Were Scottie/Phil the key in separating MJ from Clyde Drexler?

[FultzNationRISE]

It’s actually quite remarkable how similar Glide and Sir Owes Alot were in the 80s.

Same size, same style of play, same hairline. Drexler was averaging an impressive 27 pts per game, but his teams were flaming out in the first round every year. Meanwhile MJ was also extremely ball dominant and his 1-9 exploits were well documented.

Then along came a sidekick and a new coach for each: Cliff Robinson and Rick Adelman for Clyde, Scottie and PJax for MJ.

These additions changed each team’s trajectory so dramatically they ended up meeting each other in a finals, as we all know. But even tho Michael and Glide had been dead-even in terms of success previously, by 91 the Bulls were suddenly a significant step above the Blazers, and went on to become arguably the greatest dynasty ever.

So... if youre looking at this from a scientific perspective, rather than a lens rooted in commercial marketing and apocryphal storylines... I mean the controls are all there for comparison. Individually MJ and Clyde were essentially the same player.

What changed was the environment around each.

Yall know what my man Herodotus said, right?

“Men do not rule circumstance. Circumstance rules men.”


Discuss.

[Doranku]

Jordan averaged 33 ppg over the course of 179 playoff games.

The best Clyde Drexler managed was 28 ppg in a 3 game series.

Stop.

[Kblaze8855]

Clyde did not play like Jordan. Clyde was way closer to young Lebron play style wise but it’s hard to see that when the player in question is nothing but highlights to you. Clyde was a playmaker who lived off being unstoppable in transition. He wasn’t just like Lebron due to era differences so he was more skilled in the post and a worse shooter....but he was stylistically closer to Lebron than Jordan who was always a more pure scorer than either of them especially in a half court setting. MJ ate you up individually and on demand. Clyde and Lebron slow dribbled and scored 24-30 off exploiting brief but hard to lean on advantages. Jordan scored when you shouldn’t be able to at a rate way beyond either of them.

The blazers were an ensemble Clyde led in scoring off being a total transition beast. Terry Porter often created his own shot better under duress. And Clyde couldn’t lock you up man to man or handle the ball as well. He could jump out the gym, had nasty moves in the air, and got a lot of gambling steals but he didn’t do much of what Jordan did to take over games.

Mj and Drexler were similar at a glance. Not in how they played.

Peak Wade and David Thompson are the closest comparisons and neither are perfect.

[FultzNationRISE]

Clyde did not play like Jordan. Clyde was way closer to young Lebron play style wise but it’s hard to see that when the player in question is nothing but highlights to you. Clyde was a playmaker who lived off being unstoppable in transition. He wasn’t just like Lebron due to era differences so he was more skilled in the post and a worse shooter....but he was stylistically closer to Lebron than Jordan who was always a more pure scorer than either of them especially in a half court setting. MJ ate you up individually and on demand. Clyde and Lebron slow dribbled and scored 24-30 off exploiting brief but hard to lean on advantages. Jordan scored when you shouldn’t be able to at a rate way beyond either of them.

The blazers were an ensemble Clyde led in scoring off being a total transition beast. Terry Porter often created his own shot better under duress. And Clyde couldn’t lock you up man to man or handle the ball as well. He could jump out the gym, had nasty moves in the air, and got a lot of gambling steals but he didn’t do much of what Jordan did to take over games.

Mj and Drexler were similar at a glance. Not in how they played.

Peak Wade and David Thompson are the closest comparisons and neither are perfect.


Did MJ start out 1-9 in playoff games, yes or no?

[Roundball_Rock]

Clyde definitely seems to think so.

"Let me have Scottie. See how I do then."--Clyde Drexler to Michael Jordan

With Pippen and PJ Drexler would have more rings but ultimately what separated MJ from Clyde is while they were both great MJ was just on another level.

[FultzNationRISE]

Clyde definitely seems to think so.

"Let me have Scottie. See how I do then."--Clyde Drexler to Michael Jordan

With Pippen and PJ Drexler would have more rings but ultimately what separated MJ from Clyde is while they were both great MJ was just on another level.



Madonna didnt seem to think so.

[Roundball_Rock]

Madonna didnt seem to think so.

