Want to become a writer at Eat My News? Here is an opportunity to join the Board of Young Leaders Program by Eat My News. Click here to know more: bit.ly/boardofyoungleaders
Imagine this: India was playing Pakistan in a crucial World Cup match. A victory could see them through to the World Cup Final. India needs 12 runs from 6 balls. There is nervousness in the air. But you feel a bit assured because the ultimate matchwinner, MS Dhoni, is at the crease.
Then,
out of nowhere, he is called back into the dressing room. How would you, as a
fan, feel? How would MS Dhoni feel leaving the field at such a critical
juncture?
This
is what the Basketball Legend, Michael Jordan, had to go through during his
second season in the NBA with Chicago Bulls.
What
happened?
Netflix’s
latest weekly documentary series, “The Last Dance” elaborates on this situation
in its second episode. As shown in the documentary, after a breakout first
season in 1984-85 with Chicago Bulls wherein he became NBA Rookie of The Year,
Michael Jordan suffered a major setback when he broke his left foot during
Bulls’ third game of the season.
It
was devastating for Michael Jordan. The man had never missed a basketball game
through high school, college, and the NBA thus far. Suddenly, he was forced to
miss 64 gamers on the trot!
Michael
was desperate to get back on the court. According to the doctors, he had a 10%
chance of getting injured if he plays. If that 10% kicked in, Michael Jordan’s
basketball career could have been over.
The
team management was extremely reluctant to allow him to play with such
probabilities. Despite being only in his second season, Michael Jordan was
already one of the biggest star attractions for Chicago Bulls. Hence, from a
business perspective, playing Jordan was a risky move.
A compromise was reached. Michael Jordan was allowed to play only 14 minutes in a
game (7 minutes per half), with a stopwatch. He could be in the middle of a shot,
and a whistle could blow off to tell him he had to go off.
The
Boiling Point
Things
reached a boiling point during a crucial game against Indiana Pacers. A victory
would put Chicago Bulls in a position to make the playoffs. Bulls’ coach at the
time, Stan Albeck, was given strict directions to adhere to the 14-Minute
restriction. If Michael Jordan played for even one more second, Albeck would be
fired on the spot!
Thirty-one
seconds left till the end of the game. Chicago Bulls 107 points, Indiana Pacers
108 points. All of a sudden, Michael Jordan’s 14 minutes are over. Despite
giving a sensational performance, Jordan was told to get off and wasn’t allowed
to finish the game.
Luckily,
Chicago Bulls went on to win that game by one point and qualify for the
playoffs.
The incident brings forth the conflict that arises between the people who play in
front of everyone and the higher authorities who work in the background.
Netflix’s
weekly documentary series, “The Last Dance”, focuses on Chicago Bulls’ journey
during the 1997-98 season. The series depicts the career of Michael Jordan and
the others who propelled Bulls to five championships in the previous seven
years. The series has been in the making for 23 years as the team granted
unprecedented access to a film crew for the entire year.
Written By - Snehil Kesarwani
Edited By - N. Nargis Fathima
.jpeg)
0 Comments