“He’s the guy that can be shaken” – Michael Jordan claims Scottie Pippen was regarded as a soft player originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Teams almost exclusively worried about Michael Jordan whenever they faced the mighty Chicago Bulls. MJ was the voice, the scoring leader, and the most competitive guy in the group. They weren’t too concerned about Scottie Pippen. He was a terrific defender and one of the best players at running the fastbreak. However, he had built a reputation as a mentally weak player who could easily be thrown off his game.
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“Everyone thinks if they take him out of the game, that takes us out of the game,” Jordan said of Pippen in 1993, via the Los Angeles Times. “They figure I’m going to do my part of the scoring or whatever. Everyone feels he’s the guy that can be broken.”
“I understand it. I feel it came from the Detroit series, once he had the headache,” Mike continued. “The harassment by Rodman. The inconsistency of his play in the playoffs. I think all those kind of were rolled up into one to ‘Hey, he’s the guy that can be shaken.’ I think he’s been trying to deal with that ever since. And I think that’s a challenge for him.”
Pippen’s Migraine Game
Pippen battled an excruciating migraine in Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. He struggled the entire game and was 1-of-10 from the field. Chicago fell to Detroit, 93-74, with analysts blaming Scottie for failing to perform when it mattered most.
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Scottie had no intentions of playing. The pain was just too much. Bulls trainer Mark Pfeil asked him before Game 7 if he could play, but the Bulls forward said no. MJ heard their conversation and didn’t buy Pip’s excuse.
“Hell, yes, he can play. Start him. Let him play blind,” Jordan said.
New perspectives
Perhaps MJ’s comments were influenced by the heat of the moment. They were just one win away from finally ousting the Pistons, and Jordan would need all the help he could get. But alas, his partner in crime was nursing a headache that could sideline even the strongest men.
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In 1997, MJ revisited his thoughts on Pippen’s debilitating migraine. The North Carolina native defended Pip against his critics. Mike even claimed the entire Bulls got behind the forward’s back. For Jordan, Pippen’s poor performance wasn’t the sole reason they fell to Detroit.
“It was unfair treatment to him. A lot of times, when the expectations are so high and you don’t live up to it, they look for reasons why you never achieve it. He was the target at the time,” Jordan said.
“We surrounded and supported Scottie because he helped us get to that point, and it was unfortunate he was put in that predicament to accept the blame; we all were to blame and not living up to the expectations.”
The Bulls’ support was instrumental in Pip’s rise from the ashes. The following season, he got back stronger than ever and improved in every statistical category. He was even named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team.
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Critically, he was there for his team for the entire postseason. When they faced the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, Pip was locked and loaded to orchestrate the Bulls’ defensive schemes. His contributions were key in sweeping the Bad Boys and winning it all in the 1991 NBA Finals.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.