Scottie Pippen on how Michael Jordan would have reacted if he left the Bulls: "He would have probably tried to shoot more and score more"

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the best 1-2 punch in the NBA, but they had a brief break after MJ retired following the first three-peat. He returned in '95, and the Chicago Bulls reclaimed their throne in 1996. But in 1997, Pippen almost left because he was unhappy with his contract.

He ended up staying, and they won two more titles in 1997 and 1998. During an interview with Esquire , Pippen explained the difference between when MJ left in '93 and if he ended up leaving in '97.

"If I had left, Michael would have probably tried to shoot more and score more," said Pippen. "I didn't try to become a thirty-point-per-game scorer when Michael left. My mentality was to do other things better rather than to try to change who I was. I eased up maybe one or two points from my normal average, but I probably averaged more assists, had more rebounds, and was more of a verbal leader. If you watched the film, you wouldn't be able to tell any difference in my play."

Scottie finished third in the MVP race in 1994

In Pippen's first season without MJ, he averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. Those numbers were close to his production in the previous year when Jordan was still around.

Scottie averaged 16.4 field goal attempts per game in 1992-93, which increased by only 1.4 FGA per game without Mike in 1993-94. His scoring also increased by just 3.4 PPG, his rebounding went up by 1.1 RPG, and his assists dropped by 0.7 APG. Looking at those numbers, Pip is right that he only tried to alter his game a little in Mike's absence.

Pippen received rightful credit for Chicago 's regular season success, with the Bulls winning just two games fewer without MJ than with him in 1993. When it was time to vote for the MVP, Scottie finished third behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in the 1994 NBA MVP voting.

Related: "He has an explanation for every move, every mistake" - Michael Jordan on Luc Longley's superior basketball IQ

The Bulls did not win a ring without Mike

With a 55-27 regular season record, the Bulls were the No.3 seed in the Eastern Conference in the 1994 NBA Playoffs. In the first round, Scottie was spectacular, averaging 25.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Bulls faced the second-seeded New York Knicks in the next round, and things began to unravel for Pippen. With Chicago down 0-2 in the series, Pippen benched himself in the final play of Game 3 after head coach Phil Jackson designed the game-winning play for Toni Kukoc instead of him. Toni ended up hitting the shot and winning the game for the Bulls.

Still, the Bulls would go on to lose the series in Game 7, and they did not make the Conference Finals for the first time in six years. Pippen had a great season where he didn't try to do too much statistically. However, the Wind City team did not win the title without Mike, and that's what mattered. Another story is whether they would have won in '97 if Scottie left. But they would have at least fared better with Prime MJ carrying the team instead of him.

Related: Michael Jordan on winning 1988 DPOY: "I had more energy for my defense this year because I had more help on offense"