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The Michael Jordan Bulls documentary is a great escape – CBC.ca

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This is a web version of The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what’s happening in sports by subscribing here.

Here’s what you need to know right now:

The big Michael Jordan Bulls documentary is out

With no actual live sports to talk about, this is the hottest topic among sports fans right now. The Last Dance — the highly anticipated 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams of the 1980s and (moreso) ’90s — was released today in Canada. The first two episodes are available now to everyone on Netflix, and two more will come out every Monday for the next month.

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I’ve seen the first five, so (without spoiling too much) here’s an idea of what to expect and some things that stood out:

1. A lot of people are calling it “The Michael Jordan documentary” but it’s not really that.

“The Jordan Bulls documentary” would be more accurate. Basically, the series tells the story of the rise and fall of one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time — from Jordan’s arrival as an NBA rookie in 1984 through the team’s disintegration during the tumultuous 1997-98 season, when the Bulls nevertheless won their sixth championship in eight years.

Obviously, Jordan is the main character, and the first five episodes are all largely about his personal rise. But the series also takes detours into someone or something else in his orbit. In episode two, it’s aggrieved right-hand man Scottie Pippen. In three, it’s rebounding/partying machine Dennis Rodman. In four, it’s coach Phil Jackson. Episode five covers the ’92 Olympics (including the legendary Dream Team scrimmage in Monte Carlo) and Jordan’s “other” career as an endorsement giant (including his infamous “Republicans buy sneakers too” comment). Each of these chapters could be its own documentary, so at times they feel a bit rushed. But you still get a pretty good survey of the forces that drove the Bulls dynasty.

2. That final ’97-98 season anchors the story.

Each episode flips back and forth in time between those detours and the fateful last season (with the late Chicago GM Jerry Krause immediately cast as the villain). Obviously, we know how it will end, but one of the striking things is that everyone at the time seemed to know it too. The title of the documentary is actually what Jackson named the season before it started. He even printed it on the little handbooks he gave to players on the first day of training camp. So it’s clear to everyone involved that the dynasty is crumbling, brick by brick, in slow motion. And no one seems able — or willing — to do much about it.

3. The behind-the-scenes footage is good.

This was one of the big “gets” for director Jason Hehir and his filmmakers — a trove of never-released tape from an NBA film crew that was granted generous access to the Bulls for the entire Last Dance season. So we get to see stuff like Jordan and his teammates having heated talks on the bench, and talking and joking (and swearing) in the dressing room or on the bus.

It’s interesting seeing them in their natural habitat. Today’s NBA players give us the illusion of access with the idealized snapshots of their “real” lives they post on social media (actually, this is how everyone uses social media). But most of the behind-the-scenes footage in the doc feels truly unfiltered, even though at times the Bulls seem aware of the camera.

Jordan with Pippen and U.S. teammate Clyde Drexler on the medal stand at the ’92 Olympics in Barcelona. (Susan Ragan/Associated Press)

4. The other big get was Jordan himself.

No one was sure how this would go. Like a lot of rich and famous people, he’s always been pretty careful about what he says in public. But whether the timing was right, or the subjects (himself, basketball), or the questions, Jordan is pretty revealing and engaging over the first five episodes. Sitting in his waterfront home in Florida, in his puffy middleagedness, with a whiskey and a cigar at his side, there are times when it feels like Jordan is just telling stories to an old friend. He says funny things. He rehashes old grievances. He tells us how he feels about former teammates and rivals (loved Rodman, hated Isiah Thomas). He drops f-bombs.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Jordan remains this open when we get to the tough stuff — particularly his father’s murder, which led to his retiring from basketball for a year and a half to try baseball. But so far it’s working.

5. It’s great to just watch Jordan play basketball again.

His persona was so heavily — and carefully — marketed back in the day that it’s fair for younger basketball fans to wonder what percentage of his greatness is actually real. But the old game footage in the doc is a great reminder that Jordan’s celebrity was built on a solid foundation: he was an electrifying basketball player. In an era when low-post big men still roamed the earth, Jordan was knifing through them, soaring above the rim, throwing down huge dunks… his game was ahead of its time, so it still holds up.

