SALT LAKE CITY — ESPN’s 10-part documentary series chronicling Michael Jordan’s time with the Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance,” came to a close on Sunday night.
The last two episodes, which aired Sunday, heavily involved the Utah Jazz, who faced the Bulls in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals. With that in mind I reached out to Jazz fans to see what they took away from the docuseries.
Unsurprisingly, many Jazz fans had a hard time watching the Jazz lose consecutive title bids in a documentary that celebrated their most hated rival of the time. One person responded saying that it felt like salt was being poured into a wound that felt just as fresh as it did more than 20 years ago.
There’s even bitterness toward model/actress Carmen Electra, who dated Dennis Rodman during his time with the Bulls and was shown in the “The Last Dance” kissing one of the NBA championship trophies in Rodman’s hotel room.
But not all of the responses from the Jazz faithful were riddled with pain and regret. There were many who watched the series and came away with a greater appreciation for Jordan, who won six NBA titles with the Bulls.
In Game 3 of the ’98 Finals, the Bulls beat the Jazz, 96-54, to go up 2-1 in the series in one of the most lopsided blowouts in playoff history. Seems like some Jazz fans forgot just how bad it was.
For the rare fan who was able to attend a game back in Jordan’s glory days, “The Last Dance” made them remember how lucky they were to witness him in person.
Even though the Jazz lost the Bulls in the ’97 and ’98 Finals, a lot of fans are able to look back and say, “We lost the to one of the greatest players ever, no shame in that.”
(And there’s the one guy who can’t stop blaming a horse for the Jazz losing.)