In Netflix’s The Last Dance, Michael Jordan admitted that he often tested his teammates in practice and pushed them to their limits. However, in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, against the Utah Jazz, the five-time MVP showed that he had no qualms about chewing them out during a game as well. Scottie Pippen learned this firsthand.
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In the fourth quarter, the Bulls were trailing by three with less than three minutes left on the clock. Jordan wanted the ball in his hands, so, he yelled at Pippen to push the pace. But the forward let the possession slow down to a walking pace before hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key to level the score.
Despite Pippen banking the shot, a visibly frustrated Jordan reprimanded the veteran during the ensuing timeout, much to his bemusement.
Remember when MJ got FURIOUS at Scottie for hitting a game tying 3 at the end of a Finals game because Scottie had the audacity to miss him on a pass??
This cheating scandal is the least shocking development to anyone who paid attention to who MJ is.
— Letting Go (@ProvideContext) June 22, 2024
It’s unclear what the five-time MVP said during the timeout. He was likely upset about the pace at which the Bulls’ offense was operating. After Pippen’s three-pointer, the score was tied at 75-75, an indictment of how poorly both offenses had operated that night.
The other explanation is that Jordan wanted the ball in his hand after finally finding his rhythm late in the game. Per Basketball Reference, the guard had banked only 10 of his first 23 shot attempts but was 2-of-2 leading up to Pippen’s clutch shot. Perhaps he wanted to maintain his tempo, but the forward shot the ball, and the Jazz called a timeout, breaking his flow.
Once the game resumed, Jordan’s shooting struggles resurfaced. He finished the game 1-of-4 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line and the Bulls lost by three points in overtime. They went on to win the series in six games, and the guard was named the Finals MVP for the sixth time in his career.
But this incident from Game 1 is a reminder of how hard he rode his teammates. Even Jordan’s trusty running mate wasn’t safe from getting an earful and it seemingly played a part in the resentment he harbors towards him today.
Scottie Pippen despises Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan scaled unparalleled heights as a duo during their nine-and-a-half seasons together in Chicago. However, decades after their all-conquering heroics, they no longer have the ironclad relationship they once shared. Pippen has made stunning claims about Jordan. Once, he even discredited MJ’s career by claiming that “he was a horrible player”.
During an appearance on Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast, he alluded that Jordan’s success was down to him, Phil Jackson and the Bulls management, saying,
“I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls. You guys have seen him play. He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1, shooting bad shots. And all of a sudden, we become a team and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was.”
Before Pippen arrived in Chicago in 1987, Jordan had already built a stacked resume despite playing on a woeful roster. He had won the Rookie of the Year award, earned three All-Star nods, and was selected to two All-NBA teams.
The retired forward’s claim, that the guard hadn’t won a ring before he and the rest of the cavalry arrived, is spot on. However, his suggestion that he was a ‘horrible player’ is far from the truth and stems from his bitterness towards his former teammate.
