Chicago Bulls: 3 things we learned from night 3 of ‘The Last Dance’

10 Jul 1996: Forward Scottie Pippen, left, of Dream Team III during the singing of the national anthems as teammates Charles Barkley, center, and David Robinson stand by prior to the USA’s 119-58 victory over China at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Ar

1. How the spotlight was digging at MJ, and Charles Barkley just falling short

At the end of part six, we got a good look into what MJ was thinking in the final season he played in before his first retirement from the NBA. That’s when all the shots from the media were coming MJ’s way, and he couldn’t get away from the spotlight whenever he left his house or hotel room. This is a difficult spotlight to be in with a tremendous amount of pressure.

There were plenty of instances where every aspect of MJ’s life got dissected, and it almost seems like there were no wins for him whatever he did. His participation in a 1990 senate race in the state of North Carolina and individual golf and card games he played in before his first retirement from the NBA were really over-analyzed in the media.

The best Finals player ever.

42 points | 18-36 shooting | Game 2 Win#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/eEvC0Q68Ap
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 4, 2020

Another aspect that was interesting to look back upon on night three of The Last Dance was how MJ played against Charles Barkley and the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. Barkley was the MVP winner in the 1992-93 season over MJ, but the latter would get the best of their matchup in the NBA Finals.

One of the best players in NBA history to never win an NBA Championship was Barkley. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star selection, 11-time All-NBA honoree, and won an All-Star Game MVP. Barkley also pulled off the notoriously difficult feat of beating MJ to win an NBA MVP in the 1990’s. The 1993 NBA Finals was the closest he ever came to winning a title in his accomplished career.