Tim Hardaway Jr. chats with his father about the Mavericks and more

Tim Hardaway Jr. chats with his father about the Mavericks and more by Tyler Watts

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made an appearance in ‘The Last Dance’ where he is the punchline of a joke on an amazing Michael Jordan performance.

The Dallas Mavericks hired Rick Carlisle to be their head coach in 2008. He is one of the longest-tenured in the league right now. Carlisle coached the Mavs to the 2011 championship.

Now, he has a new team at the beginning of their journey. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were about to embark on their first playoff experience before the NBA suspended play. This is only the beginning of what could be another special run for the Mavs.

Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the league. He makes fantastic in-game adjustments. Carlisle has seen every situation and rarely gets rattled.

Before he became a coach, Carlisle played in the NBA for six seasons. That included winning a ring on the Boston Celtics in 1986. Carlisle averaged around ten minutes per game on that team. He was a role player.

Carlisle appears in ‘The Last Dance’

ESPN is airing a documentary about the 1998 Chicago Bulls. The first two episodes dropped on April 19. The remaining eight will air two apiece for the next four Sundays. Michael Jordan is the focus as he attempts to win his sixth ring and third consecutive.

The first two episodes centered more on how the Bulls and the major players got to the 1998 season. Jordan’s early years were discussed. Scottie Pippen’s upbringing and decision to miss the beginning of the 1998 season were on display.

When the topic of the 1986 playoffs came up, fans saw a cameo by Rick Carlisle. It was not flattering as he was certainly part of a joke about Jordan’s incredible performance during that series against the Celtics. Fans can see the clip here.

It was so bad that current Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson sent out the following tweet.

Lol come on coach 🤦🏽‍♂️ — Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) April 20, 2020

Carlisle was likely not happy to be part of the show. Jordan was astonishing during that series. Carlisle could not slow him down. Nobody on the Celtics roster could. MJ was so good that Larry Bird had one of the most memorable quotes in NBA history about him.

Some Mavericks fans saw coach Carlisle for the first time with a full head of hair. He was 26 years old during that 1986 season.

‘The Last Dance’ was well worth the watch. Check out the first two episodes if you missed them, and tune in next Sunday to catch parts three and four.