Portland Trail Blazers: Remembering Scottie Pippen’s legacy in Portland
By Ryan Gaskin
‘The Last Dance’ doco goes deep on Scottie Pippen. Dubbed the #2 player in the NBA by Phil Jackson, how good was Pippen on the Portland Trail Blazers?
‘The Last Dance’ finally dropped last night, and fittingly gave NBA Twitter a whole heap of content to dissect, breakdown and most importantly, make fun of. But besides Michael Jordan‘s greatness, Phil Jackson‘s legacy and even a heartbreaking Sam Bowie appearance, former Blazer Scottie Pippen rightfully got his own episode.
As we all know, Pippen’s best days came as a Chicago Bull, and despite being underpaid, Pippen’s greatness was well-known; he was named the “best number 2 in NBA history”, and MJ was strong on the fact that he would not have won any championships without Pippen by his side.
But while Jordan’s career came to a second halt following the Bulls’ second three-peat, the show went on for Scottie Pippen. The small forward spent a year in Houston, before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for a total of six (!) players: Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Cato, Walt Williams, Brian Shaw, Ed Gray and Carlos Rogers.
Pippen arrived in Portland aged 34, and while his scoring had dropped slightly, he remained an All-NBA level defender, and his fit was perfect for Portland. The Blazers were loading up to contend, also adding free agent Detlef Schrempf, and acquiring Steve Smith in a trade with Atlanta.
Pippen’s first words as a Blazer would excite any fan, and he made it clear that they had a big opportunity.
"“This is a great fit for me. If I had my choice, I would probably choose this team because I feel like they’re more on the verge of winning a championship. This team is far more talented than probably any team that’s been assembled in the league.”"
Pippen’s best season as a Blazer was definitely the 1999/2000 season, where the Blazers made a run to the Western Conference Finals, and were a bucket or two away from taking down Shaq and Kobe. The starting 5 was star-studded, and Pippen’s IQ and savvy led the way.
Pippen averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists, while also leading the Blazers in steals. In the playoffs, Pippen stepped it up, as he led Portland in rebounds, assists and steals, and also chipped in with 14.9 points per game.
His most memorable playoff performance was perhaps Game 5 vs the Utah Jazz, where he tallied 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, in a series-clinching win which saw Pippen hit a go ahead 3 and a clutch free throw in the final minute of the game. Even in his old age, Pippen was still haunting the Jazz.
The following year, the Blazers still won 50 games, but Pippen missed time with a right elbow injury, and the team didn’t have the same spark to it. They were swept in the first round by the Lakers. Two more years of Pippen saw two more playoff appearances, but another two first-round exits. In 2003, Pippen returned to Chicago to finish out his career.
While they didn’t quite managed to win a title, Pippen’s time in Portland did prove a couple of things. First, he wasn’t a wash as a Blazer, and had so much left to give as a 34-year-old. Secondly, Pippen was and should always be remembered as more than MJ’s sidekick.
Had the Blazers won Game 7 in LA, they would have likely handled a weaker Indiana squad in the Finals, handing Pippen a 7th ring, and an entire new legacy.
Next. Five non-Jordan, non-Durant stars the Blazers missed on drafting. dark
But even without this, Pippen proved (as he did in ’94 without Jordan) that he was one of the NBA greats, and could certainly lead a team to playoff success.
As ‘The Last Dance’ taught us, Pippen was underpaid and under-appreciated. But Scottie Pippen as a Blazer should be remembered with fondness, and there should be no doubt he is an all-time Portland great.