The duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen will forever be mentioned whenever the city of Chicago is discussed. They were the torchbearers of the city’s sporting success. In fact, the two of them might just have the best success as a duo in the history of the game. Not even Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won as many championships together and both are widely considered among the top 10 players ever.
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But despite all their success in the past, the two are certainly not on good terms anymore. After the release of the Last Dance, Scottie Pippen went on a tour to discredit Michael Jordan. His campaign initiated a conversation that had many fans and pundits questioning Michael’s status as the GOAT without Pippen. In this article, we take a look at MJ’s record without his Robin.
Also read: ‘Bully’ Shaquille O’Neal Shares Fake Dwight Howard Stats on IG to Revive Buried Feud With ‘Superman’
How did Michael Jordan fare without Scottie Pippen?
Michael debuted in the league 3 seasons before Scottie Pippen. When he arrived in Chicago, the Bulls were a terrible squad. They had won less than 30 games in the last two seasons. Upon Jordan’s arrival, they played well enough to qualify for the playoffs. However, Michael Jordan and the Bulls were thrown out in the first round of playoffs in 1985.
He would go on to make two more appearances in the playoffs in 85-86 and 86-87, However, the Bulls lost all three of their playoff series from 84-87 in the first round itself. The losing streak aside, MJ was impressive throughout. In those ten playoff games His Airness played before Scottie’s arrival, the 6ft 6″ guard averaged 35.5 points, 6.9 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game.
After Scottie Pippen joined the league, Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ fortune turned around. For the first time in his career, Jordan reached the second round of playoffs. Though the tough exit at the hands of the Detroit Pistons was underwhelming.
After Pippen’s arrival, Jordan has a 38-19 record with the Bulls. Which means, he won 38 games and lost 19. Jordan averaged an impressive 30.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game without his Robin. In the playoffs, MJ played just one game with Pippen unavailable.
It was the last game of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Bulls were leading the Philadelphia 76ers 2-1 in the series. The 4th game was crucial. And with Scottie absent, the Bulls lacked a key defender and a solid playmaker. So, to overcome that deficiency, MJ dropped an unbelievable 45 points and dished out 11 assists.
The Bulls ended up winning the game and the series. So, all in all, Jordan wasn’t too bad even without Pippen. However, together, they were just overwhelmingly strong.
Scottie went on a campaign against Jordan
After the release of the Netflix docuseries Last Dance, Scottie Pippen was deeply affected by the way he was portrayed. He felt Jordan had wronged him by taking over the narrative and showing himself as the sole winner of the team. In the immediate aftermath, he wrote a book to tell his side of the story.
Scottie also went on several shows to not just promote his book but openly challenge what The Last Dance portrayed. In an interview with Guardian, Scottie claimed:
“I don’t think it was that accurate in terms of really defining what was accomplished in one of the greatest eras of basketball, but also by two of the greatest players – and one could even put that aside and say the greatest team of all time. I didn’t think those things stood out in the documentary. I thought it was more about Michael trying to uplift himself and to be glorified [the series was co-produced by Jordan’s Jump 23 company]. I think it also backfired to some degree in that people got a chance to see what kind of personality Michael had.”
The beef between Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen is at the point they’ll likely never speak to each other again according to former teammate Charles Oakley. pic.twitter.com/TpHAv5nyfR
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) January 28, 2022
From here, Scottie’s takes on Michael got increasingly worse and more direct. Michael, however, has never responded to any of Scottie’s rebukes or smears. He continues to live happily in retirement with his wife Yvette Prieto.
