Click below to listen to the full episode!

The guys also discuss the latest "PR Tour" that Scottie Pippen has been on to promote his new book, Unguarded, where he's taken countless shots at former Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan. Does Pippen have a legitimate gripe with all the things he's saying about His Airness or is he just creating drama to sell copies of his book?

Is Jordan's silence of Pippen's criticism making MJ look even better than he did after "The Last Dance?" Is Pippen's issue really with Mike or is it with the media and marketing/branding opportunities that helped make Jordan into one of the most famous athletes of all time?

Ron and Dev also discuss the Ben Simmons saga in Philadelphia. Is it time for the Sixers to trade the all-star caliber forward? If so, which team presents the best fit for Simmons and gives Philly the best return in prospects and draft picks?

Lastly, Ron and Dev break down the Top 40 preseason Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in California high school basketball. Sierra Canyon, Corona Centennial and Harvard-Westlake all look like locks for the 8-team CIF Southern Section Open Division field, but which teams have the best chance to spoil the Open party? Why did Sierra Canyon start the season at No. 1 over Centennial when Centennial beat Sierra Canyon head-to-head last season? Tune in to hear all of this and more!

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On Episode 68 of our In The Paint Podcast, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland take a closer look at the when, where and how of the return of grassroots and high school basketball. Some states are moving more quickly than others in reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, so what will the prep sports landscape look like come fall and winter?

The guys then segue to the NBA continuing to take steps toward restarting its season with potential ideas floating around on social media. What's feasible and what's unrealistic? Should the NBA go straight to the postseason with the 16 qualifying teams? Or should the league attempt to play out its remaining schedule? Will the 2020 champion have an asterisk next to its name?

Lastly, Ron and Dev discuss episodes nine and ten of The Last Dance and give the six things they learned from the docuseries, which you can also read about here.

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Congratulations to Mario Hezonja on joining an elite club full of NBA Hall of Famers like Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Scottie Pippen.

On Saturday, the former 5th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft scored two points in the Knicks victory over the Bucks. TWO POINTS! Obviously, it wasn't the two points that made him a trending topic on Twitter, it was him treating the Greek Freak like Ty Lue by stepping over him after a dunk that gave Super Mario his only bucket of the game. As expected, Giannis didn't appreciate the AI impersonation that moved Mario to the top of Giannis' shit list.

"I'm going to punch him in the nuts next time." Said Giannis with a dead-serious expression after the game.

"I'm going to punch him next time."
I love that Giannis said this with a dead serious look on his face and then said "yeah" when the reporter replied, "really?"

(Via @Apooch) pic.twitter.com/o0cKV9V55b

— David Astramskas (@redapples) December 2, 2018

Here's what Mario had to say about the best highlight of his NBA career (the last highlight I can think of is him knocking down a game-winning three during a 2015 Summer League game).

"Honestly, if you’re afraid, this is not for you. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but if you feel fear this is not the place for you, New York is not a place for you and this team is not a place for you."

I agree! And New Yorkers should definitely remember the first great disrespectful step over in NBA history.

(1994) PIPPEN OVER EWING

What makes Pippen's steps over Patrick Ewing in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals so memorable is because the dunk is arguably one of the top three posters of all-time -- even though Pippen said it was one of his "easiest."

“That was probably the easiest dunk I ever did,” Pippen jokingly said during an amusing conversation about the historic moment. “I think I must have crossed Derek Harper over at half court, because when I see the picture of it, he’s back wondering what happened.  All I remember is catching the ball and I don’t know how Patrick even got down there. It was such a weird play.”

What I remember in the 90s is how hard it was to find this dunk on video and how happy I was when I opened a pack of 1994/95 Upper Deck SE cards and pulled a Pippen card that used a great photo of Derek Harper sitting on the ground and watching his teammate get dunked on, sent to the ground and then walked over. I also pulled a gold Chris Webber rookie card worth a couple hundred dollars then and a Redbox rental now.

Unlike Giannis, Ewing didn't wait for a "next time" to give Pippen a shove to the nuts...BUT, there was a next time!

Two years after the first incident, Pippen stepped over the head of Ewing during a loose ball scramble. You might initially think it wasn't intentional but once you see the smile on Pippen's face as he walked back to the bench you will know it was 100% intentional.

If Pippen stepping over Ewing twice wasn't great enough, his son, Scotty Pippen Jr, stepped over a defender two decades later.

