“To this day, I think that’s the greatest line in basketball” – Scottie Pippen’s iconic one-liner rattled Karl Malone and changed the 1997 NBA Finals originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Looking at the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, they were dominant and also great trash talkers. Michael Jordan set the standard — talking trash was practically part of his DNA. Dennis Rodman followed suit, often using mind games as effectively as he used his rebounding skills.
Advertisement
But Scottie Pippen wasn’t exactly known for running his mouth. That’s why his iconic line to Karl Malone during the 1997 NBA Finals stands out as one of the coldest trash-talking moments in league history.
Pippen’s line
It was Sunday, June 1, 1997, Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Bulls were facing the Utah Jazz, led by Karl Malone, the newly crowned league MVP.
The game was tight and with just under 10 seconds left. Malone found himself at the free-throw line with a chance to seal the win for Utah. That’s when Pippen, usually one to let his game do the talking, decided to drop a line that would go down in NBA folklore.
Advertisement
“I had my brother in town. My brother was a postman,” Pip recalled. “So, Karl Malone is at the line. I was a pretty good friend with Karl actually, so I just walked by and said, ‘The Mailman doesn’t deliver on Sunday.’ To this day, I think that is the greatest line in basketball.”
With 9.2 seconds left, the two-time MVP stepped up to the free-throw line with a chance to put the Jazz ahead. Rodman had just fouled him, setting the stage for a potential game-winner. But that’s when Pippen decided to get in Malone’s head.
The line was ice-cold — and it worked. The Jazz superstar missed both attempts at the line. MJ grabbed the rebound and called a quick time-out with 7.5 seconds left. Everyone in the arena knew what was coming next. The Bulls put the ball in their best player’s hands, and he dribbled out most of the clock before launching a 20-footer over Bryon Russell.
Chicago won the game 84–82 and took a 1–0 series lead, and Pippen’s trash talk was the headline.
Advertisement
Talking trash
The 1997 title round was no walk in the park for the Bulls. The Jazz were a well-oiled machine, with Malone and John Stockton running the pick-and-roll to perfection. Chicago took a 2–0 series lead after another late-game Jordan dagger in Game 2, but Utah fought back to even the series at 2–2.
Game 5 was the famous “Flu Game,” where Jordan scored 38 points despite being visibly ill. The Bulls closed it out in Game 6 at the United Center, winning their fifth championship in seven years.
Advertisement
Pippen’s trash talk turned out to be vital. Had “The Mailman” hit those free throws, Utah would’ve had the upper hand early in the series. Instead, Pip’s mental edge gave Chicago the psychological advantage they needed to control the finals. That trash-talking moment wasn’t rehearsed. Arkansas native admitted that it was purely instinctive.
“Off the top of my head, freestyle,” he said. “That was a big game; we needed that game.”
The defensive-minded forward wasn’t threading on the new environment in talking trash. Years earlier, in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals, Pippen threw down a vicious dunk over Patrick Ewing, knocking the big man to the ground.
But Scottie didn’t just walk away. He stood over Ewing and gave him an earful before shoving him aside. Then, as he ran down the court, he turned to Spike Lee, who was sitting courtside and said, “Sit down!” Lee, the ultimate Knicks fan, could only watch as Chicago took over the game. Pippen wasn’t always Jordan-esque, but he had the talent and the mental edge to back it up.
Advertisement
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.