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The Greatest of All-Time, Michael Jordan, said it himself. Whenever people talk about him, they should also be talking about his “Robin” with the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen — whom he called his greatest teammate. Jordan insists that he never would have won those titles without him, and rightfully so.
Over the past week since the debut of the first two episodes of “The Last Dance”, fans have been trying to recall — either through archived Bulls games or through their own memories — on how good Pippen was. He has been continually tagged as one of the greatest defenders in league history. And the truth is that Jordan won all his six rings with Pippen by his side.
To help fans appreciate Pippen's greatness, below are some of the forward's greatest NBA Finals moments.
1.) Game 6 1992 NBA Finals (Chicago Bulls vs Portland Trail Blazers)
The Bulls entered the fourth and final quarter down 15 points to Clyde Drexler and the Trail Blazers. Jordan and most of the starters were relegated to the bench to rejuvenate their energy for a final push. But lo and behold, the starters did not need to dig down deep to cut the deficit. Scottie Pippen, with the help of the reserves, mounted a 14-2 run in the fourth before Jordan and the starters returned.
The run stretched to 33-14 with the Bulls winning the game, and thus, their second title in a row. Pippen had 26 points (9-of-17 shooting, 6-of-9 from the line), five rebounds, and four rebounds.
2.) Game 6 1997 NBA Finals (Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz)
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With five ticks remaining in the game, the Jazz had one last opportunity to send the series to a Game 7. In the play prior, the famous moment between Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr occurred, with the latter draining an open perimeter shot after Jordan got double-teamed. Most fans now believe that that play was the game-winning sequence.
But what sealed the deal was actually a big defensive play by Scottie Pippen. Using his long arms, perfect anticipation, and will to win, Pippen tipped Bryon Russell's inbounds pass, and in one motion, dove and passed the ball to Toni Kukoc for the wide-open picture-perfect slam. The Jordan-Kerr connection is legendary. But that play wouldn't have been included in the highlight reels without Pippen's defensive play.
3.) 1991 NBA Finals (Chicago Bulls vs Los Angeles Lakers)
Scottie Pippen had the tall task of defending Laker great Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals. It was perhaps the biggest challenge of his career then. Johnson had already established his place in history as one of the greatest to ever do it. Back then, no one could stop Johnson — a 6-foot-9 player with the superior skills of a point guard.
But in the 1991 NBA Finals, Pippen — who was already building his reputation as a top defender — made Johnson work for every single play. The 6-foot-7 Pippen picked up Johnson the full length of the court on every possession and putting outstanding ball pressure on the future Hall of Famer.
In the clip below, notice how Pippen locked down Johnson in various possessions. Of course Magic was able to reach his averages being the great player that he is. But he had to exert triple the effort. The result: not only did the Bulls win their first title, but they did it in a dominating fashion in just five games.
