George Foster is one of the millions of people watching ESPN’s “Last Dance” series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s.
The docuseries is a behind-the-scenes look at Jordan’s greatness and how the Bulls stood above all other NBA teams. Foster, of course, holds a unique perspective because he was a key member of the Big Red Machine, a team that owned the 1970s.
“The thing I didn’t know and realize, I knew Michael Jordan was good, but I didn’t know he worked that hard at his craft,” Foster said. “Afterwards, you look at a guy that works so hard, you really applaud the fact that he went out there and feeling that he wants to get better and better. He wasn’t complacent with one game or one thing that he had done if he’s going to work on his free throws, jump shot or whatever.”
Sure, it’s a different sport. Look at Jordan’s stats at Double-A Birmingham for further proof. But it’s a player from a great team looking at footage of another great team.
How did the Big Red Machine compare to the Bulls?
“With the Bulls, give the ball to Michael. Give the ball to (Scottie) Pippen. And (Dennis) Rodman – Rodman was the heart of that team,” Foster said. “I love the fact that he knew what he needed to do. He was a great rebounder. He got a lot of assists, but he ran that court. I see guys today, they don’t hustle from one end of the court to the other. This guy was hustling all the time. So, they put together a great nucleus there. I guess the word that stands out is chemistry. We had great chemistry, just like the Bulls had great chemistry.”
When Foster reflects on the Big Red Machine – Fox Sports Ohio is replaying 1976 World Series games this week – he thinks about how much trust he had in his teammates. He never felt like he had to play the hero.
That’s one of the perks of playing alongside many great players who buy into their roles.
“With the Bulls, it’s how they played together, and they knew how to go to a guy,” Foster said. “On our team, we knew everybody had a role to go out there and do, and they did a good job on it. (Ken) Griffey, (Joe) Morgan or Pete (Rose) get on base. Every time up, practically, I’m going to have somebody on base. It’s up to me to do my job. It’s going to indicate to me how the pitcher is going to pitch to me if you have a Morgan or Griffey on base. I’m going to get a fastball to hit. Tony Pérez or (Johnny) Bench behind me, I’m getting fastballs to hit. It may sound easy, but at least it gets me prepared for it. I still have to go out there and do it.”
Without live sports during the new coronavirus pandemic, it’s given people a chance to reflect on the past. Foster says he received calls and texts when he was picked to some of the Reds’ all-time teams.
One of the reasons Foster was drawn to the “Last Dance” docuseries was watching the best of the best.
“I look at guys who win, seeing what they do,” Foster said. “I look at (Roger) Federer in tennis. I love watching him because he’s not a guy that is going to showboat when he’s out there winning. I see a lot of guys, they celebrate if they make a basket or if they make an ace or whatever, but it’s the demeanor of the guys that are successful. They know they are good, so they don’t have to go out there and show unsportsmanlike conduct.”
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May 11, 2020 at 09:05AM
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George Foster sees similarities between Big Red Machine and 'Last Dance' Chicago Bulls - The Cincinnati Enquirer
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