It does not seem to matter what uniform or what color Scottie Pippen is wearing; his trips to New Jersey end the same way, with his team winning a thriller and his long, spindly arms thrust skyward in victory.
Last night’s 93-92 win over the Nets was no different, after Pippen’s free throw with 3.3 seconds left in overtime proved the difference.
“That’s ’cause I’m the champ,” Pippen grinned. “And it’s gonna be that way in June.”
And why not puff his chest out, and spread his feathers like a peacock? It was Pippen who carried the Rockets past the Nets, the same way he – and some guy named Jordan – had done so many times for the Bulls.
The Rockets, possessors of two NBA championship rings, signed Pippen – who has six – to show his formula for prodigious winning. And last night he put it on display for the Rockets for the first time: fourth-quarter heroics, clutch defensive plays, and a little bit of luck, manifested in an official’s whistle.
Pippen had scored just eight points in the first half, but warmed up with six in the third and then carried the Rockets in the fourth. He scored exactly half of their points in the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Nets 22-16.
Pippen had just one point in overtime, but it was a big one – the biggest single point of the game.
His free throw came on a dubious – and hotly-contested – call by official Marc Davis. After a seeming game-winning basket was waved off by official Scott Foster for Jayson Williams’ offensive interference, Houston had a chance for one more play.
At halfcourt, Pippen started to back up to receive a pass and backed into Scott Burrell, his ex-teammate in Chicago. Pippen stumbled to the Meadowlands parquet and got the benefit of the call.
Burrell had said that he would have an advantage in guarding Pippen, because they had practiced together for so long. But after the game, all Burrell could due was howl at Davis as he stormed off the court, calling the official by a part of the male anatomy.
“I’ve always got the advantage on Scott Burrell. I feel as long as I’ve got the ball in my hands, he’s at my mercy,” Pippen chided. “He tried to overplay me like he did for a year-and-a-half in practice, and he tripped me.”
When asked if he was shocked when he heard Davis’ whistle, Pippen said he was, but not for the same reason the outraged Nets and their fans would think.
“I was surprised, due to the fact I didn’t get any of the calls I should’ve gotten all night,” Pippen said, ignoring the fact he shot a game-high 10 free throws. “But that’s just something you fight through and hope you [get them in the end]. And we did.”