There is a scene in The Last Dance documentary, about the Chicago Bulls, where coach Phil Jackson gathers his ageing squad and frames what lies ahead not as an ending but as one last effort. Michael Jordan at thirty-five. Scottie Pippen is struggling through injury. Dennis Rodman is in his late thirties trying to get his body to do what it did in his twenties. By every conventional measure, this was a team past its prime. What followed was a sixth NBA title, forced through exceptional leadership, clarity of role, and a collective refusal that this team was over the…

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