bootstrenf

i got this idea from another thread, but here's my question: who was the better defender, pippen or jordan???


please give your input..and please take the time to enter your choice in the poll...

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PauloCatarino

Where's the option for: "they both are way overrated"?

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bootstrenf

tried to edit it, but i can't add another option...

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MAS RipCity

pippen was a very superior defender.

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PDX Fan Since '90

Jordan23Forever

Not really, but thanks for playing. Pippen may have been superior, but no one is "very superior" to a guy who has a DPOY and 9 defensive first-teams to his name. Sorry.

The way I see it, Jordan was better when giving equal effort, but Pippen gave more effort more frequently on the defensive end after (and possibly including) 1993. They also each excelled in different areas of defense: Jordan was better at stopping penetration (i.e., individual containment), had better instincts for making defensive plays off the ball (steals/blocks), was a better post defender, had quicker hands/reflexes, and was a better fastbreak defender (i.e., against 2-on-1's or 3-on-1's as the lone defender back); Pippen was a better team defender, better at bodying up on players and cutting off their vision, better at quick blocks (e.g., surprising the ball out of a shooter's hands or making a block inside off a quick jump), and was more versatile due to his extra 2" and length. Note that each was very good at the areas I'm listing where the other excelled, so don't take it the wrong way: Jordan was an excellent team defender, and Pippen had tremendous defensive instincts off the ball; however, these are the areas where I feel each had the advantage, however slight it might be. I've seen each of them do things defensively that the other did not (and possibly could not) do.

Also keep in mind that their defensive primes did not coincide -- Jordan's was from '88-'93 and Pippen's was from '92-'97. Anyone who only saw the Bulls from '96-'98 will think that Pippen was "far superior," but anyone who saw them from '88 onward, while still perhaps thinking Pippen is superior overall (as I do due to his more consistent effort rather than innate ability), will not think that it's such a far-fetched question to ask. After all, it was Jordan, not Pippen, who was considered the best defensive player in the league by many coaches/analysts from '89-'93. No one ever suggested that Pippen was Jordan's defensive equal before or during the first three-peat.