Who's tops? Jordan or Pippen?

Question

Any one ever ask why is it Jordan never won a championship without Pippen? Teams had a fool-proof when dealing with the Bulls pre-Pippen. They let Jordan run and shut down everyone else. Even if Jordan scored 60, the Bulls might still lose.

Jordan needed a supporting cast. That was Pippen. Pippen simply made his teammates better. Pippen was the ultimate team player, he could defend, he could score and he sure as hell can pass. Everything Jordan could do, he could match. The only thing Jordan held above him was his explosive scoring.

No matter how good Jordan can be, no one can match 5 people. One on one, Jordan is better than Pippen, but on the court Pippen made his teammates take part.

Pippen was also the hard-nosed defender that Jordan wasn't always (it's a scandal that he has no award and Jordan does). In fact the strong perimeter and man to man defense that the current Bulls have is carbon copied from him.

So I say Pippen. You guys?

Answer 1

I say that both player won't get a ring if they weren't teammates.

You can make a case that Pippen is an all-around guy, but can he make that final shot when it counts? Maybe he'll pass it instead claiming it's the right play.

It goes the same for Jordan, who'll get the rebounds when he's shooting from 3pt line and probably missed?
Who'll give him the ball in his favorite spot?
Who'll involve other teammates when Jordan is on fire?

They both complement each other perfectly.

Answer 2

Jordan and I disagree about the defense part. Jordan actually played D as well as Pippen, if not better. Also, Pippen could not have made MJ. MJ came into the league before Pippen did and was already an established star when Pippen came along.

True that MJ did not win championships until Pippen came but that doesn't prove that Pippen was a better player than Jordan. Why doesn't Kobe win playoffs w/o Shaq? In fact, there's plenty of great players like John Stockton, Karl Malone, Wilt, and etc. that never won championships.

Both MJ and Pippen are top 50 greatest players to ever play the game but I think Jordan was slightly better.

Answer 3

Of course Michael couldn't have won all those rings without Pippen. Anyone in his right basketball frame of mind will tell you that. But don't forget that Pip couldn't do it alone either. He became main man in '94 and he basically had the same team Jordan left in '93, with a prized addition in Toni Kukoc. How did Pippen fare? Well, he simply refused to play in a crucial playoff game against the Knicks after Phil Jackson drew the last play for Kukoc. Kukoc went on to make the winning shot but the Bulls eventually lost the series. Hey, I'm not trying to put down Pip for I'm also a big fan of his. Like everyone else, I truly appreciate his role as the Bulls' primary ballhandler and playmaker and designated defensive stopper. But man, there's no way Scottie could top Michael. In the first place, Pippen developed his talents from MJ's constant tutoring in practice.

Answer 4

I still say both. Remember that both of them lead the Bulls. As Jordan admitted during Scottie's retirement, he would never have been the player he was if not for Pip. And I think it goes the other way around. Pip idolized Jordan and Jordan feeds off Pippen's energy. Jordan's strength is his leadership. Pip is his unselfishness. Pip doesn't need the spotlight to show how special he is. He's just so great that even if the spotlight is tossed away from him he would always shine. Without Jordan, Pip didn't make the Finals... so does Jordan. So I say both.

Answer 5

simply put, Jordan sold tickets. He was the reason that the Bulls were even on the map. He made them popular. But Pippen helped make them unstoppable. If you were on defense and you saw MJ and Scottie coming at you, in the words of Ludacris "Move ***** get out the way, get out the way, *****, get out the way!" Pippen deserves just as much credit because there no pressure on him other than to perform with the same intensity as MJ. that's why no team will ever come close to winning 72 out of 82 games in a season and then win the title on top of that. And if it wasn't for MJ's heroics in game 6 of the 1998 Finals against Utah and Pippen getting hurt, Scottie would've won Finals MVP. They needed each other and MJ even said so. Both their numbers were retired and are hanging from the rafters in Chicago stadium. Yeah MJ's statue is in front of the stadium of him dunking on defenders, but Pippen should've been on there too. You gotta give PIP some love, or at least some respect!!!

Answer 6

Pippen was the perfect compliment to Jordan but don't make the mistake of thinking that he was better than MJ.

They made each other better and they made life easier for each other, no doubt they would not have won all those championships without one or the other.

MJ is better hands down, but that doesn't mean that Scottie was any less of a player.

Answer 7

I agree that Mike never wouldve won a ring without Pippen but Pippen wouldnt have been the player he was if it wasnt for Mike. To me, they just complimented each other and they're the best one-two punch in the history of the NBA. Mike is still tops because he has the leadership that Pippen doesn't have. But I also agree Pippen should've won at least a Defensive PLayer of the Year award.

Answer 8

I say Jordan, fact is, he could have done everything he did in Chicago anywhere else w/o Pipen. Put Jordan anywhere USA, when he was in his prime and you would have the same results. Jordan is a winner b/c he believed he was and that's how he played. Any GM would choose Jordan over Pipen not b/c of his scoring but b/c Jordan played with more heart. Teams need superstars to carry the rest of the team, admit it or not, that's exactly what Jordan did. Look around the league, it's no big deal to see someone score 40 and 50 points a game, and its usually the guy everybody expects to do it. The leader, the one whose still ballin' when everybody else believes the game is over. Jordan is not only a better player than Pipen but he wanted to win more than Pipen. Also, I would say the best tandem was Malone and Stockton.

Answer 9

Actually Jordan won the 1982 NCAA championship while at UNC. Both were great players, but Pippen wouldn't have been the player he is without Jordan....without a doubt Jordan.

Answer 10

Dear Dynamite,

Your question is who's tops? It's Jordan because Pippen could not win anything without Jordan.

Everything Pippen could do, Michael did do and did it better. Michael was 1st team all-defensive more times. Michael could pass, and did make his teammates better, look at Paxson, Kerr, Kukoc, Wennington, Bucheler, all pretty famous because of MJ's ability to draw double teams and kick. Scottie was the Robin to Batman (Jordan).

You can't blame Jordan for taking over games because he had the ability (Scottie most certainly could not take over games). i disagree with you that Pippen is a better defender.

And sorry but if you ask the professionals (GM(s) who would select Scottie over Michael???

Why is it that Michael Jordan's statue is outside Chicago's Basketball stadium??? i think Pippen is overrated (and his recent statements about how most GMs would choose him over Michael shows how much he overestimated his own abilities.

Anyhow those are my thoughts. Kindly,

Nickster