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Gary’s Hoops Scoops: L.A. Story

Before Sunday, the only dancing I really watched was “Dancing with the stars.” But now, like most of you, I’m sure, I loved “The Last Dance,” the 10-part documentary on ESPN about the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls and a guy named Mike.

This docuseries has been hyped up since last June. It got moved up because of the lapse of live sports and, so far, so great! Some of the behind-the-scenes footage of that historical season was great. I actually went to four games that season, and one was highlighted as they showed the Bulls getting their first road win of the season in L.A. vs the Clippers. That one went to double overtime. I was going on vacation to New York that week, so I worked it out that I’d have an eight-hour layover in L.A. so I could go to the game and then catch a late flight out of LA.

I rented a car and went to the L.A. Sports arena. I was hoping to get a free ticket from a friend, Keith Booth, who played for Maryland when I hosted the team in the Rainbow Classic. I left about six messages. I never heard back from him, but I showed up and waited anyway. A half hour before tipoff, the guy at the box office called me over to say a ticket was coming for me. The game was close – too close, in fact, for me. The game went to double overtime, which didn’t leave me much time to get back to return my car at LAX. So I left the game after the first OT, and I was not happy about leaving at all. I got to my car, and the exit was blocked by a car, there was no way out except to go between these poles and go down the sidewalk until I got on the main road. And of course I don’t know how to get back to LAX. I somehow got back with only one wrong turn. I cut it so close that when I walked down the aisle of the plane to get to my seat, the plane was alreadymoving from the gate.

By the way, Michael Jordan had 49 points in that game. And I saw him score most of those.

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