difficult at times. That’s something that I’m sure a lot of current NBA players can relate to.
Just because on-the-court stuff is simple, doesn’t mean off-the-court stuff is simple.
1. MJ’s hilarious foresight
"“Phil, you let this dude go to vacation, we not gonna see him. You let him go to Vegas, we definitely not gonna see him.” -Michael Jordan"
The best part of night two of The Last Dance was without a doubt learning about Rodman’s mid-season vacation to Las Vegas to let loose. That quote from MJ is particularly funny because it sounds like a concerned parent that knows his child all-too-well. Going on vacation was dangerous enough for Rodman, but going to Vegas? MJ knew that was a bad idea.
Episodes 5 and 6 of The Last Dance will air on Sunday, May 3.