:lol

[tontoz]

I liked Drexler but Jordan was better as a rookie then Drexler ever was. Drexler was limited as a ball handler, very right hand dominant and dribbled with his head down. His offensive arsenal probably was less than half of Jordan's.

Young people here might not know that he was on the same college team as Hakeem and somehow got beat in the NCAA Finals by NC State. Biggest upset i ever saw in the Final Four.

[Da_Realist]

I liked Drexler but Jordan was better as a rookie then Drexler ever was. Drexler was limited as a ball handler, very right hand dominant and dribbled with his head down. His offensive arsenal probably was less than half of Jordan's.

Young people here might not know that he was on the same college team as Hakeem and somehow got beat in the NCAA Finals by NC State. Biggest upset i ever saw in the Final Four.

Anyone can lose do-or-die one game. Except Christian Laettner's Blue Devils.

[Smoke117]

As I've said before, Drexler and Pippen are actually really similar players. Both two of the greatest open court players of all time while not being anything special in the half court. Pippen had the post game while Drexler was a bit more nimble off the dribble. The main difference, as I've said before, is Drexler was on up tempo teams that ran, ran, ran as much as possible. The triangle offense on the other hand is a slow down offense. Most of what Pippen got on the break was from their defense. If you replaced him with Drexler on those late 80s blazer teams I'm sure he could have been putting up 25-27ppg, too.

[guy]

Jordan is a significant upgrade over Drexler and as they were with Drexler the Blazers were getting to the Finals and/or having a top 2 record in the league in the early 90s and then by the mid-90s when the separation grew even more, Drexler was on the Rockets winning a title with the best center in the league in Hakeem and getting back to the WCF once they added one of the top PFs in Barkley. If you switch their situations, Jordan is probably winning 5-6 minimum and maybe more i.e. 90 to 93 with the Blazers and 95 to 98 with the Rockets.

[FourthTenor]

Jordan is a significant upgrade over Drexler and as they were with Drexler the Blazers were getting to the Finals and/or having a top 2 record in the league in the early 90s and then by the mid-90s when the separation grew even more, Drexler was on the Rockets winning a title with the best center in the league in Hakeem and getting back to the WCF once they added one of the top PFs in Barkley. If you switch their situations, Jordan is probably winning 5-6 minimum and maybe more i.e. 90 to 93 with the Blazers and 95 to 98 with the Rockets.

Bullshit.

[BigShotBob]

No because MJ was a far better scorer and defender and Clyde was a phenomenal choker.

[light]

Jordan used to try to clown on Drexler for not having a ring on the Dream Team.

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Dexler-Shutting-Up-Jordanb4cdd6030d376090.png

If the 1992 Blazers had Scottie Pippen they would've won the championship that season.

[Airupthere]

Clydes game was a lot smoother than lebron’s.

[3ball]

Did MJ start out 1-9 in playoff games, yes or no?


What's worse:

A) starting out 1-9 when most rookies are lottery their first few years (Durant, Lebron, Giannis, Curry, etc)

B) or having numerous 1-9 stretches with championship teams and big 3's...

Ultimately, going 1-9 with super-teams is worse than going 1-9 with 8 seeds - lebron lost worse with super-teams than Jordan lost with 8 seeds

[BigShotBob]

Jordan used to try to clown on Drexler for not having a ring on the Dream Team.

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Dexler-Shutting-Up-Jordanb4cdd6030d376090.png

If the 1992 Blazers had Scottie Pippen they would've won the championship that season.

Clyde was always a complainer and a whiner. I've never been too fond of that. Hakeem won with his second best player being Robert Horry and Mad Max. Terry Porter was a lot better than either of those guys. Rick Barry won with practically no one of note. I also would have loved to have seen anyone make Scottie into the player that he became aside from MJ.

Clyde wouldn't have forced Scottie and Horace Grant to workout with him at his house at 6 AM every morning without fail, or to guard him in practice every second of every day so that he can become a better defender.

Aside from that, there's no world where Scottie Pippen can guard MJ with any real success.

[ELITEpower23]

Yes

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Pip-matches-MJ-1990.png

[2much_knowledge]

Yes

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Pip-matches-MJ-1990.png

Reading through this funny little thread, and the 3 dumbest post here all come from bronsexuals. What else is new

[TheGoatest]

Yes

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Pip-matches-MJ-1990.png

Wow. Just wow. I can't believe how many aspects and angles there are to Pippen carrying Jordan in those championship seasons. No wonder he got three round exits and never cracked .500 in a season without Pippen.

