“Who is he to say that?” – Scottie Pippen slammed Jeff Van Gundy for predicting the Heatles would top the Bulls’ wins record originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When the Miami Heat formed their star trio in 2010, known as The Heatles, they quickly became the league’s center of attention.
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With three future Hall of Famers — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh — joining forces, expectations soared as debates arose over just how dominant this superteam could be.
Among the boldest voices was Jeff Van Gundy, predicting all-time greatness unlike any team before. That prediction, however, quickly drew sharp criticism, with Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen leading the backlash.
Van Gundy’s prediction
In 2010, while debates about that superteam raged, Pippen had something big on his plate: his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Naturally, during his ceremony in Springfield, the Bulls’ record-setting 72-win season would be revisited. After all, the versatile 6’8″ two-way forward had played a crucial role in that historic run.
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The timing for his induction was just right. Why? As Robin entered the Hall, the Heatles were poised to break that 72–10 regular-season record. Imagine if Scottie’s induction had come a year later — the Bulls might have only held the second-best overall mark, which could have somewhat lessened the impact of his career achievements.
Ultimately, a few predicted the star-studded Heat would surpass the record set by Pippen, Michael Jordan and their 1995-96 teammates. Among them was former NBA coach turned analyst Van Gundy.
“They (the Heat) will break the single-season win record [of 72],” he declared and gave several reasons to support it.
While many dismissed the Heat’s roster as a ring chase that ignored the sport’s core competitiveness, Van Gundy focused on their raw potential.
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“They have put together a much better roster than anybody could ever have expected,” the now 63-year-old said, per NBC Sports. “There is now no good way to defend them. They are unguardable. They are indefensible. They are just too good and have added so much shooting and are so versatile that they will score at will.”
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Pippen’s response
Pippen didn’t hold back after hearing the statement. The eight-time All-Defensive First Team honoree started questioning Van Gundy’s right to make such claims in the first place. After all, Jeff’s NBA head coaching career — from 1996 to 2007, with interruptions — never produced a championship title.
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“Who is he (Van Gundy) to say that they’re gonna break the record?” Scottie asked pointedly, per ESPN. “He coached for years and never got there. We’ll see what happens.”
Robin then explained that it’s not about chasing regular-season records. The real goal, the former six-time NBA champion said, is winning a ring — and that assembling the best players doesn’t guarantee that automatically.
“It’s about building chemistry,” the 1995 steals leader said, noting that many “great teams” have tried to “seal the deal” by chasing rings but ultimately fell short.
Pippen also told reporters the Boston Celtics were favorites and said he’d bet Van Gundy that the Heatles wouldn’t break the Bulls’ all-time record — a record since surpassed by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
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While Jeff and Scottie likely didn’t take that bet, we can still say who would have won: the latter. After all, the Heatles’ best record — 66-16 in 2012-13 — ranks “only” 13th among the best single-season win records ever.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.