Gary Payton Admits Scottie Pippen Caused Him More Troubles Than Michael Jordan

For a long time before the Golden State Warriors achieved their 73-9 regular-season record, it was Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls that held first place for the best record at 72-10. This record was set in the 1995-96 season and would feature another MVP season from ‘His Airness.’

The trio of MJ, Pippen, and Rodman, along with Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr, would help the Bulls form a strong core that would put them on their second run of three-peats. The first title of this second run would come in the same season against the Seattle Supersonics led by Gary Payton.

Behind Payton’s defensive dominance, the Supersonics would emerge as the second-best team in the league that season. However, they would fall short of the title in 6 games in the finals. In a recent interview, Gary Payton explained how Bulls’ head coach Phil Jackson made a decision during the finals matchup that angered Jordan.

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Gary Payton Explains Why Michael Jordan Was Angered

The 1996 NBA finals were a perfect matchup in terms of league position. The Number one Chicago Bulls took on the Number two Seattle Supersonics. Although the latter would lose in six games, Gary Payton explained how a crucial decision taken by Bulls’ head coach, Phil Jackson, left MJ angry.

“I just made it difficult for him (Michael Jordan). I didn’t let him be comfortable. They were comfortable in their triangle, and I made it uncomfortable for them,” said Payton.

“And then that’s when Phil started understanding that ‘Yo, we’re not gonna battle against him. Just take it to the side and let Pippen do the thing.’ And Mike got mad. He got mad about it, but it’s what Phil needed to do,” he explained.

Furthermore, Payton added that Phil made an additional defensive adjustment that added to MJ’s anger. Payton’s ability to post up on Jordan and score successfully led to Jackson deciding to make Pippen defend him. This further aggravated MJ, as he wanted to compete with Payton and come out on top. Regardless, the Bulls’ would win in six games and MJ would earn his fourth NBA Finals MVP award.

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In Conclusion

Despite losing the 1996 NBA finals, Gary Payton would earn the title of ‘NBA Champion’ in 2006 as a member of the Miami Heat. As for MJ, he would go on to win two more titles after defeating the Supersonics in 1996.

The last of this set of 3 championships would come against the Utah Jazz where MJ dropped 45 points including a crucial steal and a dagger shot that sealed the deal for the Bulls. It is clear that despite it being difficult for Jordan in his matchup against Payton, he would still dominate in the years to come and be considered as the Greatest of All-Time by several NBA fans.