Great article on Toni Kukoc out today.
Also, I was amused skimming over the Dream Team wiki page to see two notes:
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I personally don't mind the dual-timelines narrative structure. Those who don't intimately remember the details of the full Jordan era want that retrospective, not just a focus on the last season. I know I do. And taking a grand view of the full era, that final season does seem to sum it up - it had all been building to that point, both the talent and the drama. You start out reminded of how it ends, and the movie is about the journey to get there.
How many movies do that, where you see the ending moments (or nearly so) at the beginning, then get there, and then there's the final moments that become more meaningful now that you have the full context? I know I've seen dozens. Slumdog Millionaire. Usual Suspects. Gladiator. Shit, Citizen Kane with Rosebud. If there's a decisive moment in your story, then leading with that moment (to put it in the audience's head) and then building back up to it is, maybe not a common narrative technique, but it's a well-known one with plenty of famous examples.
Also, I was amused skimming over the Dream Team wiki page to see two notes:
Because of course he did.At the Olympics, the Dream Team stayed at a luxury Barcelona hotel instead of the Olympic Village due to security concerns. <...> Barkley walked around the city alone despite the threats. When asked where his bodyguards were, he held up his fists and answered, "This is my security."[13] McCallum later described Barkley as "the number one U.S. Olympic ambassador" for his visits to La Rambla, where he met with adoring crowds.[10]
Jordan was the only player who studied the opposition, carefully watching game tapes.[13] He and the other Americans enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other in a casual setting, often playing cards all night and, for Jordan, playing several rounds of golf daily with little rest.
What can you do but laugh.Barkley later said, "I don't think there's anything better to representing your country. I don't think anything in my life can come close to that." Bird called the medal ceremony and the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" "the ultimate experience." Johnson said, "The 92 Dream Team was the greatest moment of my life in terms of basketball, bar none." Jordan said that the biggest benefit for him from the Olympics was that he learned more about his teammates' weaknesses. He later defeated Barkley, Malone, and Stockton in three NBA finals.
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I personally don't mind the dual-timelines narrative structure. Those who don't intimately remember the details of the full Jordan era want that retrospective, not just a focus on the last season. I know I do. And taking a grand view of the full era, that final season does seem to sum it up - it had all been building to that point, both the talent and the drama. You start out reminded of how it ends, and the movie is about the journey to get there.
How many movies do that, where you see the ending moments (or nearly so) at the beginning, then get there, and then there's the final moments that become more meaningful now that you have the full context? I know I've seen dozens. Slumdog Millionaire. Usual Suspects. Gladiator. Shit, Citizen Kane with Rosebud. If there's a decisive moment in your story, then leading with that moment (to put it in the audience's head) and then building back up to it is, maybe not a common narrative technique, but it's a well-known one with plenty of famous examples.