3 things the Dallas Mavericks can learn from ‘The Last Dance’

1. Ignore the outside noise

The Last Dance earned its name because of the outside noise surrounding the 1998 Chicago Bulls. GM Jerry Krause determined before the season that Phil Jackson would not return as head coach in 1999. That prompted Michael Jordan to say he would retire if Phil was not brought back. It seemed like everyone in the building knew the team would be broken up after the season.

Imagine that, the Bulls were on the verge of winning their third straight championship and sixth in eight years. The only two times they lost was during Jordan’s baseball stint (MJ played in the playoffs in 1995, but he only took part in 17 regular season games). Yes, the core was aging, but the Bulls could have won another title in 1999.

There is a lesson for every contending team in the Bulls 1998 championship. All the outside noise has to be ignored. There will always be the talk of tearing up the team or belief that some other organization is better. Ignoring that noise and winning the games is difficult but a must. The Bulls did it beautifully in 1998.

The noise will be coming for the Dallas Mavericks as Luka Doncic reaches his prime. Will they be able to block it out and win it all? Everybody should be excited to find out.