Harlan Schreiber

Q&A With Ben Joravsky on Krause, MJ, and The Last Dance

by

Since 1981, Ben Joravsky has been writing about Chicago politics primarily for the Chicago Reader.  In addition to his long history on the political beat, Ben is a huge Chicago sports fan and his favorite team is the Bulls.  Ben’s love of hoops allows him to get off politics for a bit and write about sports. Ben also has a regular podcast, The Ben Jorasky Show, where he reviews politics and hoops (he recently spoke to Craig Hodges about Michael Jordan’s documentary). Back in 1990, … [Read more...] about Q&A With Ben Joravsky on Krause, MJ, and The Last Dance

Wrapping Up MJ’s Last Dance

by

Have we discussed Michael Jordan enough?  Subjectively, it certainly feels like a resounding “yes.”  So far, we’ve dug into a bunch of MJ issues over the years: -Sam Bowie v. MJ -The colorful, but bad, early MJ Bulls -The MJ and Isiah Feud -Doug Collins’ firing -Craig Hodges’ attempts to get MJ to be more socially active -Would MJ have won in 1993-94?  -Jordan’s time with the Wizards -MJ v. the LBJ Heat -MJ v. the Curry Warriors Still, there are a ton … [Read more...] about Wrapping Up MJ’s Last Dance

Bill Russell’s Dynasty Review

by

With all this talk of Michael Jordan’s Bulls and their amazing dynasty, I started thinking about the NBA’s original and most prolific dynasty, the Bill Russell Celtics.   Russell’s teams won 11 titles in 13 years, which is basically an unmatchable run today.  The primary reason that the record won’t be touched is because the playoffs were much shorter than gauntlet that modern teams have had to run.  For example, the 1956-57 Celtics only had to win one three-game series to … [Read more...] about Bill Russell’s Dynasty Review

Revisiting MJ v. Isiah and The Walk-Off

by

As our global purgatory continues, Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” documentary has masterfully dredged up old stories that we can reconsider.  As we previously noted, much of what has been covered is already well-known by older fans but is new to the younger generation.  One of the new stories is Jordan’s 30+ year rivalry with Isiah Thomas and the Pistons.  Let’s talk about the apex of their lingering resentments, the Pistons’ walk-off without shaking hands with the Bulls in the … [Read more...] about Revisiting MJ v. Isiah and The Walk-Off

MJ and the Pre-Pippen Bulls

by

With no new basketball to watch, the new ESPN documentary “The Last Dance” has brought a lot of attention, again, on the Michael Jordan Bulls.  The documentary is ostensibly about the 1997-98 Bulls and Michael Jordan’s final title run that ended with an amazing shot over Bryon Russell and a clutch strip of Karl Malone to cinch the game.  (It will probably focus less on that one playoff game where B.J. Armstrong and Dell Curry lit the Bulls up).  So far, the documentary is not … [Read more...] about MJ and the Pre-Pippen Bulls

Magic’s First Game: A Snap Shot of the NBA Circa 1979

by

In order to make the best of life without NBA games, NBA TV and other networks have been showing a ton of older games.  Most of them are well-remembered (i.e., Isiah Thomas’ scoring rampage on a sprained ankle in 1988, a bunch of Laker-Celtics Finals games from the 1980s, or Michael Jordan games).  Those games are great and significant but I actually saw most of those games live and find them less interesting than stuff I’ve never really seen.  One game that caught my eye in the reruns was Magic … [Read more...] about Magic’s First Game: A Snap Shot of the NBA Circa 1979

©2025 Hoops Analyst // Website by Webstuff