After a leisurely, fun-filled round of golf with his older brother (Billy), University of Central Arkansas athletic director Brad Teague and former coach Arch Jones, Scottie Pippen delayed lunch Monday to retire to a corner table at Centennial Valley and laud the defense of the Boston Celtics.
He also talked about the difficulty of winning an NBA title with only one major go-to guy.
He should know. Michael Jordan had no NBA title rings before Pippen joined the Chicago Bulls. Each finished their careers with six.
"Boston's defense has been the biggest surprise for me in the playoffs," said Pippen, UCA's icon basketball player who also possesses two Olympic gold medals and was voted one of the top 50 players in NBA history. "I knew they had one of the best defenses in the league. I knew they were giving up a whole lot of points. But numbers don't tell the whole story. That defense is solid overall. They are doing a great job on defense in the playoffs."
Pippen was in Conway on Monday to play in UCA's President's Cup golf scramble, a major fundraiser for the Purple Circle and athletic fund.
He played in 1,178 NBA games and has recently done television commentary, so he knows how to appreciate the nuances of good defense. During his 17-year pro career, he was probably underrated as a defender.
"The Lakers also are also a good defensive team, but focusing a defense on stopping one guy, which the Celtics are doing, is a lot easier," he said. "The Lakers have a lot more guys to focus their defense on. The Celtics seemed to be sending the message that Kobe (Laker star Bryant) is not gonna score very easily, and the rest of the Laker team is not going to beat them."
The Celtics, who won three of the first four games of the series, take a 3-2 lead into tonight's sixth game in Boston, where the championship series will conclude either tonight or Thursday.
"Kobe (the regular-season MVP) is a very talented player but he needs another go-to scorer to really put pressure on a defense," Pippen said. "Boston knows Los Angeles has got only one guy who can drive to the hole.
"Paul Pierce is really playing great, but the Celtics also have Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to take some pressure off."
Laker coach Phil Jackson was Pippen's coach at Chicago when the Bulls made their championship run.
What is he thinking having to win two games in a row in Boston?
"The only thing he can do is go one game at a time ... really one play at a time and hope his team brings the energy to what they are facing," he said.
As a casual observer, Pippen said he has enjoyed the series.
"What I like is it has been a real clean playoff series," he said. "There's not a lot of dirty play, hard fouls or wrestling going on. It's been the type of playoffs everbody wants to see."
Pippen, who retired in 2004 and had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Bulls in 2005, now is enjoying retirement in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There were recent rumblings he might try a comeback in Europe.
"That was only for a game or two, possibly, but I have no interest in playing basketball again," he said. "I feel there is no place in the game for me right now. I play a lot of golf and enjoy spending time with my family now. I had a great 17-year career (at least twice as long as the average one) and have had a lot of great opportunities and experiences. It was a good, long career."
Pippen, an NAIA All-American at UCA, finished with a career average (in 1,178 games) of 16.1 points, eight rebounds and 5.2 assists. He played in 208 playoff games (among the most in NBA history).
He and his wife, Larsa, have three sons, Scottie (7), Preston (5, named after Pippen's father) and Justin (2). They are expecting a fourth child in January and "we're hoping for a girl," he said.
He has traveled to Europe and China during promotional work for the NBA.
"Since I came into the league, it has had become more of an international game and international teams have gained more confidence by beating some of the American international teams," Pippen said. "It's not as much how the international player has improved by how the NBA has improved its game to fit the good international player. You see physical defense and you can play zone defense and even if players can't jump or have slow feet, if they know how to play basketball, it's a fair game for everybody.
"Yao Ming has done a lot for the game in China and Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Maverick star) is from Germany," he added. "It only takes one player having success to give people hope. It's like me going to the University of Central Arkansas and getting to the NBA. Only one player and people know it can happen. If you know how to play and can play, it doesn't matter where you come from."
(Sports columnist David McCollum can be reached at 505-1235 or david.mccollum@thecabin.net)
