In an epic article, Michael Leahy of the Washington Post gives us a glimpse into Michael Jordan?s comeback season. Jordan?s secret to success is his competitiveness. Whether he?s in the NBA Finals, at the poker table or shooting around after practice, Jordan wants to dominate:

"In Chicago, the day after a January game there against the Bulls, the Wizards had just finished a practice at Grover's gym when Hamilton accepted Jordan's challenge to a shooting competition while the team bus waited for them. The competition dragged on. Ten, 15, 20 minutes. No player but Jordan would have dared to keep a team bus waiting. On this day, the contest involved shooting from midcourt. Hamilton went up several hundred dollars early, happily yelling, while the attendants, fetching balls, kept glancing at watches. Someone finally said: "Probably time to get going, Michael."

?No?, he said coolly.

Finally, Jordan started finding his range and hit eight of his last 13 shots to win more than $1,000 off the day's prey, now at last wrapping up. He grinned and whooped -- "coo, coo, coo" -- a signal that he had fleeced another pigeon, then pointed in a gesture of amused supremacy at the defeated Hamilton, who, turning his back, quietly walked to the back of the gym to retrieve his sweats, while a delighted Jordan fitted an earring into his left lobe and kept teasing. Hamilton never stopped walking. Jordan stared at Hamilton's back, calling out, "Rip, we'll do it again."