In an episode of Scoop B Radio, TNT’s Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson that the 1994 Houston Rockets championship team would have beaten the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals even if Michael Jordan hadn’t retired.


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(H/T to Uproxx’s Oliver Maroney )

“Oh we would’ve beat them,” Smith said. “And actually everyone forgets he was playing the second year, he was wearing No. 45 and the team they lost to, the Orlando Magic, we swept them. “We were that much better than them that year, [and] they lost to them.”https://youtu.be/7FjsqoWQxVASmith added:“Even if a good, healthy Michael takes them to seven and maybe wins we would’ve beat the Bulls without a question, they didn’t match up well with us and during those years that they were actually winning championships, which wasn’t the playoffs. We were 8-2 against them during those years. We matched up well with them. We wouldn’t have been scared I tell you that much.

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Well, also yesterday, former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen appeared on an episode of ESPN’s The Jump with former Los Angeles Lakers guard and former NBA coach Byron Scott. On the show, host Rachel Nichols gauged Pippen’s opinion of Kenny Smith’s comments on Scoop B Radio.

“He forgot what my role was,” Pippen said. “I cut the head off of snakes. And I’m calling him the snake of that team.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8ygIjcrcqs&t=2s

 

Pippen made it a point to clarify that he loves Smith and that “snake” in this context means more “point guard” than, you know, what people usually mean when they call someone a snake

Pippen’s larger point was that the Rockets’ success hinged on getting the ball to Hakeem Olajuwon – who was in his prime at this time and may have been the best player in the league with Jordan on his baseball sabbatical – and that his ability to shut people down would have made it difficult for Smith to do this. To take things a step further, Pippen said if they were still getting the ball into Olajuwon, he might have needed to guard the big man.

While you’re keeping score at home, Pippen’s even had to play defense on Kenny Smith. See video below.