The highlights from his first few seasons are especially fun to watch — like the time he led his overmatched Bulls into Boston Garden for a playoff matchup with the famed ’86 Celtics and dropped 49 and 63 (!) points in back-to-back losses. Or when he torched Cleveland and nailed “The Shot” to win another famous series in ’89.

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6. Bottom line: the doc is worth watching.

Because of its length, its iconic main subject and the hype surrounding it, the natural comparison for The Last Dance is 2016’s O.J.: Made in America. But it’s not on that level. Ezra Edelman’s O.J. brilliantly answers the questions “Who is O.J. Simpson and how did he become O.J. Simpson?” by turning over every rock in his life and his environment. By the end, you’re left with a rich portrait of not only the man himself but also the many things that shaped him — weighty stuff like the legacy of racism and police brutality in Los Angeles. Whatever your assumptions about Simpson going into the doc, it challenges them. The Last Dance does not do that (at least not in the first five episodes). It mostly accepts the Jordan mythology and presents it in fresh, attractive packaging. It leans pretty heavily on nostalgia. But it’s a fun watch, and an entertaining reminder of a simpler, better time in sports and in the world. Maybe that’s the documentary we need right now.

Quickly…

Someone just paid $216,000 US for an autographed jersey Michael Jordan wore at the 1992 Olympics. Even more staggeringly, that’s not a record for a Jordan jersey. Reportedly, one from the ’84 L.A. Olympics — right after he got drafted by the Bulls — once fetched $274K. The bidding for the ’92 jersey started at $25K, according to the auction house that sold it. Surely, the release of the documentary didn’t hurt the sale price.

Novak Djokovic would prefer not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The world’s No. 1 tennis player was asked what he would do if vaccination (once available) was made mandatory for travelling and/or playing on tour. He said: “Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel,” before adding that he might change his mind down the road. That might be awhile. All pro tennis tournaments have been suspended until at least mid-July, but most experts say a vaccine likely won’t be ready until at least 2021. So if tennis is able to return this year, it will (like other sports) probably have to take other measures. Read more about Djokovic’s comments here.

Alphonso Davies got a contract extension. The rising Canadian soccer star added two more years to his deal with top German club Bayern Munich, which now controls him through June 2025. Davies, 19, has played in 31 games for Bayern this season, and he impressed a lot of people with a strong performance in a Champions League match vs. Chelsea back in February. Davies will also be a key part of the Canadian national team’s campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting with the U.S. and Mexico. Read more about Davies’ new deal here.

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list – CBC.ca

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.” 

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

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That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout. 

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. 

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. 

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. 

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford. 

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said. 

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday. 

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13. 

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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Senators score 5 in 1st, cruise past Sabres – NHL.com

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“I thought that we were ready to go,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “We got some pucks at the net, we got people at the net. Took advantage of our opportunities and, I think, built a nice lead. And then I thought, in the third period, we continued again. Our goaltending was good. Made some key saves. But I thought we shut them down in the third period good.”

Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and an assist for the Senators (31-36-4), who have won three in a row. Korpisalo made 34 saves.

“If you want to win, you need balance,” Pinto said. “And we had that tonight and it’s going to be big for the back-to-back tomorrow (against the Chicago Blackhawks) to have that same thing. So, going to need all the guys on board.”

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JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for the Sabres (34-34-5), who have lost four of six. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on nine shots before he was replaced by Devon Levi, who made 31 saves in relief.

“We wanted, I guess, to play as individuals,” Clifton said. “I’m disappointed we let ‘Upie’ down, he’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s kept us in so many games, and just to not show up and play that careless style, give them freebies all over the place. … Yeah, obviously, the first 20 really dictated the rest of the game.”

Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period. He stuffed in a loose puck on the goal line after Katchouk’s shot was redirected by Mark Kastelic between Luukkonen’s pads.

Katchouk made it 2-0 at 4:56, tipping Parker Kelly’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle past Luukkonen.

“It’s keeping the consistency with good effort, right habits,” Katchouk said. “The small things matter so much in this game. And obviously, it worked out tonight with the tip. But kudos to my linemates. ‘Kels’ and ‘Kassy,’ they worked hard to get the puck as well. Those two battle hard every night as well. We feed off each other, and it’s good to play with them.”

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Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

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