Scottie Pippen picked the younger first three-peat Bulls over the second three-peat Dennis Rodman version.
Which three-peat Chicago Bulls team was better — the 1991-1993 Chicago Bulls with Horace Grant and a younger Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen? Or, the older more experienced 1996-1998 crew with Dennis Rodman? Scottie Pippen hesitated for a second before giving his answer.
“I would say the first one,” Pippen said. “We were younger, we were more athletic, it was a lot more fun, we were just more youthful, we sort of kinda had that chip on our shoulder.”
I agree. The 1991 Chicago Bulls have the best record of any Bulls team in the playoffs finishing 15-2. The two losses were both by two points apiece to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals and then to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
The 1996 season was quite impressive and gets more acclaim due to the 72-win regular season. That Bulls team only lost three times in the playoffs, twice to Seattle and once versus New York. Jordan was extremely motivated coming off a loss to Orlando in the playoffs.
“I take nothing away from winning the second 3-peat,” Pippen said. “I think we were all going into our prime, I feel like I was. I felt like we were much more smarter from a mature standpoint that we played the game better from our shoulders up, whereas I felt like our early championships we were much better from our shoulders down.”
I quibble with Pippen that he was entering his prime during the second three-peat. It was more like the back end of it in 1996 — gone by the end of 1998. Pippen had ankle surgery in 1998 and grimaced through game six versus Utah with a bad back. He had lost a good portion of that incredible athleticism that made him a force on both ends of the court.
RELATED PRODUCT
Chicago Bulls 21″ Rolling Carry-On Suitcase
Pippen covers a lot of ground on this edition of the Da Windy City podcast including his relationship with Michael Jordan after the “The Last Dance” documentary. Listen to the entire interview here.
Pippen is working with Michelob Ultra and their digital courtside experience. Fans can visit www.ultracourtside.com and follow Michelob ULTRA’s social channels for details on how to win access to the court side experience.