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No one has ever enjoyed anything as much as Horace Grant enjoyed calling the Pistons 'straight up bitches'
The first two episodes of "The Last Dance," while very good, left a bit to be desired. We were promised tons of behind-the-scenes, never-before-seen footage, candid interviews and a whole bunch of profanity. What we got was some background on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and highlights from each of their careers. It was still better than most sports documentaries, but viewers were left wanting more.
We got it and then some on Sunday night in episodes three and four, which chronicled the intense rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons in the late 80s and early 90s, as well as both Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson's eccentricities. But the star of the night had to be Horace Grant, who played power forward for the Bulls from 1987 to 1994 and was a part of the franchise's first three-peat.
While Jordan took much of the brunt from the "Bad Boy" Pistons, Grant took plenty too, so much that Jordan would have to implore him to stop whining to the refs, thus giving the Pistons the mental edge they wanted. For three straight seasons the Pistons dominated them physically and mentally, beating the Bulls 4-1 in the 1988 Conference Semifinals, 4-2 in the 1989 Conference Finals and 4-3 in the 1990 Conference Finals. Finally, in 1991, the Bulls got over the hump, sweeping Detroit in four games and effectively ending their run of three straight Finals appearances, of which they won two.
Following the Game 4 loss, the Pistons, led by Bill Laimbeer and Isiah Thomas, infamously walked off the court with time still on the clock. The sign of disrespect is still something Jordan has not forgiven Thomas for to this day, even after Thomas tried to play it off during an interview for the "The Last Dance." When shown the interview, Jordan scoffed at it and called him an asshole.
But Grant's take on the matter was easily the best part of the documentary so far. When asked what he thought about the Pistons walking off, he kept it short but sweet:
I'm not sure anyone has ever enjoyed anything as much as Grant enjoyed calling them "straight up bitches." He was waiting to do that for a very long time.
Without a doubt the star of the night, other than Carmen Electra, who claimed she hid under a blanket from Jordan, who found she and Rodman in a hotel room after a bender and got him to return to the team. I speak for everyone when I say we could use a second doc just on that Rodman Vegas trip alone.