Scottie Pippen Led Michael Jordan In All Major Postseason Stats But One During the Chicago Bulls’ 6 NBA Title Runs
During the Chicago Bulls' six NBA title runs, Scottie Pippen led Michael Jordan in every major statistical category in the postseason outside of scoring.
Let’s make something clear from the get-go. If you’ve come here thinking this piece is in any way designed to knock Michael Jordan or to suggest Scottie Pippen was the better player, prepare to be disappointed.
The overall point here is to show just how much the two needed one another during the Chicago Bulls‘ six NBA championship runs in eight years in the 1990s.
Because let’s get real.
As great as Jordan was, he doesn’t win those six titles without Scottie. And as overall embarrassing as his Hall of Fame speech was, the five-time NBA MVP at least made sure to acknowledge that.
And Pippen, who never won a title after leaving Chicago and has to know he wouldn’t have a single ring without No. 23, did the same during his enshrinement. In fact, Scottie even had Jordan present him and dubbed MJ “the best teammate,” although Pip’s stance on his longtime running mate has changed drastically in recent years after feeling slighted during The Last Dance docuseries.
In this writer’s humble opinion, Pippen was indeed slighted during the documentary. But do I think he needed to take things to the level he did in the aftermath? Absolutely not. To call Michael Jordan a “horrible player” in any context is simply absurd. However, Pippen’s stance on Jordan not being able to take the Bulls to the next level until he arrived is accurate.
“LeBron James will be the greatest statistical [player] to ever play the game of basketball. [Michael Jordan] was a horrible player.”
Once again, the two needed one another to win. It’s that simple. While Jordan was Option A from the moment he arrived in the Windy City, he didn’t have a truly strong Option B until Pippen came to town. And that’s with all due respect to guys like Orlando Woolridge and Charles Oakley in those early years of MJ’s career.
Once Pippen developed into an All-Star caliber player, the Bulls didn’t have to rely solely on Jordan to win games or playoff series. Sure, MJ still put up a lot of points, also upping his assists and rebounds as the years went on, and was a fantastic defender.
And while Pippen was never going to average more points than Jordan, his contributions in every other area were invaluable. In fact, taking into account the six postseasons that ultimately resulted in an NBA championship, Pippen led the Bulls in every category one would typically find on a standard stat sheet — minus scoring.
That’s right. In the 116 games Chicago played in those six postseasons, Jordan led Chicago in total points. And while there were certain series in which MJ led in other categories, overall, Pippen led the Bulls in total assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks.
Need the proof? Take a look.
1991: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (3-0)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
87
18
14
8
2
Scottie Pippen
59
15
26
10
4
1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers (4-1)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
167
39
40
9
7
Scottie Pippen
117
30
47
8
2
1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons (4-0)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
119
28
21
9
7
Scottie Pippen
88
21
31
12
8
1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers (4-1)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
156
57
33
14
7
Scottie Pippen
104
33
47
12
5
1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (3-0)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
135
20
29
9
3
Scottie Pippen
72
21
18
7
4
1992: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (4-3)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
219
30
40
10
8
Scottie Pippen
112
46
58
14
8
1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-2)
PLAYER
PTS
AST
REB
STL
BLK
Michael Jordan
190
38
39
15
3
Scottie Pippen
119
34
67
11
9
1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)
As you can see, Michael Jordan was the clear leader in points and undoubtedly contributed in every other aspect of the game as well. But outside of scoring, Scottie Pippen led the Bulls in every other major category during their six title runs. And you certainly can’t slight that.