Scotty Pippen Jr hit em with the step-over ??? @spippenjr pic.twitter.com/dJBTz0Dmob

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) December 4, 2018

(2001) IVERSON OVER LUE

This is and will probably always be the most famous step over of all time. Iverson's step over the legs of Ty Lue from Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals is so iconic, you can even catch NFL players like Tyler Lockett reenacting it after a touchdown.

Lue has always been a good sport about the play and likes to remind fans on the anniversary of it he won a championship ring (the first of two as a player) a few days later. He's such a good sport about it, he was even willing to take a photo with a fan wearing a shirt of the play. Considering most young players in the NBA are so paranoid about ending up in a viral clip and/or a meme, it's unlikely you would be able to convince one of them to take a selfie with you if you were wearing a short showing their most embarrassing moment. I guess I shouldn't single out the young players because I'm pretty sure Kevin Durant would curse me out if I asked for a photo while wearing a shirt of him getting yelled at by Draymond.

??? This kid asked Allen Iverson to step over him like he did Ty Lue!

(via @ChristianCrosby)

pic.twitter.com/xPM3gPlZ2W

— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) April 8, 2018

(2016) LEBRON OVER DRAYMOND

Speaking of Draymond, Warriors fans will never forget the time he got pissed at LeBron James for stepping over him during Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals and responded with a shot to the nuts and some words that offended the King.

“Some of the words that came out of his mouth was a little overboard,” James said after the game. “Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids, things of that nature, some things just go overboard. That’s where he took it.”

The nut shot by Draymond earned him his fourth flagrant foul points of the season which meant a one-game suspension. The Cavs went on to win Game 5 to cut the Warriors lead to 3-2 and you know the rest of the story.

Here's Steph Curry talking about the incident and referencing Iverson's "cool moment" with Lue.

(2018) HONORABLE MENTION: RAWLE ALKINS

This dunk and step over didn't happen in the NBA so it's getting honorable mention. The dunker is former Ballislife All-American and current NBA rookie King Rawle Alkins. The posterized is USC guard Elijah Stewart and the quote of the night belongs to NBA No. 1 Draft Pick Deandre Ayton.

“He should go to jail for that.” Said Ayton about his teammate's dunk. “There’s no way somebody should get away with that…I’ve never seen a dunk like that. That was some 2K animation type stuff."

Here's a better look at the step over...hop over.

No caption needed on this one from @Iam_RawleAlkins. #APlayersProgram pic.twitter.com/wp94lz5wCG

— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) March 11, 2018

Source: Anthony Puccio/NetsDaily, StevePopper/NewsDaySports

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It's hard out here for a Pip.

In 2015, Shaq called Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen nothing more than a "sidekick" during a (very amusing) war of online words. A lot of people on the internet took Shaq's side and I'm assuming those are the same people who considered Kobe nothing more than a Shaq sidekick during the Lakers dynasty in the early 00s.

Pippen obviously sees himself as much more than Robin from the 90's Chicago Bulls; he sees himself as "LeBron before LeBron." I don't think he's either, but I get what he meant and I do think the seven-time NBA All-Star with six rings and eight All-NBA 1st Defense Honors on his resume does deserve way more love and credit than he's usually given -- especially today.

The member of the NBA's Top 50 All-Time team turns a year wiser today, so in honor of the Chicago Bulls great, who finished 3rd in MVP voting when Mike was hitting baseballs and is married to the great looking Larsa Pippen and produced as many great and nasty looking posters as anyone in NBA history, here's a collection of some of Pippen's greatest moments and performances.

• 47 PTS (19-27 FG)
• 43 PTS, 6 STL (16-17 FG)
• 40 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK
• 39 PTS, 10 AST, 9 STL
• 37 PTS, 12 AST, 9 REB
• 37 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 6 3PT
• 28 PTS, 14 AST, 5 3PT
• 27 PTS, 11 REB, 8 STL, 6 AST
• 26 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, 5 BLK

THE DRAFT

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE DEFENSE

THE CAREER HIGH

THE ALL-STAR GAME

THE COMMERCIALS

THE INTERVIEWS

THE HALL OF FAME

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Scottie Pippen's former teammate Charles Barkley was on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday and gave his 2 cents on Pippen saying he "was LeBron before LeBron."

