{"id":1417539,"date":"2021-09-27T17:23:28","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T21:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1417539"},"modified":"2021-09-28T14:31:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-28T18:31:16","slug":"larry-bird-barely-played-scottie-pippen-still-paid-highest-compliment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/larry-bird-barely-played-scottie-pippen-still-paid-highest-compliment\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry Bird Barely Played Against Scottie Pippen in His Prime but Still Paid Pip the Highest Compliment: ‘He and Michael Cooper Gave Me the Most Problems'"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird<\/a> and Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen never squared off in their respective primes. Still, Bird, who was in the twilight of his career when Pippen was still ascending to his peak, understood the challenge Pip presented on the defensive end of the floor. In fact, despite their differing career arcs, Bird said that Pippen was one of his toughest defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry Bird praised Scottie Pippen's defensive prowess ahead of Pip's induction into the Hall of Fame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Scottie Pippen and Larry Byrd congratulate Dirk Nowitzki during the farewell ceremony after a game between Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on April 9, 2019, in Dallas, Texas | Omar Vega\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Chicago Bulls acquired Scottie Pippen from the Seattle SuperSonics via a draft-day trade in 1987, just one summer after Larry Bird made his final NBA Finals appearance with the Boston Celtics. Bird had begun to deteriorate a bit because of chronic back pain stemming from an injury suffered in 1985. Still, he managed to put together All-Star seasons in the final three years of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry Legend's last great and healthy season came during the 1989-90 campaign when he averaged 24.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in 75 games. Incidentally, that was the same season Pippen made his first All-Star team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though their careers diverged, Bird said before Pippen's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 that he understood how good Pippen was going to be from the jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Scottie has been great for a long time,” Bird said, via NBA.com<\/a>. “I remember when he first came into the league. I played against him and as time progressed, he got better and better. The Hall of Fame is a very deserving award for him.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bird went a step further, calling Pippen one of the two best defenders he ever had to play against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“[Pippen] was one of the best. He and Michael Cooper gave me the most problems.”<\/p>-Larry Bird (2010) via NBA.com<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bird was one of the more versatile and unguardable players in NBA history. He routinely made a point of letting his opponents know they couldn't stop him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas, the fact that he singled out Pippen as one of his toughest on-ball matchups speaks volumes about Scottie's dogged defensive work ethic. That same work ethic helped pave the way for a Hall of Fame career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scottie Pippen is one of the best defenders in NBA history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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