Michael Jordan was inspired to crush the Sonics in the Finals after coach George Karl snubbed him while out at dinner

• Michael Jordan was snubbed by Seattle Supersonics head coach George Karl while out at a restaurant before the 1996 NBA Finals.
• Jordan used the snub as motivation. "That's all I needed — for him to do that — and it became personal with me," Jordan said.
• Clearly, it didn't take much to tick Michael Jordan off.
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If the ESPN docuseries "The Last Dance" has taught us anything, it's that it didn't take much to tick off Michael Jordan.

Sunday's episode delved into the Chicago Bulls' run to the 1996 NBA championship, which was won after a 72-win season by taking down the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA Finals.

As the episode revealed, a chance encounter with Sonics head coach George Karl ahead of the series set Jordan off, prompting him to absolutely tear into Seattle to start the series.

Apparently, Karl and Jordan had been at the same restaurant just before the series tipped off. Rather than engaging in a bit of friendly banter, Karl refused to acknowledge Jordan.

"He walked right past me," Jordan said. "I said, 'It's a crock of s---.' We went to Carolina. You know Dean Smith ... You're gonna do this? Okay fine. That's all I needed. That's all I needed — for him to do that — and it became personal with me."

Jordan would make his presence known early in the series, averaging 31 points per game through the first three games to jump the Bulls out to a 3-0 over Seattle. Chicago would go on to take the series in six games, capping off one of the greatest seasons in NBA history.

Given that it was already the NBA Finals, Jordan was going to leave it all on the court regardless of any of Karl's actions. However, Jordan could reach another level when he was playing angry, so chances are Karl did his team no favors by giving him the cold shoulder.

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