Michael Jordan’s Teammate Claims ‘Stephen Curry Effect’ Would Not Work in ’90s

Stephen Curry and his Golden State Warriors have revolutionized basketball differently than what Scottie Pippen was used to in the 90s.

Michael Jordan’s Teammate Claims ‘Stephen Curry Effect’ Would Not Work in ’90s

Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen (Image via FirstSportz)

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Michael Jordan terrorized the 1990s alongside Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Chicago Bulls in an era where physicality was ever-present, unlike how Stephen Curry and LeBron James face nowadays.

Those were the days of hand-checking, bumping and grinding methods of defense, and opponents would pull and tug at players’ jerseys. Despite those obstacles, Pippen and Michael Jordan won 6 titles.

In the present era, the game is much more free-flowing, and athleticism and shooting from distance have taken over. Some greats from the past term this era as ‘soft’.

However, others from this era claim that the game has become so fast that players from the past would struggle to keep up with the speed and agility.

Anthony Edwards went on to claim that the players from past eras, excepting His Airness, were not skilled enough to compete in today’s game. That seemed to irk past players, who did not appreciate the young star’s comments.

Scottie Pippen was in Spain as an ambassador for Inclusive Sport. When MARCA caught up with the 6-time champion, they asked him if his 72-10 ’96 Bulls team would trump the 73-9 ’16 Warriors team, and he replied:

It depends on the rules. If you play by today’s rules, it would be one thing. But with the rules of the ’90s, Curry would not be the same. If we played in his era, it would be like playing in freedom: nobody grabs you, nobody stops you. I don’t know who would win.

Scottie Pippen replied

He believes the 80s and 90s were much more difficult for Stephen Curry to play as freely as he does nowadays. Pippen believes the physicality would be too much for the all-time leader in made 3-pointers to be efficient.

Scottie Pippen believes ’90s defense would not allow Curry’s Warriors to score more than 80 points

While talking about the difference in styles of play, the 60-year-old believes the ’80s ’90s style would not allow an opponent to shoot as much as they did. When talking about Stephen Curry and his Warriors, he elaborated:

We weren’t made to shoot 25-50 three-pointers a game. They would probably win in that sense, because they have two of the best shooters like Steph and Klay. But we played physical, we defended hard. We made teams score only 75-80 points. Today that is almost impossible.

Scottie Pippen said

Scottie Pippen believes the hard-style defense would have made it difficult, even though the 2016 Golden State Warriors possessed the two best shooters. They would have limited them to just 80 points.

In today’s age, the lack of physical defense has contributed to the rise in scoring. That is why teams routinely score above 110 points and make it into a shooting battle. That would not have happened back then.

Scottie Pippen reveals his relationship with Michael Jordan

After they won 6 NBA championships, Michael Jordan retired for the 2nd time, and Scottie Pippen moved on to the Houston Rockets. MARCA asked the small forward how his relationship was with his illustrious teammate.

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the 90s
Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the 90s (Image via Basket Mix/X)

It was never a very close relationship. But when we played, we had great chemistry. That’s the way this business is. Same with Phil Jackson. We’re not close friends anymore. That’s life, things change.

Scottie Pippen replied

The Arkansas native’s relationship with Jordan has taken a turn for the worse, especially after Marcus Jordan‘s relationship with Pippen’s ex-wife, Larsa Pippen, became public fodder.

Nowadays, the two are not on speaking terms and even avoided each other at the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor ceremony by speaking to the fans via video conference.

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