Who was the better defender....Scottie Pippen or Michael Jordan?

Question

Pippen or MJ...who was the better defender?


who led the defensive part of the game for the bulls during the championship run?

Answer 1

for better defender i'll go with Pippen.

Answer 2

I think they had different roles in different stages of their careers.

From 1985 to 1989 Jordan was all everything for the Bulls on offense and defense. He blocked a ton of shots for a guard and he averaged around 3 steals per game. He was the ultimate help defender; the NBA equivalent of Deon Sanders in the passing lanes.

From 1990-95, Pippen emerged as a player who could make an impact on defense eqaul to Jordan's. He was just as good at everything defensively as Jordan was, except he was a bit more versitile and could guard bigger players. This is when the Bulls started to win championships.

During the second 3-peat run Pippen was clearly the Bulls best defender and was their primary play maker on offense. You could argue that without Pippen's defense against the Indiana Pacers Mark Jackson in the 1998 ECF and his unreal help defense against the Jazz in both the '97 and '98 Finals the Bulls would not have beaten those teams. Let's not forget about the job he did on Magic in the 1991 NBA Finals.

So in short the better defender was;

1985 to 1989 - Jordan

1990 to 1993 - Tie

1994 to 1998 - Pippen

Answer 3

It's a close call but I think MJ had a slight edge over Pippen. Pippen was an excellent one-on-one defender. He could shut down the opposing team's scorer on any given night. His quick feet and extra-long arms also allowed him to defend at any position. Pip could guard the small men like John Stockton as well as big post players like Shawn Kemp and Karl Malone. Now, Jordan was not only a great one-on-one defender but he also patrolled the wings like a state trooper guarding passing lanes and reading passes with uncanny accuracy which made him a top stealer/interceptor during his career. Unfortunately or fortunately for the Bulls, MJ was their offensive anchor so he had to conserve his defensive energy in favor of his much-needed offense especially in the fourth period so Pip anchored the team's defense most of the time.

Answer 4

Jordan was better but Jordan conserve his energy and play defense down the stretch. Pippen was more of a leader on defense.

Jordan always came up with the clutch plays. for example he stole stockton's outlet pass to malone with less than a minute left during a big game, blocked that stiff charles smith, etc. Pippen not bad either but his best defensive plays doesnt come as often down the stretch as jordan's.

ok.

Answer 5

Good question but MJ gets the nod. Nobody was safe around MJ. He would pick you clean in a blink of an eye. He grabbed over 200 more steals than Scottie while playing 2 seasons less than Scottie. MJ was all over the ball! Offensive AND defensive lol.

Answer 6

I think that Scottie Pippen had the most God given deffensive talent. Michael Jordan defensive work ethic should be the golden example for every player. He made his man's night a living hell, and he made sure that he would never forget the night that Michael Jordan gaurded him.

Answer 7

Pippen.

Pippen guarded multiple positions. MJ focused on Shooting guards. and mostly, MJ, as it is obvious, focused on scoring, while Scottie did all other things.

But as usual, Pippen's defense was overshadowed by MJ's media hype.

Answer 8

MJ without a doubt - they called him the glove long before Gary Payton - because he was on his closer than a glove

Answer 9

They were the BEST one/two in the NBA, but I have to say Jordan had better D.

Answer 10

MJ