[2much_knowledge]

Yes

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Pip-matches-MJ-1990.png

Bulls vs pistons WAS the finals fool. And it went to a 7th game. Blazers were almost swept

And the only reason bran went to the finals is because Ben Wallace was a Bull in 2007. Lets say it like it is

[JBSptfn]

Bulls vs pistons WAS the finals fool. And it went to a 7th game. Blazers were almost swept.

No, it wasn't. I don't think the Bulls would have defeated Portland in 1990. The Blazers would have had home court, and the Finals would have been on CBS, not NBC (National Bulls Corporation). The next year, everything was in place for the league to fix titles for the Bulls (from 1991-02, the years in which the NBA was on NBC, the 94-95 Rockets titles and the 99 Spurs title are the only legit ones. The Bulls and Lakers titles were fixes).

Also, someone mentioned Drexler and college. MJ didn't win a title at UNC after James Worthy left. Jordan worshippers need reminded of that.

[dankok8]

When MJ had just a single star player alongside him (1991-1993 and 1995-1998), he won 6 titles in 7 seasons.

[TheGoatest]

Imagine thinking that beating those blatantly washed Pistons in 1991 was some accomplishment. :roll:

The following 1991-92 season the Pistons won 48 games and lost to the perennial losers, couldn't beat Hakeem + a bunch of role players Knicks in the first round.
Meanwhile, the same, Ben Wallace-less Pistons with the same core of Billups-Hamilton-Sheed-Prince won 59 games in 2007-08, the season after LeBron single-handedly beat them, only to lose to the eventual champions Celtics in the conference finals.

[BigShotBob]

https://i.ibb.co/ssH4m55/lakersadbran.png

[clipps]

Bron got to pick his Pippens and live in Miami and LA. Jordan had to develop his Pippen while dealing with that arrogant fat f*ck, Krause, for his entire career while living in shitass Shitcago.

[Smoke117]

Clyde was always a complainer and a whiner. I've never been too fond of that. Hakeem won with his second best player being Robert Horry and Mad Max. Terry Porter was a lot better than either of those guys. Rick Barry won with practically no one of note. I also would have loved to have seen anyone make Scottie into the player that he became aside from MJ.

Clyde wouldn't have forced Scottie and Horace Grant to workout with him at his house at 6 AM every morning without fail, or to guard him in practice every second of every day so that he can become a better defender.

Aside from that, there's no world where Scottie Pippen can guard MJ with any real success.

lol Don't be a ****ing retarded moron stan. Drexler was clearly the 2nd best player on that 95 championship.

[BigShotBob]

lol Don't be a ****ing retarded moron stan. Drexler was clearly the 2nd best player on that 95 championship.

A Hakeem stan.....that would be the day.

Obviously I was talking about the 1994 Houston Rockets. Clyde had Terry Porter and he was better than any other guard on that team offensively.

[Smoke117]

A Hakeem stan.....that would be the day.

Obviously I was talking about the 1994 Houston Rockets. Clyde had Terry Porter and he was better than any other guard on that team offensively.

Well you're talking about Clyde and then go into how Horry was the 2nd best so I assumed you had to be talking about 95.

[BigShotBob]

Well you're talking about Clyde and then go into how Horry was the 2nd best so I assumed you had to be talking about 95.

I'm saying that those Portland teams were very good, and Clyde was a great player himself. He just wasn't MJ.

[HoopsNY]

Jordan used to try to clown on Drexler for not having a ring on the Dream Team.

https://s2.gifyu.com/images/Dexler-Shutting-Up-Jordanb4cdd6030d376090.png

If the 1992 Blazers had Scottie Pippen they would've won the championship that season.

It doesn't really work that way, though. If you take Pippen from the Bulls and place him alongside Clyde, then you have to swap him for the 2nd best player (Porter) and place him on the Bulls.

Porter was a very good on the ball defender, and, in the playoffs, he put up 21/5/7 on 65% TS%. Porter would have been a great fit for the triangle. So I think Chicago still wins and still wins almost as many games.