Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are forever linked to each other for the things they accomplished together on the basketball court. For over a decade, Jordan and Pippen made the Bulls the most formidable team in the NBA. Together they won 6 championships, had arguably the best team of all time in 1996, and etched their names in NBA history along the way. Among younger generations of fans, the argument today seems to be that Scottie Pippen was much more important than Jordan to the Bulls than he gets credit for, especially in the NBA Finals. Today, we compare the statistics to see if that is true.
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- Shooting Percentage
- Final Result
- Michael Jordan vs. Scottie Pippen 3-3
- Michael Jordan Was The Superior Finals Performer To Scottie Pippen
- Next
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- Michael Jordan: Ranking The Top 10 Best Seasons In The GOAT’s Career
- Michael Jordan’s Perfect Record Against NBA Rivals: 310 Players Never Won Against The GOAT
- Michael Jordan’s Career-High Against Every NBA Team: The GOAT Destroyed The Cleveland Cavaliers
Jordan and Pippen won 6 championshi[ps together to the tune of 2 three-peats. They won championships from 1991 through 1993 and then from 1996 to 1998. Neither Jordan nor Pippen won a championship when the other was not on the floor at the same time. They fed off of each other, and the team built around them to win those 6 championships. Now we have already debunked the myth about Pippen being the superior playoff performer. Today, it is time to do the same, or maybe not, with their play in the NBA Finals.
Here is Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen broken down by their stats in the NBA Finals.
Points
Michael Jordan – 33.6 PPG (1,176 Total Points)
Scottie Pippen – 19.0 PPG (664 Total Points)
Let’s start with the easy topic at hand. Michael Jordan was a far superior scorer than Scottie Pippen. Heck, Jordan was a far superior scorer than any player in NBA history. Jordan thrived when the lights shined brightest in the NBA Finals, as evidenced by his 33.6 PPG average. Jordan’s best series came in 1993 against MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Jordan averaged 41.0 PPG for the 6 games it took to take down the Suns, which included performances of 31, 42, 44, 55, 41, and 33 points. In that series, Jordan shot 50.8% from the field and 40.0% from the 3-point range.
Scottie Pippen wasn’t known to be a scorer, and when Jordan was on the floor, he wasn’t asked to be a scorer either. Pippen was more lauded for his defense and playmaking than any other facet of his game. Pippen’s best Finals scoring-wise came in both the 1991 and 1992 NBA Finals when he averaged 20.8 PPG. In 1991 against the Lakers, Pippen averaged 20.8 PPG, including a 32-point performance in the fifth and deciding game of the series. In 1992 against the TrailBlazers, Pippen averaged 20.8 PPG with 24 points in Games 2 and 6 and 26 points in Game 1.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Rebounds
Michael Jordan – 6.0 RPG (211 Total Rebounds)
Scottie Pippen – 8.3 RPG (292 Total Rebounds)
As a shooting guard, it wasn’t expected for Michael Jordan to grab a bunch of rebounds. However, Jordan surprised us on the court more than once and averaged 6.0 RPG throughout his Finals career. Jordan was a fighter and an overly physical player at his position, which made him one of the better rebounders for shooting guards. His best rebounding Finals series came once again in the 1993 Finals against the Phoenix Suns. Jordan averaged 8.5 RPG against the Suns, including 12 rebounds in Game 5 and more than 7 rebounds in all of the other 5 games.
One of the many things Scottie Pippen did very well was rebounding the ball. He was a versatile small forward that also was overly physical and aggressive on the glass. On defense, he found his man and blocked him out perfectly, whether it be in the paint or on the perimeter, which is how he earned so many rebounds over the bigger guys like Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman. Pippen averaged over 9.0 RPG in 2 separate Finals series out of the six he participated in. He averaged 9.4 RPG in the 1991 Finals against the Lakers and 9.2 RPG against the Suns in 1993. In every other Finals series aside from 1998, Pippen averaged at least 8.0 RPG.
Advantage: Scottie Pippen
Assists
Michael Jordan – 6.0 APG (209 Total Assists)
Scottie Pippen – 5.9 APG (207 Total Assists)
This has to be the most interesting category of this entire comparison. Michael Jordan was somehow labeled as a ball hog and a selfish teammate, yet he slightly out-assisted the teammate everyone swears was a better passer. Jordan’s best series as a playmaker was his first Finals series in 1991 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson. Jordan averaged 11.4 APG in 5 games against L.A. Jordan had 4 games in the series of 10.0 APG or more and averaged 6.0 APG or more in 3 other Finals series for his career.
