Thunder: Maurice Cheeks reflects on facing Michael Jordan before 'The Last Dance' finale

Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks, right, said Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan played on a different level than most players in the NBA. [Shanna Lockwood/USA TODAY Sports]Maurice Cheeks and his friends used to take two buses from the South Side to get to Chicago Stadium on the Near West Side for Bulls games.

“It was not an easy trip,” said Cheeks, a longtime Thunder assistant.

Growing up in Chicago, Cheeks was naturally a Bulls fan. He sat at the top of the old stadium and watched Norm Van Lier, Bob Love and Tom Boerwinkle in the early 1970s.

When Michael Jordan was drafted by the Bulls in 1984, Cheeks was no longer a fan. He was already an NBA champion, and in his seventh season with…