“Besides, he wasn’t on the team” – Scottie Pippen was disappointed with Michael Jordan for including his infamous 1.8 seconds playoff drama in ‘The Last Dance’

Scottie Pippen is not boasting about what he did in his infamous playoff meltdown in Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls’ Eastern Conference semifinals duel with the New York Knicks in 1994. Being well aware of the stigma of the incident, Pippen had no problems addressing it publicly. In fact, he even wrote an entire chapter in his memoir, “Unguarded,” answering questions about it.

However, what did not sit well with Pip was that Michael Jordan felt the need to delve deeper into it in “The Last Dance.” Pippen thought it didn’t make sense for MJ to criticize him over the incident as he wasn’t even part of the team at the time.

For Scottie, Jordan may or may not have realized that highlighting it in his documentary could change how hoops fans view him as an all-time great.

“Why then did Michael find it necessary to bring it up again? Did he consider for a moment how it might affect me and my legacy? Besides, he wasn’t on the team in 1994. He was playing baseball,” Pippen wrote in his book.

Pippen thought it was his big moment

In the NBA, big moments can define a player’s career. For Pippen, he thought his moment finally came in the most crucial part of that playoff game against New York in ’94. With only 1.8 seconds left on the clock and the score tied at 102, tension rose and with Jordan out of the picture, Pippen was ready to step up and take the last shot.

Pip knew how important making that shot was for the team and for his legacy. However, Bulls head coach Phil Jackson did not call him up for the assignment. Instead, “The Zen Master” designed a play for Toni Kukoc. Disappointed and enraged, Pippen refused to check back in against Jackson’s order.

On the other hand, Kukoc did not fail to deliver and drilled the game-winner, lifting the Bulls to a 104-102 victory. However, the decision made by Jackson took many by surprise, especially with Pippen being Chicago’s best player at the time.

Pippen and the Bulls moved on from it, but inevitably, fans deemed Scottie’s demeanor unprofessional, resulting in an unwanted backlash. Understandably, Pip wanted people to forget about it as much as possible, which explains why he was very upset when Jordan rekindled that incident in The Last Dance.

Pippen confronted MJ about it

In all fairness to Pippen’s sentiment, Jordan’s retrospective commentary on the incident made his longtime co-star look bad. In Pippen’s mind, he deserved an explanation from “His Airness” regarding the matter, so he decided to confront Jordan about it.

Pippen said he told MJ that it wasn’t right that the portrayal undermined his contributions to the Bulls dynasty and misrepresented the reality of the situation. On the other hand, Pip somehow understood Jordan’s place.

Scottie then confided that, looking back, he still couldn’t fathom why Jackson had to insult him by waving him off when Jordan wasn’t around.

“There was one person I was angry with: Phil Jackson. Michael was gone. This was my team now, my chance to be the hero, and Phil was giving that chance to Toni Kukoc? Are you serious? Toni was a rookie with no rings. By not going back in the game, I did the right thing,” he added.

Pip had to leave ESPN for a while because of The Last Dance

Truth be told, ESPN’s The Last Dance served its purpose, which was to provide an in-depth look at Jordan’s final season with the Bulls. But while the docu-series was largely praised for its storytelling and unprecedented access to the GOAT’s farewell season, Pippen reckoned that it wasn’t 100% accurate, and there were parts and statements that, for him, weren’t necessary at all.

Ultimately, Pippen felt compelled to take “a little hiatus” from ESPN, where he worked as an analyst and host when The Last Dance began airing. Pip figured it was best to just unplug for a while because he “didn’t want to have to relive telling the story about what happened 20 years ago.”

Surely, The Last Dance wasn’t intended to affect Pippen’s friendship with Jordan. Unfortunately, that’s what the case appears to be since the documentary aired.

Many believe that Pippen plotted to hit back at MJ by releasing his book, “Unguarded,” which contains a series of unfiltered remarks about his former teammate. Whatever the real status is between the two iconic NBA legends, as fans, let’s just hope Pip and MJ could get it over with sooner rather than later.

As for Pippen’s unflattering playoff moment in 1994, it’s safe to say that it did not tarnish his legacy in any way.

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