Michael Jordan Commended Scottie Pippen For Playing Better Defense Than Him On Magic Johnson In 1991 NBA Finals: ‘Pip Never Let Him Get Started’

Michael Jordan commended Scottie Pippen for playing excellent defense on Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals. 

Jordan was the primary defender on Johnson in Game 1 and the Chicago Bulls lost at home.

Bulls head coach Phil Jackson went with Pippen on Johnson starting in Game 2 and the series changed. 

“Scottie accepted that challenge and I knew what Scottie was gonna do,” Jordan said in The Last Dance doc. “I see it in practice all the time. He gets up in your face and he harrasses you. Pip never let him get started.”

Johnson had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Game 1 while shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

The Los Angeles Lakers won Game 1 by two points. 

In Game 2, Johnson finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 4-of-13 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. 

The Bulls won Game 2 by 21 points. 

“On just about every possession, I picked up Magic as soon as he came over the half-court line,” Pippen wrote in his book. “No one ever did that. I wanted him to use more clock and more energy. If he was forced to waste valuable seconds before he got everyone into the offense, it would reduce the chances of the Lakers getting off a high-percentage shot.”

The Bulls defeated the Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals in five games for their first of six championships.

Jordan and Pippen went 6-0 in the NBA Finals and three-peated twice in the ’90s. 

Jordan never won a playoffs series until the Bulls acquired Pippen from the Seattle SuperSonics in 1987, which is why Jordan considers Pippen his best teammate ever.

“I would never be able to find a tandem, another support system, another partner in the game of basketball like Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said in The Last Dance doc. “He was a pleasure to play with. He helped me so much in the way that I approached the game, the way I played the game. Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen. Everybody says well I won all these championships, but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen. And that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time.”

Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks alongside Pippen, while Pippen averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks next to Jordan. The two NBA greats had terrific chemistry on the court. 

Arguably the best player in NBA history, Jordan played for the Bulls twice. He averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks and won five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, three steals titles, 10 scoring titles and one Defensive Player of the Year Award. 

Jordan made 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams with Chicago. 

Pippen also had two stints with the Bulls. He averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks.

One of the top two-way players in NBA history, Pippen made seven All-Star teams, seven All-NBA teams and 10 All-Defensive teams with Chicago.