(670 The Score) A continuing theme of the "The Last Dance" on ESPN is a lack of second thoughts, a refusal to see one's past actions through the prism of any wisdom later gained.
This is largely a vehicle for Michael Jordan to show that he is who he is and was who he was, with the ends justifying the means. If he mistreated teammates, we're expected to agree that it was only because he wanted it more, not so much bullying or hazing as old-fashioned motivation. If he ignored pleas to use his influence in social or political ways to help others, it wasn't laziness or greed as much as a byproduct of his intense focus on the game.
Though Jordan did try some perfunctory public relations to get out ahead of the revelations of his notoriously rough edges, it's clear he's not apologizing for his methods, because they worked.
Same goes for Isiah Thomas, who only admitted that his Pistons' churlish walk-off in 1991 was damaging to his reputation in a way he didn't consider at the time. He couched any acquiescence of wrongdoing only in how the act was perceived by others, instead of genuine misgivings for his actions.
Series director Jason Hehir joined the Dan Bernstein Show on 670 The Score on Monday morning and tried to explain this phenomenon.
"I think it's pride," Hehir said. "The level to which you have to work is staggering, to get to where these guys were. This is the pinnacle of their sport. These are the best on the planet. It's very difficult to look back and say, 'Yeah, I regret that, I should have done that differently.' That takes honest regret from your heart, and it takes a big person to admit that. I think a lot of these guys are proud men, they got to where they got through hard work and sticking to their guns, and it's difficult for them to act any other way."
But even that doesn't help us understand why Scottie Pippen doesn't regret quitting on his Bulls in 1994, when he refused to enter for the final play against the Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals because Toni Kukoc was to take (and would make) the final shot to win.
"I wish it never happened," Pippen said. "But if I had the chance to do it over again, I probably wouldn't change it."
What? Why not, then?
Those two statements don't make sense put together that way.
Even three more titles and many years and many millions of dollars later, Pippen's legacy remains stained by his choice to commit the unforgivable sin of sports. His former teammates' words and all the video that accompanied the retelling of the story served to magnify the transgression, not diminish it. He did what you just can't do, at any level.
"He quit on us," Steve Kerr said. "We couldn't believe that happened. It was devastating."
Particularly so for someone who wanted so badly to emerge from the shadow of a greater player and define his standing as an alpha dog. And in that lies a particular irony.
"I felt like it was an insult coming from Phil," Pippen recalled. "I was the most dangerous guy on our team. So why are you asking me to take the ball out?"
Indeed Pippen was the best player on the '93-'94 Bulls, but he chose not to accept his responsibility in what was to that point his greatest challenge in that role -- choosing his coach and team over himself and finding discretion to be the better part of valor. It was just wrong.
And that man at that time might have apologized to a hurt and tearful locker room, chalking up such a betrayal to a headstrong and myopic moment. But to hear Pippen now say he would again act similarly -- this far removed from his worst professional moment -- is jarring.
The point of hindsight is to make us smarter and more aware, allowing us to learn from our mistakes both personal and professional. Regrets aren't a sign of weakness but the strength of better understanding and broader perspective.
If Pippen indeed now wishes it never happened, it would be nice to know that he'd want to change it if given the chance.
Dan Bernstein is the host of the Dan Bernstein Show on middays from 9 a.m. until noon on 670 The Score. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.
