#TheLastDance Episode 3 Notes

Back with a couple of brief notes on Episode 3 of "The Last Dance". Episode 1 notes can be found here. Episode 2 notes are here. 

• He's remembered as the weird guy, and rightfully so, but Dennis Rodman was an absolute menace on the court. I'm not sure if he gets enough credit for his on-court play. From the 1988-89 season to the 1998-99 season, check out Rodman's accomplishments:
  • Averaged a 7/15 over the course of a decade
  • Seven straight rebounding titles
  • Eight All-Defense teams, including back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards
  • 2-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA
  • 5-time champion
  • Defeated the following in a playoff series: Larry Bird (89, 91), Michael Jordan (89, 90), Magic Johnson (89), Reggie Miller (90, 98), Clyde Drexler (90), Shaquille O'Neal (96), Patrick Ewing (96), Gary Payton (96), Stockton/Malone (97, 98)

• You hear a lot about the Celtics/Bulls/Pistons of the 80s, but I forgot what a force the Cavs were. Between 1988 and 1993, the Cavs won at least 54 games three different times. Mark Price and Brad Daugherty were All-NBA players. Ron Harper and Larry Nance were solid role players. Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens was holding the clipboard. And yet, this is what you think of when you think of that era Cavs:

• Rodman's fingernails were painted last night and they had to show him like 10 times before I noticed. That's how high the bar is for Dennis Rodman. I would've noticed that on anybody else, man or woman, immediately. Not for The Worm.
• I talk about how those Cavs teams were forgotten in time but they didn't win anything. The Pistons?? They won plenty and I don't feel like they get talked about enough. They took the 1987 Celtics and the 1988 Lakers to seven games before their breakthrough. En route to their first title the next year, they swept the Mchale/Parish led Celtics, swept a 49-win Bucks team and beat Jordan's Bulls before swept Magic/Kareem's Lakers in the Finals. What a run. Horace Grant explains how people felt about them and why they don't get their proper respect:

Touche, Horace.

• Rodman asking for and getting the 48-hour leave to go to Vegas was an incredible story. MJ told Phil it was a bad idea. Phil knew he had to give Rodman a little freedom if he was going to get him to focus for a championship run. Rodman must have gone on the bender of all benders. And he did it with prime Carmen Electra on his arm. Not bad.

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Episode 4 thoughts soon come!