On the other hand, Scottie Pippen is much more heralded as a passer and playmaker. Pippen was a menace in the open court, always making the right passes at the right time, which made for supremely exciting basketball. Pippen’s best series as a passer came in both 1992 and 1993 when he averaged 7.7 APG in those 2 series. Pippen tallied 6 games in his NBA Finals career of 10 assists or more with his career-high coming in Game 2 of the 1993 Finals against the Suns when he recorded 12 assists.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Steals
Michael Jordan – 1.8 SPG (62 Total Steals)
Scottie Pippen – 1.9 SPG (67 Total Steals)
Both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were regarded as 2 of the better defenders of their era. Jordan was named a Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and to 9 All-Defensive Teams in his career. Jordan was a swarming on-ball defender and a pesky off-ball defender who disrupted passing lanes with his quick hands. Once again, the 1991 Finals is where we will find Jordan’s best defensive series as far as steals go. He averaged 2.8 SPG in that series with 5 steals in Game 1 and 4 steals in Game 3. Altogether, Jordan accumulated 5 games in his NBA Finals career with 4 steals or more.
Scottie Pippen is also regarded as the best small forward defender ever. He is even considered to be a Top 15 defender of all time in many circles. Pippen was a defensive mastermind who barely let opponents breathe with the ball in their hands. He would impose his size and strength on the opposition and force them into several mistakes over the course of a game. Pippen’s best series as far as steals go came in 1991 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Pippen averaged 2.4 SPG in the series as the Bulls dismissed the Lakers in 5 games. Pippen also averaged better than 2.0 SPG in 1993 against the Suns and in 1996 against the Seattle SuperSonics.
Advantage: Scottie Pippen
Blocks
Michael Jordan – 0.7 BPG (23 Total Blocks)
Scottie Pippen – 1.1 BPG (39 Total Blocks)
Defense isn’t all about steals, as we all know. It is also about forcing your opponent into bad situations and tough shots to get the ball back into the offense’s hands. Michael Jordan was one of the best in the world in these things, which included getting his hands on his opponent’s shots as they went up. Now, as a shooting guard, blocks come few and far between, but Jordan still got his fair share. In the 1991 Finals against the Lakers, Jordan had his best shot-blocking series when he averaged 1.4 BPG. In Games 1, 2, and 3, Jordan registered 2 blocks in each game to help the Bulls to their first NBA championship.
Pippen, with a bit more height and a little longer wingspan, was certainly more apt to block an opponent’s shot. He showed this many times throughout the years and even more so on the NBA’s biggest stage. Pippen had the best shot-blocking series of his Finals career in the 1997 Finals against the Utah Jazz. He averaged 1.8 BPG for the 6 games in the series, which included 3 blocks in Game 1 and 4 blocks in Game 6 to help wrap up the Bulls’ 5th title. In 4 out of 6 Finals series in his career, Pippen averaged 1.0 BPG or more to seal a championship.
Advantage: Scottie Pippen
Shooting Percentage
Michael Jordan – 48.1 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 80.6 FT%
Scottie Pippen – 42.5 FG%, 25.6 3P%, 74.7 FT%
The next and final category that will be discussed between the 2 greatest Chicago Bulls of all time is efficiency. As you can see, Michael Jordan was a far more efficient scorer than Pippen, as he was for the entirety of their careers. Jordan did most of his damage from the mid-range and getting to the basket. Not only was Jordan pretty much automatic from the mid-range level, but he was simply the best at finishing a layup or emphatic slam. Jordan’s best shooting series from the field was in 1991 against the Lakers when he shot 55.8%. He also shot over 50.0% from the field in both 1992 and 1993.
These stats can be misleading because Pippen was usually an efficient player himself. He used to be able to get to the rim and finish at a high clip, but for some reason that dropped when it came to the NBA Finals. Pippen would settle for outside shots and sometimes force the issue even when he wasn’t on his game. His best Finals series shooting-wise came in 1992 against the Trail Blazers when he shot 48.4% from the field. In every other Finals series, Pippen shot 45.3% from the field or worse.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Final Result
Michael Jordan vs. Scottie Pippen 3-3
Michael Jordan Was The Superior Finals Performer To Scottie Pippen
At first glance, the numbers may show you that this comparison is closer than it really is. Scottie Pippen was a great Finals performer and did his best work alongside Michael Jordan. Those are facts and can never be denied by me or anyone who tries to say otherwise. When we add context to the situation, Michael Jordan was on an entirely different planet. Think about it. Michael Jordan was nearly as good or better in every single statistical category than Pippen aside from scoring, which Jordan dominated in every Finals they were in.
This isn’t to say that Pippen wasn’t great, or that Jordan didn’t need him to win titles. That would be crazy and completely wrong to say. However, it is even more ridiculous to try and claim that Pippen was superior to Jordan in any way, shape, or form. Pippen did his job and played his role extremely well. Michael Jordan was the best player on the planet and far better than every player in basketball, Pippen included. Jordan nearly doubled Pippen’s point total in the NBA Finals while being way more efficient. Furthermore, Jordan dished out 2 more assists, recorded 5 fewer steals, and 16 fewer blocks. Take opinions and feelings out of it and stare down the facts when it comes to these 2 players. Both were outstanding in their time, but no one came, not even Scottie Pippen came close to being the player that Michael Jordan was.
