Gary Payton: Then I started playing, and I started feeling better and better. We were down too much in the series, and I just started saying: “Let me guard him.” And he [Jordan] was averaging 33 points at the time. Then I started becoming a pest for him. I brought it down to 23 points. And what do coaches do when they have a problem? They try to solve it. Jordan was starting to take it personally with me, which is what I wanted to happen. Then Phil Jackson said, “Nah, let me put somebody bigger on him and distract him—make it a problem.” And he put Scottie Pippen on me. Pippen is a bigger player than me—he’s 6’7″, he’s mobile. And it started taking a toll on me— Trying to score and guard Jordan at the same time—it took a toll. -via YouTube / May 23, 2025
