The Last Dance turned out to be a victory waltz for MJ.

Gotta tell you, I liked the first two episodes and the last two of the 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan and his dominating dynasty with the Chicago Bulls.

The first two because it went back to Jordan’s youth and family values and his time at Carolina. After that, the series got darker and darker as it showcased Michael’s competitiveness in unflattering ways and his off-court life that supported the reputation as a compulsive gambler and his bullying of teammates in practice.

Sure, Jordan had standards above mere mortals who walked through life compared to his Airness who flew most places. But his teammates owe more to Mike than just their own championship rings, while some competitors don’t remember him fondly at all.

I caught myself wondering if Dean Smith were still alive and advising one of his greatest players, Michael might have curbed the four-letter language that caused ESPN to air a G-rated version on another channel, and whether Michael would have sunk to belittling opponents almost 20 years since his last game.

But I liked the last two episodes because they made a U-turn and showed Jordan as a nonpareil competitor who played through food poisoning that might have been caused by pizza in a visiting town and fighting through near-exhaustion to cover for injured teammates.

After the series ended, ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap unveiled a poll of 600 fans over 18 who gave MJ the considerable nod in almost every category over LeBron James, who still gets my vote for being a far more outspoken superstar supporting social issues than was Jordan.

But Michael ended up as the beloved teammate who engineered wins over opponents that might have been better on paper and especially showing love and appreciation for the city of Chicago.

And while he disagreed with management breaking up the Bulls and not allowing them to go for No. 7, the way it ended was perfect. His dynasty went out on top, when it would have had to end sometime.

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