The NBA has seen its fair share of dominant duos. From today’s team-ups of LeBron James and Luka Doncic on the Los Angeles Lakers to Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler on the Golden State Warriors, these All-Star pairings always provide excitement on the court.
But what if people could take a trip back in time and pit the most iconic duos against each other? That’s precisely what the crew of the “Road Trippin'” podcast did, with Richard Jefferson boldly suggesting that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen would defeat Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a hypothetical two-on-two match-up.
Pippen’s versatility would be the difference
The duos of MJ and Pippen and Magic and Kareem defined their respective teams’ successes in the 1980s and the ’90s. Magic and Cap, of course, pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles in the ’80s while Air Jordan and Pip led the Chicago Bulls to six rings in eight years in the ’90s. So, it goes without saying that a fictional match-up between these two tandems would make for an intriguing showdown.
Jefferson, though, contended that Pippen’s presence is the difference-maker in this make-believe contest.
“I think, honestly, I think Magic and Kareem would lose. I think Magic and Kareem would lose to Pippen and Jordan,”Richard stressed, which elicited mixed reactions from co-hosts Channing Frye and Allie Clifton.
Jefferson argued that, as dominant as Abdul-Jabbar would be in the paint, especially with his signature shot, the sky hook, which neither Pippen nor Jordan would be able to get to, he feels that Scottie’s defensive proficiency would allow him to stand his ground against the 7’2″ center.
“Don’t get me wrong, Kareem was dominant. But I think if you think about a prime Scottie Pippen versus a prime Kareem,” he stated. “I think Pippen could do an adequate enough job in the post against Kareem.”
Jefferson furthered that the most significant issue would be Abdul-Jabbar’s defense. As terrific a shot blocker as he was, Kareem would be compromised out on the perimeter, especially against the lithe and athletic Scottie.
“Can Kareem go out to the perimeter and guard Scottie? I don’t think we want him moving those puppies against Scottie Pippen now, right?” Jefferson noted.
Frye picks Shaq and Kobe
Meanwhile, Channing took the safe route and named the Lakers’ pair of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as his ultimate duo. The sweet-shooting big man was confident in his selection, especially since he saw both dominate up close during his playing days.
“You don’t need much else. You just gotta stand there and not f—k up,” Frye stated. “Just throw it down to that absolute tree trunk of a human, or give it to the dude who’s thirsty to score every single time. I’m good to go.”
It’s challenging to argue with Frye’s logic since the proof lies in the pudding. With Shaq proving unstoppable down low and Kobe torching perimeter defenses, the Lakers won three straight NBA titles in the early 2000s to establish a new dynasty for the Purple & Gold at that time.
When discussing a hypothetical match-up between MJ-Pippen and Shaq-Kobe, Channing confidently called it a no-contest, citing O’Neal’s dominant presence as the deciding factor.
“Switch the little fella on him? They’re going to have three rims, ’cause he’s going to break that b—ch,” he asserted.
It’s always a fun exercise to discuss dream match-ups between different eras in NBA history, things hoop fans will never get to see play out on the court. However, as great as Jordan and Pippen would fare against most duos, specifically against Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, it’s likely they wouldn’t do well against O’Neal and Bryant; the Diesel’s physicality would just be too much for them to handle.