tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post6334520317559247752..comments2024-01-04T03:12:23.649-08:00Comments on Truth in a Bullet Fedora: Let's Not Insult Scottie PippenKrolik1157http://www.blogger.com/profile/02888018345423590641noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post-10851524267721364362007-09-25T09:42:00.000-07:002007-09-25T09:42:00.000-07:00it's funny, most don't remember it now, but when p...it's funny, most don't remember it now, but when pippen got a migraine during game 7 of the 90 conference finals he was criticized and blamed for not having heart. but lost in "the shot" by mj in utah in 98 was that 8 years later pippen gutted out that game 6 in utah with a severe back injury and hit a big shot during that 4th quarter to keep it close. after the game barely no mention was made of pippen's heart, putting his long term health on the line to make sure he did whatever it took for his team to win.<BR/><BR/>one thing lost in mj's "flu game" -- game 5 of the 97 finals at utah: when jordan hit the game clinching shot (bulls were up by one--then mj hits a 3 with less than a minute to play), how did jordan get that shot? jordan had it on top, pippen was posting hornacek (pippen had been scoring at will all game), so russell felt so worried about pippen that he left jordan to double pippen. think about that. he left jordan wide open to double pippen. pippen of course got the ball to mj, and mj's shot effectively clinched the game.<BR/><BR/>the most beautiful thing about pippen was his mindset on offense -- after bird redefined the small foreward position as a "point" forward, pippen was the next great point at the 3 spot. he was born with a pass first mindset, which was the only way he and jordan would succeed together. you need a guy who's a great player to know your #1 guy should get the ball in crunch time. doug collins and phil jackson helped scottie realize he needed to take over the game and score more during the times mj went to the bench, so pippen could have it both ways -- pass and defer, then shoot and score. watch the 4th quarter of game 6 of the 92 finals against portland when pippen spearheaded that historic comeback from down 15 points at the start of the 4th quarter (mj was on the bench). when jordan came back in pippen deferred and picked his spots, giving the best player on his team the room to operate. that quarter of basketball perfectly sums up the jordan-pippen duo, and pippen's ability to flip a switch and move from dominant scorer to deferential temmate.<BR/><BR/>while jordan is the best defensive 2 guard in nba history, pippen is the best defensive small forward in nba history. pippen singlehandedly threw the indiana pacers' offense off kilter in the 98 conference finals when he guarded mark jackson and made entry passes difficult with his 7 foot wingspan. pippen helped the bulls blow the lakers out in game 2 of the 91 finals --which changed the whole complexity of the series, giving the bulls confiedence --when he guarded magic iafter mj got into foul trouble. had the bulls won their last 2 games of the 94 regular season they would have had 57 wins --the same number they had won the previous year when jordan was in the league --and been the #1 seed in the eastern conference. after preseason prediction of 40 wins with no mj, pippen would have won the mvp that year. but the bulls lost those last two games and ended up the 3 seed, then lost in the playoffs to the 2 seed (ny) in the second round. in game 7. on the road.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post-25362038182195073532007-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:002007-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:00Its awesome to hear praise for Scottie! He was an...Its awesome to hear praise for Scottie! He was and always will be my favorite player. He was the prototypical point-forward, but he was so much more in my mind. I don't think we will ever see another player like him, he was elite defensively (individual and team), wasn't too shabby offensively and ran the team and offense better than a large percentage of NBA point guards.<BR/><BR/>I think people get caught up in defending Pippen or Jordan's abilities against the other, the fact is they were teammates for the most important and remembered parts of each one's career. Its a moot point, no reasonable person can say that certain economies of scale weren't realized by them playing together, they were both better off.<BR/><BR/>Another thing that I think people often crudely simplify is that Scottie was only considered a great player because of Jordan. Scottie was named a Top 50 player, he is often referred to as being the second best player on the Dream Team. That stuff doesn't just happen to a guy in the right place at the right time, that happens to the ultimate team player.fizatdhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11222920139488959543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post-60669208722655449022007-09-24T13:48:00.000-07:002007-09-24T13:48:00.000-07:00It's about time that SP gets some love. He locked...It's about time that SP gets some love. He locked down the Diesel in the ECF, twice! He guarded Grant Hill and put the clamps on John Stockton, twice. <BR/><BR/>I tried to play like SP. The shots off glass, the incredible vision, and the athleticism. You can really appreciate MJ without understanding SP.<BR/><BR/>PS When SP punched in Ewing's grill....top 5 all time dunk. <BR/><BR/>WBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post-58146634164642482082007-09-24T12:59:00.000-07:002007-09-24T12:59:00.000-07:00Let me preface this by saying that the longer the ...Let me preface this by saying that the longer the Bulls team has been broken up the more I appreciate Scottie Pippen. But make no mistake about it. MJ was the straw that stirred the drink. Jordan was a bonafide star on and off the court before Pippen first donned a Bulls uniform and in fact Jordan averaged 32 pts 8 rbs and 8 assts in Scottie's rookie year. I will go to my grave believing that part of the reason Scottie became who was did is because of the influence of Jordan on him. Pippen needed a player of Jordan's magnitude to be the star so that we could truly appreciate his gifts. He never looked the same playing for Houston or Portland because there was no MJ to feed off (let's also remember that he was 33 when he went to Houston and 34 when he went to Portland...but MJ was 33 when he came out of retirement the first time on his way the 3 championships).<BR/><BR/>Also, you may wanna check your numbers again. MJ had more steals and assists and just as many blocks as Scottie did from about 88' to 98' with the exception of the year that MJ unretired. And in the 93'- 94 season, the Bulls were indeed very close to making it to the Finals....the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to New York in 7 in the 2nd round and the Knicks went on to defeat the Pacers before bowing out to the Rockets in the Finals.<BR/><BR/>Having said all that, I still have a DEEP appreciation for Scottie Pippen and we don't win ANY of those championships without him. I think Scottie would have put the clamps on any wing player in the league today if they would quit calling all the ticky tack fouls and let the perimeter guys play defense again (that's why guys like Wade shoot 20+ free throws against Dallas in an NBA finals game). Mike is my man, but you can't pay respects to the career successes of MJ without honoring Scottie THE VERY SAME WAY!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6708359367428127425.post-73645838043030469102007-09-22T13:53:00.000-07:002007-09-22T13:53:00.000-07:00Thanks for defending Scottie Pippen. This post was...Thanks for defending Scottie Pippen. This post was long overdue. I grew up a huge Pippen fan, trying to mimic every aspect of his game, and it's amazing how much the Cult of Jordan eroded then and particularly erodes now his legacy. While I'm not sure I agree with you that he had Carmelo-like scoring skills, he is vastly superior to all the players people compare to him today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com