Pippen on ESPN just now re: Game 6 of the '98 Finals

[FirstTimer]

Said his herniated discs were so bad that he didn't want to play in Game 6 and was "done" and had to be talked into playing by MJ, Ron, Tony, etc.

 

[zack54attack]

Hopefully they post a video of this. That's interesting.

 

[FirstTimer]

Hopefully they post a video of this. That's interesting.

Wasn't much to the conversation. Just a brief mention of it when talking about the Warriors and their making 5 straight Finals and he wear and tear it causes. Entirety of comment was only about 20 seconds or so.

I'd think something like that would make it into that "The Last Dance" documentary?

 

[Crystallas]

I have to find the newspaper, but I could swear this is not news and was even reported pre-game.

 

[FirstTimer]

I have to find the newspaper, but I could swear this is not news and was even reported pre-game.

I know it was reported he had the back issue but not that he basically tapped out and then had to be talked into playing.

 

[zack54attack]

Wasn't much to the conversation. Just a brief mention of it when talking about the Warriors and their making 5 straight Finals and he wear and tear it causes. Entirety of comment was only about 20 seconds or so.

I'd think something like that would make it into that "The Last Dance" documentary?

Has to be.

I've talked to someone who covered the Bulls during that era before. The stories are unreal.

 

[Crystallas]

Dunno, I mean, it's good he's talking about it I guess, but I thought everyone knew he had to be talked into playing, Jax supported him either way despite it all being a ring clinching game. Also heard some effort to share the MVP trophy that was shot down. Disc injuries are some of the more serious injuries to be playing through, I'm 6'4" and have heard it gets so much worse as you are taller just based on leverage mechanics and center of gravity. I could never imagine what he went through or Larry Bird had to deal with.

IMO there are only a few real mysteries left that have swiss-cheese details floating around. Well, aside from secrets that simply have gone to/will go the grave (93, Isiah Sabotage, Oakley vs Krause)... The only things that have BS answers floating that CAN be addressed (off the top of my head):

If we ever (re) learn about the flu games, that would be awesome. I can't find that anywhere other than haphazardly stumbling across old games with Jim Durham saying Jordan questionable in pregame, is sick, missed practice and could barely move, and Kerr saying something like "Well, the other team is really screwed then".
When I say the Flu game, I don't mean the Flu Game version 13.0 that happened in game 5 of the 97 Finals that totally erased everyone's memory, but the original handful of flu games that were unreal in their own right(in all fairness, a few might have been games with a full blown cold instead of a flu WGAF).
Things like, did the other team show some kind of sportsmanship, or were they so afraid of Michael that they did not want him to retaliate 10x in the next game? I mean, the finals game was something because of the magnitude, but IMO, did not carry as much of a story as some of those prior games.

Other detail that gets glanced over a bit, why wasn't the 23 change at halftime ever challenged. If it was, what happened. Seems like everyone just stuck to one story, that it was Michael, it felt right, and he's the only person that could get away with it kind of deal. But the bi-laws and how the league handled it, while being a small detail, is still a historical moment of its own that has to have a ton of details that disappeared with a few phone calls.

 

[Rory Sparrow]

Dunno, I mean, it's good he's talking about it I guess, but I thought everyone knew he had to be talked into playing, Jax supported him either way despite it all being a ring clinching game. Also heard some effort to share the MVP trophy that was shot down. Disc injuries are some of the more serious injuries to be playing through, I'm 6'4" and have heard it gets so much worse as you are taller just based on leverage mechanics and center of gravity. I could never imagine what he went through or Larry Bird had to deal with.

IMO there are only a few real mysteries left that have swiss-cheese details floating around. Well, aside from secrets that simply have gone to/will go the grave (93, Isiah Sabotage, Oakley vs Krause)... The only things that have BS answers floating that CAN be addressed (off the top of my head):

If we ever (re) learn about the flu games, that would be awesome. I can't find that anywhere other than haphazardly stumbling across old games with Jim Durham saying Jordan questionable in pregame, is sick, missed practice and could barely move, and Kerr saying something like "Well, the other team is really screwed then".
When I say the Flu game, I don't mean the Flu Game version 13.0 that happened in game 5 of the 97 Finals that totally erased everyone's memory, but the original handful of flu games that were unreal in their own right(in all fairness, a few might have been games with a full blown cold instead of a flu WGAF).
Things like, did the other team show some kind of sportsmanship, or were they so afraid of Michael that they did not want him to retaliate 10x in the next game? I mean, the finals game was something because of the magnitude, but IMO, did not carry as much of a story as some of those prior games.

Other detail that gets glanced over a bit, why wasn't the 23 change at halftime ever challenged. If it was, what happened. Seems like everyone just stuck to one story, that it was Michael, it felt right, and he's the only person that could get away with it kind of deal. But the bi-laws and how the league handled it, while being a small detail, is still a historical moment of its own that has to have a ton of details that disappeared with a few phone calls.

I recommend Roland Lazenby's bio about Jordan. Gives a lot of 'inside info' about Jordan's life and those Bulls teams that I hadn't ever heard from Sam Smith/Chicago media. MJ's "flu games" were just him being hungover and walking straight into the lockerroom with no sleep.

 

[FirstTimer]

Dunno, I mean, it's good he's talking about it I guess, but I thought everyone knew he had to be talked into playing, Jax supported him either way despite it all being a ring clinching game. Also heard some effort to share the MVP trophy that was shot down. Disc injuries are some of the more serious injuries to be playing through, I'm 6'4" and have heard it gets so much worse as you are taller just based on leverage mechanics and center of gravity. I could never imagine what he went through or Larry Bird had to deal with.

IMO there are only a few real mysteries left that have swiss-cheese details floating around. Well, aside from secrets that simply have gone to/will go the grave (93, Isiah Sabotage, Oakley vs Krause)... The only things that have BS answers floating that CAN be addressed (off the top of my head):

If we ever (re) learn about the flu games, that would be awesome. I can't find that anywhere other than haphazardly stumbling across old games with Jim Durham saying Jordan questionable in pregame, is sick, missed practice and could barely move, and Kerr saying something like "Well, the other team is really screwed then".
When I say the Flu game, I don't mean the Flu Game version 13.0 that happened in game 5 of the 97 Finals that totally erased everyone's memory, but the original handful of flu games that were unreal in their own right(in all fairness, a few might have been games with a full blown cold instead of a flu WGAF).
Things like, did the other team show some kind of sportsmanship, or were they so afraid of Michael that they did not want him to retaliate 10x in the next game? I mean, the finals game was something because of the magnitude, but IMO, did not carry as much of a story as some of those prior games.

Other detail that gets glanced over a bit, why wasn't the 23 change at halftime ever challenged. If it was, what happened. Seems like everyone just stuck to one story, that it was Michael, it felt right, and he's the only person that could get away with it kind of deal. But the bi-laws and how the league handled it, while being a small detail, is still a historical moment of its own that has to have a ton of details that disappeared with a few phone calls.

The 23 change wasn't at halftime. It was between games in the series (Games 1 and 2 iirc) and I'm like 99% sure the Bulls were fined.

The flu games I always assumed were hangovers. The Finals one I believe was legit flu/food poisoning.

What are you referencing with this: Well, aside from secrets that simply have gone to/will go the grave (93, Isiah Sabotage, Oakley vs Krause)