May 5, 2020: The Cheerleader

As episode 5 began, and they showed the 1998 All Star Game where Michael won MVP, and Bob Costas talked about why would MJ “leave” when he was still at the top of the game, I got pissed. Damn right! You break up a team when it’s washed up; you break up a team when they lose. The Bulls were neither. And just because somebody thought they were smarter than everybody else and wanted to prove it, how as an owner could you fall for that shit? No titles since then…

That feeling of anger quickly disappeared as the episode continued to roll on. One great aspect of all these episodes is the music. Late 80s & 90s Rap… sorry, but it doesn’t get much better than that. This was the music I listened to through the 90s. I’ll never forget listening to my first rap “tape”, in my walkman, in bed at night; Eazy E & E-Z does it. Then after that it was The Chronic. That was just the appetizer, because after that it was everything, mostly East Coast, including the debuts of Nas, Biggie, Wu Tang, Jay Z, and more. Then I started going back to the late 80s, and started “catching up” with some of the older stuff like Eric B & Rakim, EPMD, Slick Rick, Biz Markie, and more. Pairing the golden era of rap music with the golden era of basketball is, well, golden. I’m loving every minute of this.

Episode 5 covered the 2nd title, which is especially special to me. I attended Game 6 at the Stadium. I had only see Jordan play in person once before that. My aunt, yes the same one who gave me the vintage Starter Bulls jacket, took me to see them play the Bucks… I thought I had narrowed it down to 1987… Anyways, the next time I saw MJ in person was the 1992 NBA Finals. My friend’s dad was a fireman; he dropped us and my brother off at the gate, telling them he had to go on duty. They let us in no problem. Walking around the stadium, the excitement, seeing the trophy, Bob Costas… oh yeah, we were up in there. The game wasn’t exactly going according to plan, with the Bulls facing a big deficit heading into the 4th quarter. I thought, damn, I shouldn’t be here; I’m messing up the mojo. I thought… I get to come to a game like this and they’re going to lose?!?!

I always talk about MJ as the ultimate ace in the hole; he was. The comeback in this game featured another part of the team: the bench. Bobby Hansen, Stacey King, BJ Armstong… all lead a furious 4th quarter comeback. Jordan was on the sideline, relegated to the role of a cheerleader during that stretch, like the rest of us. He was standing up, waving a towel, as everybody was going crazy. That famous song was blaring over the Stadium speakers for most of the 4th quarter…. da da da da da, HEY, da, da, da, da. Yes, and when the Bulls had pulled even, he came back in and sealed the deal. A driving layup, a steal, clutch free throws lead to the beginning of another crazy celebration; this time we had won it IN Chicago. The city went crazy, a good kind mostly. That’s one of the best things about a championship team in Chicago; it brings the city together. Everybody is out in the streets, driving around, yelling, high fiving… it was glorious riding around in this convertible after the game; although only 15, I even tried to slam a beer. It was all good.

Yes, my memory continues to be jogged, in a good way. It doesn’t take much with the championship years. Being there for this one… obviously the best game I have ever attended in person. Episode 5 was a banger… we’re halfway home.