2. Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
One of the most impressive players that Jordan, Pippen, and the Bulls consistently had success against in the playoffs (and namely the NBA Finals) was the Hall-of-Fame power forward Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. Malone and Hall-of-Fame point guard John Stockton were one of the best duos of the 1990’s, but they couldn’t get past the Bulls on two tries in the NBA Finals.
Malone was a 14-time All-Star selection, 14-time All-NBA Team selection, two-time MVP, and two-time All-Star Game MVP in his accomplished NBA career. But Malone wasn’t able to get the best of Pippen, whether he was a member of the Bulls or Blazers. Pippen and the Blazers even beat Malone and the Jazz in the 2000 Western Conference Semifinals.
Malone held a record of 5-12 in 17 playoff games against Pippen in his career. He averaged 24.2 points per game, 9.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Malone shot 46.4 percent from the field and 71.8 percent from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Pippen averaged 16.0 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks. He did that while shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Even in the regular season, Pippen owned the slight edge over Malone and the Jazz. Pippen held the edge with a record of 20-18. But he did average around 10 less points per game, and around half as many rebounds as Malone. It was just the success in the win column here that was pertinent for Pippen against Malone and the Jazz in the playoffs.