Michael Jordan to the Max Page #2

---

in my career.

l think what made him so special

as a marketing icon, is that he was natural.

Today, when everyone

really tries to be like Mike,

they're trying so hard to invent a persona,

l think that people see through that

and it doesn't stand the test of time.

Ive failed over and over and over again

in my life,

and that is why l succeed.

Good afternoon, everyone,

and welcome once again

to Bulls basketball, Playoff basketball,

as we move to the

Eastern Conference Finals,

the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers.

These two teams were two and two

in the regular season.

But the rivalry really begins on

a Sunday afternoon in Chicago,

Miller and Jordan and a cast of characters

that is not afraid to win.

There's Michael, slips and falls down,

gets back up into the lane,

hops through, falls,

fires on the rim and it's good!

The Indiana Pacers, with their

outside shooting and physical play,

were a team custom-built

to defeat Michael and the Bulls.

In the first two games of the series,

even though the Bulls

would win both games,

it was clear that the Pacers would pose

their first real test.

Rose backs in.

Now, Rose, stripped by Michael.

Stolen by Scottie.

To Harper. Harper on the run.

Lead pass, Toni Kukoc to...

He dunks the ball with one hand!

Oh, my!

For the next two games,

the scene shifted to Indiana.

On their home court,

the Pacers would win Game 3

behind their tireless guard, Reggie Miller.

Lead pass ahead for Mark Jackson.

This is what Indiana wants.

They run to Miller for three. Got it!

In Game 4, the Bulls led by a point

in the final seconds,

when Miller and Jordan

would square off again.

Here we go. McKey holding, looking.

Here comes Miller to the top.

Miller, a catch. Miller, a look. He hit it!

Reggie Miller knocked it down.

Four-tenths of a second left.

Toni, out near the time line.

Looking, looking, looking,

looking, looking, looking.

Got it to Michael.

And it went in and out!

Hit the board and spun out,

and Indiana wins the game.

with the series tied at two,

fatigue was taking its toll on the Bulls.

And meanwhile, out west, the Utah Jazz

were rolling towards the finals.

Led by future Hall of Famers,

Karl Malone and John Stockton,

the Jazz dominated

the Western Conference Playoffs

and would have ten days rest

while the Bulls and Pacers

continued to battle in the East.

The Bulls lost another game,

and would have to go the full seven

in a series for the first time in years.

By the end of Game 6, doubters were saying

that Michael was finally running on empty.

Bulls trail by two. Here we go!

MJ one-on-one with McKey.

Michael a drive, tripped off his feet,

and McKey stole the ball,

and that's gonna do it.

That will do it. Indianas gonna win it.

He may have been devastated that night,

and l assume he was,

but he had the ability to believe

that we were going to win

and he was going to do well.

Probably one of the most remarkable shots

that everybody remembers

is the shot he made against Cleveland.

The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan.

Here's Michael at the foul line.

A shot on Ehlo.

Good! The Bulls win! They win it!

But they don't remember

that the night before,

he missed three out of six foul shots

that would have sealed the game for us,

and we wouldn't have had

to go to the fifth game.

A normal player would have said,

"l cost us this opportunity"

and probably beat themselves up over it.

Michael, the next day

that we played Cleveland,

got on the bus and said, "Have no fear.

"We're going to win this ball game."

lf we sit here and worry about

what people think of us,

then we don't have a chance.

They still got to come through Chicago.

Utah, Indiana, they still

got to come through Chicago.

l don't care what happens today,

don't care what happened

in the other series.

They still got to come through Chicago.

We will win Game 7.

Indiana, the ball... Michael, a steal!

MJ on the run, he will dunk the ball.

Michael was facing the ultimate elimination.

Lose, and end his career on a note of defeat.

Despite Michael's promises,

the Pacers led by 13 points early on.

Then Michael led the Bulls

on a furious rally.

Circles, he's loose, driving

and dunks the ball, and a foul!

It was the kind of run that had led the Bulls

to their five previous championships.

But there was still

a half of basketball to play.

Here we were in the conference finals.

In the seventh game, we were down

going into the fourth quarter.

And l thought, "Maybe this is it,

maybe we've had the last hurrah."

But something rose up in these players,

led by our hero.

He's the type of man that could get you

to jump off a bridge,

or at least think about it for a few seconds.

He has such a will to accomplish a mission

that everyone follows him.

Michael back to the top

and now the switch made back by McKey.

Michael to the lane, jumped out to Luc.

Seventeen footer, bang!

Down the well it goes.

MJ on the run, to Kerr for three. Good!

MJ. Fall-away jumper shot is good!

And a foul!

They may have had tired legs,

but Michael and the Bulls grew stronger

in the game's final minutes.

Bulls win, 88-83. They go to the finals again.

Michael, you're a tired man, aren't you?

Im exhausted. But that's what it took

to get to where we had to go.

l mean, everybody

had to leave it on the floor,

and there's no tomorrow, it's the last dance,

so we got to give everything we got.

You're rest... They're rested,

you guys are fatigued,

but l know you'll be ready to play

on Wednesday.

Our hearts are not fatigued.

That's the most important thing.

All right, Michael, great job.

Before making his final exit,

Michael had to take one more walk

through the spotlight.

lf you walk through a crowd with Jordan,

you see the same thing he sees,

you see all the eyes aiming in.

And l asked,

"What do you see in the crowd?"

And he said, "Sometimes,

I'll see a father and a son.

"They may not think Ive even noticed them,

but sometimes," Jordan will say,

"l wonder if they have any idea

how much I'd like to be them."

Last night we began the show

with the disappearance

of Michael Jordan's father.

Tonight, the worst fears have come true.

James Jordan was found dead,

the victim of an apparent murder.

When my father died, l had him for 32 years.

l was very lucky.

l looked at it as being lucky,

not as being disappointed

that he wasn't around anymore.

l was lucky that he was there

when l needed him,

that he could influence my life

to look at situations

that l use to help make

my decisions to this day.

Some kids never have that.

Sure, l would love to have him now,

but people are put on this earth for a reason,

and you utilize the time that you're here.

You never know when that's gonna be

taken away from you.

That's one thing he taught me.

But while he's here, or while they're here,

they should make an impact

on someone's life.

And he made an impact on my life.

You're going to get it, man.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes