1990: Scottie Pippen chosen to "Dream Team 1"SI reported: Scottie Pippen had played one All-Star Calibur season when he was chosen to be on the first U.S. Olympic Men's basketball team that included NBA players. He was chosen ahead of Isiah Thomas who at the time had just led the Detroit Pistons to two NBA Championships and was beginning to wind down his Hall of Fame career. Some mentioned that Pippen may have benefited from the Jordan revenge on Thomas for the alleged "Freeze out" in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game. The real Freeze out in that game was when "Iceman" George Gervin torched Jordan and the East for 23 points. Pippen belonged on Dream Team 2, not the original Dream Team, his stardom was not fully established when he was selected for Dream Team 1.1991 Scottie "Shut Down" Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals.First: Lets disspell a myth. Scottie Pippen did not "shut down" Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals.Johnson's numbers in the 1991 NBA Finals:Game 1: 19 points, 11 assistsGame 2: 14 points, 10 assistsGame 3: 22 points, 10 assistsGame 4: 22 points, 11 assistsGame 5: 16 points, 20 assistsJohnsons's 1991 NBA Finals Stats: 18.6 ppg 8.0 rpg 12.4 apgJohnson's 1991 NBA Finals stats while guarded by Pippen: 18.5 ppg 7.5 rpg 12.8 apgJohnson's 1990-91 Regular season stats: 19.4 ppg 7.0 apg 12.5 apgWhen you consider that an assist causes your team to score 2 points, Johnson was actually more productive for his team (by a tiny fraction) while guarded by Pippen than he was in Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals or the 1990-91 regular season.While Scottie deserves credit for keeping Magic from completely "going off" in the series, Pippen only slowed Johnson down in Game 2. In games 3-5 Johnson averaged 20ppg, 7.7rpg 13.7apg, all better than his regular season numbers. Pippen was a great defender but, Johnson, -like all of the game's All Time Greats do in big games- still "got his" while he was guarded by Scottie Pippen. Johnson even had 20 assists in game 5 when his two long time trusted options: James Worthy and Byron Scott, were out with injuries. 1996 "All Around Best Player"The media likes to make up labels for their favorite people to make them look better than they really are. Remember the 2000 Presidential Election when Democrats in the media made up the term "gravitas" to make their guy Al Gore look more presidential than his opponents? There is no NBA award for "All-Around best player" It was just a special label that was made up for one guy: Scottie Pippen. The pro-Pippen media was not happy saying "1995 All-Star game MVP Scottie Pippen" they wanted something to make him look better than he really was. If other point-forwards like Connie Hawkins and Paul Pressey were also acknowledged for their "All-Around Best Play" then this label would have some merit. On the day Pippen left Chicago the media immediately stopped using the phrase "All Around Best Player" to describe him.1996: Pippen on the "50 Greatest Players" ListPippen made the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History" list. Oscar Robertson said this: "Beyond the first 10 or 12 guys the 50 greatest players list was about who had the best P.R.. Bob McAdoo, a former league MVP did not make the list." If Scottie Pippen had played in a small market like Portland or Denver for his entire career it is highly unlikely that he would have been on the 50 greateast players list. Just ask Sidney Moncrief.I would like to acknowledge that I thought Pippen was one of the best forwards in the game when he was at his peak. The simple fact remains that his accomplishments were magnified by his playing in Chicago. Pippen would have been an All-Star no matter where he played, but there would have been far less attention and good P.R. in a small market. Pippen's first year in Portland showed on a national stage another huge weakness his game: He can't take his team on his back in the clutch and win. That is why Scottie was MIA when his Blazers went to L.A. and pulled off the most collosal Game 7 fourth quarter choke in NBA playoff history. Pippen spent that fourth quarter watching Rasheed Wallace and Brian Grant lay bricks instead of taking over when it was obvious his team was in trouble. All the Blazers needed was a few baskets to stave off the Laker rally. That is why it is absurd to think that Pippen is of the same calibur as Larry Bird, Elgin Baylor and Julius Erving, those guys would not have let their team choke so badly if they were Blazers in Pippen's place.Woot
Oh please, he was an amazing player. Did he benefit from playing with Jordan? Sure. But he was a lockdown guy that could take any SG/SF in the game. I don't care what his numbers were against Magic Johnson, I didn't see those games, I don't know if Pippen was guarding him the whole time. Magic was one of the best to ever play and showed up in big moments, he was going to get his. You put any elite defender on Kobe in the playoffs and Kobe is still going to get his, doesn't mean the guy guarding him is overrated. His first season in Portland showed his flaws? Look at what he did when Jordan left for one season, Pippen still led that team to the playoffs. His first season in Portland was his 13th season and he was clearly out of his prime at that point. What a moron, Pippen is a great player, one of the best SF's to play the game, who cares if he played in Chicago or not.
Tony, what's up with the recent Bulls hate? First you post an article stating Jordan didn't have a big impact LMAO. Then you post this saying Scottie Pippen was overrated? Give me a friggen break. What are you going to post next? How Rodman wasn't a good rebounder?Scottie Pippen was not overrated, in fact I value him very high. He was a great defender, he could score, he was athletic, he was tough, he had a major complete game, he could play and guard 3 positions, and he worked VERY hard. I can't believe this article. Scottie Pippen, like BCB said, is easily one of the greatest SF's to ever play in the NBA, hands down.I'm going to pull a Shaq: Whoever wrote this article should have their college degree revoked.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Oct 19 2006, 01:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Tony, what's up with the recent Bulls hate? First you post an article stating Jordan didn't have a big impact LMAO. Then you post this saying Scottie Pippen was overrated? Give me a friggen break. What are you going to post next? How Rodman wasn't a good rebounder?Scottie Pippen was not overrated, in fact I value him very high. He was a great defender, he could score, he was athletic, he was tough, he had a major complete game, he could play and guard 3 positions, and he worked VERY hard. I can't believe this article. Scottie Pippen, like BCB said, is easily one of the greatest SF's to ever play in the NBA, hands down.I'm going to pull a Shaq: Whoever wrote this article should have their college degree revoked.</div>Just sparking debate.... :dribble:I dont think he is overrated at all.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC @ Oct 19 2006, 12:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Just sparking debate.... :dribble:I dont think he is overrated at all.</div>Oh come on Tony, don't back down now.Scottie Pippen sucks and Michael Jordan is a hack. Admit it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Justice @ Oct 19 2006, 05:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Oh come on Tony, don't back down now.Scottie Pippen sucks and Michael Jordan is a hack. Admit it.</div>Ya and Phil Jackson? Biggest pile of sh*t ever
It's hard to call the guy overrated when he spent most of his career in the shadow of one of his teammates. If anything, he was underrated as a Bull, and maybe overrated a little bit elsewhere. Only because of the expectations on him and the lack of production.
Scottie Pippen obviously belonged on that team. He was a huge part in them winning their world championship.
I recall the first year after MJ's first retirement, Pippen lead the team in pts, assits, steal, blocks and I think he was first or 2nd in rebounds.about the only knock against pip is that he's not a clutch player.. but not may players in the history of the league are so that's no real biggie.he's still easily one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
Pippen isn't overrated. looking at those stats it would look like Magic did burn Pippen, but does anyone have the FG% of Magic from those games? I'm just curious to see if this is one of these cases were a player just jacked up a lot of shots.As for Pippen over Isiah in dream team one, I think that has more to do with the fact that Isiah had problems with quite a few players on the roster including Jordan, Barkley, Stockton, and Malone and adding Thomas would have likely backfired badly. Pippen also diserved to be on the team, more so than Christian Laettner.Also I don't know how you can call the second star on a team who got 20, 9 and six overrated.
Isiah didn't make the original dream team because Jordan said he wouldn't play with him. Lattener made the team because of the decision to have a college player on the team, no because he was the 12 best player in the USA.
