We all agree that both Jordan and Lebron played in the modern era, right?

[3ball]

Yeah...because you don't want Pippen stuck to one primary player...you want him out there playing his GOAT help/team defense.

MJ and Pippen were both the best defenders at their position - both were dominant defenders on and off-ball.

The difference is that MJ scored between 10-25 points more than Pippen and carried the biggest offensive load ever, which shows the extent of his goatness and vast superiority.

Also, great team defense is more of a team effort and more common among championship teams than a great offense, which was due mostly to Jordan and is LESS common among championship teams.

[Dragonyeuw]

The narrative when trying to discredit MJs role during the second 3peat often goes along the lines of hyping up the defensive side of things, where Pippen can be credibly argued for in terms of his impact, while dismissing MJs scoring or triviializing Pippen's erratic 2nd 3peat scoring as the second option. ' Pip was crap offensively in the playoffs in 96? Meh, who cares, what about his DEFENSE!!!' Yeah, ok, but when people start talking about second options its usually in reference to their offense complimenting the lead scorer.

There's a reason why the majority of the generally acknowledged top ten players- MJ, Kareem, Wilt, Shaq, Bird, Lebron, Hakeem, Kobe, are also among the greatest offensive players ever production-wise, but when it comes to the anti- MJ brigade, averaging over 30 for just about every playoff series of his career is dismissed as a walk in the park, or somehow being an alpha scorer is equal to being a defensive standpoint. When you've got a guy who can score at a rate better than anyone else, you can easier fill in the blanks with defensive specialists, spot shooters and rebounders than building a championship squad around a defensive-oriented talent without someone who can score big in the pivotal moments that decide which way a game or series goes.