The Chicago Bulls had one of the most memorable runs in NBA history during the 90s, dominating the league throughout most of the decade, winning six championships in the span of eight years.
Michael Jordan and co. took the team to the top of the league after years of struggles against the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference. Along with Scottie Pippen, they created a terrific duo that led this team to the promised land six times.
It wasn’t an easy job, and the Bulls always took everything seriously, not hesitating to destroy rivals on their way to championships. During their second championship run, Michael Jordan was ready to destroy Clyde Drexler after people said they were at the same level. MJ obviously took it personally, but not everybody shared that mindset.
During an old conversation with Drexler, David Robinson, and Robert Horry, Scottie Pippen admitted that he was afraid of facing Clyde during those Finals, as they had a similar game, and Drexler was always a challenge for him defensively (3:45).
“I had the chance to play against Clyde Drexler in the Finals, and I must say I was very afraid going into that series ’cause at that moment Clyde was one of my biggest challenges as a small forward in the game. He played a lot like me, lot of speed, athleticism, could handle the ball, make plays. It was a big challenge for me. There was a lot of fun, lot of great memories that I take from Clyde and that Portland team.”
Drexler replied by giving some flowers to Scottie and the rest of the Bulls, admitting that he knew Pippen deserved the same respect they had for Michael Jordan, but the Portland Trail Blazers head coach at the time didn’t want to believe him.
“You know they’re good but when you see them do stuff throughout the course of the game, you go ‘wow.’ As a player, you’re sitting there like, ‘man, that was a sweet move.’ …We set our game plan to stop Michael, but you know, you gotta watch Scottie, because he’s going to score the ball, beat you in transition and is a great defender. Scottie would do stuff offensively and I go, ‘coach, Scottie can move like Michael offensively, you gotta give him more respect.'”
In the end, they couldn’t stop Jordan and Scottie, and the Bulls won their second consecutive title in 1992. Drexler tried his best, but with Mike on a mission, it was really hard to get past His Airness when it came to a championship. Pippen stopped fearing Drexler, did his job, and helped his team confirm that they were the best squad in the entire association.
