Episodes 5 and 6 of ESPN's Chicago Bulls documentary “The Last Dance” showcased some of the competitiveness of various members of the Dream Team. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, in particular, engaged in a back-and-forth war of words, with both NBA stars attempting to lead their team to victories and gain a mental edge.
In fact, former Dream Team member and New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing called the intra-squad scrimmages the “real games,” saying everyone on the floor felt the need to prove something to their NBA peers (via Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago).
“The other games against everybody else, we were just dominating. We were dominating everybody,” the NBA great told Andy Katz of FOX Sports. “We were just that dominant of a team. But the practices, those were the real games.
“Michael and Magic joshing to see who’s gonna take over the reins and Michael wanted to make sure that Magic knew that it’s his time. You know you had Karl Malone and Charles going at it; myself and David Robinson, we’re battling each other; Bird he was hurt so even though he couldn’t fully participate he was still on the sideline talking trash.”
Patrick Ewing's recollection should not come as much of a surprise.
For starters, the Dream Team totally eviscerated the competition. Their average margin of victory was an astonishing 43.8 points during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and opposing countries never really stood a chance.
Rather, the scrimmages allowed the NBA players to try and establish themselves as the dominant player at their respective positions, hence why Ewing cites his matchup against David Robinson.
Plus, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are as fierce as leaders as they are as individual competitors. Both MJ and Magic consistently sought to raise their teammates' level of play and — with each looking to assert their dominance — this would have made for an unbelievably fiery environment.
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