“No. No, he wasn’t,” Barkley said. “Scottie was a terrific player. But Scottie wasn’t a guy who could get you 30 every night. He was a terrific defender, but he wasn’t gonna get you 10 rebounds. LeBron could get you 30 a night. He’s the best defender — Scottie was a great defender. But he wasn’t gonna get you a bunch of rebounds every night. So the answer to that question is no.”

I'm not saying any leftover beef had anything to do with Barkley's comments, but just in case you weren't familiar with the history between Barkley and Pippen, they aren't too fond of each other.

BARKLEY VS PIPPEN

In 1999, when Pippen left the Houston Big 3 Fail to go to the Portland Blazers, the 6 x NBA champ said he wanted to get away from Barkley's "selfish" and "sorry fat butt." He also said he should have listened to Michael Jordan who supposedly said Barkley will never win a championship because he doesn't show any dedication.

Barkley being Barkley had a funny response to the media when asked about Pippen's comments and him saying he would never apologize to Barkley.

"As you know, I always carry a gun with me," joked Barkley. "So there's a chance. If I get arrested for murder then you know he didn't apologize."

Barkley also said Jordan called him and told him he never said what Pippen said he did.

Wow. And to think this was Scottie and Charles a year earlier.

And this was 5 year earlier.

But as we all know, Pippen got the last laugh that year.

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Pippen must have been referring to Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals -- I'm just kidding!

The initial reaction of most people who only want to compare players with the holy trinity of Jordan, Magic and Bird will probably shake their heads at the comments by the 6 x NBA Champion with 8 All-NBA 1st Defense honors under his belt, but LeBron's game really is more similar to Pippen than Jordan.

"I'm no slouch, but when comparing LeBron's game, I'm usually left out," he said. "They want to compare him to the greatest whether it be Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but he's more closer to myself. It's natural for folks to say that, but if you look at how he plays the game and how I played the game, you'll see more similarities with us."

So if Scottie Pippen thinks he was "LeBron before LeBron" and also thinks "LeBron would kick Jordan's a$$," does that mean he thinks he was as good as Jordan? I'm kidding again!

pic.twitter.com/pMsPe6YMVD

— John Brisker (@JohnBrisker2021) September 25, 2021

I'm sure Pippen's comments are going to be rejected across social media today but it wont be as bad as getting rejected by a Kardashian -- which also happened to Pippen this weekend.

Enough of the jokes, here's some examples of why the Hall Of Famer, Dream Team and NBA50 member was a favorite among Fantasy Basketball players and more videos of him rejecting shots and posterizing lots of Knicks.

• 47 PTS (19-27 FG)
• 43 PTS, 6 STL (16-17 FG)
• 40 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK
• 39 PTS, 10 AST, 9 STL
• 37 PTS, 12 AST, 9 REB
• 37 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 6 3PT
• 28 PTS, 14 AST, 5 3PT
• 27 PTS, 11 REB, 8 STL, 6 AST
• 26 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, 5 BLK

VIDEO: LEBRON WINKS AT PIPPEN

Source: Cleveland.com

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New Griz Jeff Green could have had a Scottie Pippen over Patrick Ewing moment but instead went with the Iverson step over Tyronne Lue moment.

In the 3rd quarter of Memphis' win over the Orlando Magic on Friday, Jeff Green scored 2 of his team-high 21 points on a dunk on Victor Oladipo which knocked Dipo to the ground.  Green gave him a quick stare and then stepped over his legs the way Iverson did Lue in the NBA finals. He could have walked all the way over Ewing the way Pip did in the playoffs but you all remember how mad Ewing got.

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No words needed for this pic. Was this the best era of basketball?

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Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley, all players from the original Dream Team have come out and expressed their opinions about the matter and here's what each of them had to say.

Michael Jordan:

Jordan's "we didn't learn from them, they learned from us" comment isn't really a valid argument and really means nothing besides a cop-out. Also it's safe to say that at least 8 of the guys will eventually go down as Hall of Fame players.

Scottie Pippen:

Scottie keeping it respectable, not much to say.

Charles Barkley:

"Oh yeah, that's no disrespect," Barkley said. "I ain't got to badmouth them. But like I said, their point guards weren't going to beat us. That's a no-brainer. "

Barkley also brushed aside Bryant's comments about the Dream Team's age.

"I just started laughing," Barkley said. "How old is Kobe Bryant? He's 34? And he's calling us old? At the time, we were only like 28, 29. Michael Jordan and me were the same age. We were both 29. ...

"Other than Kobe, LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant, I don't think anybody else on that team makes our team."

First of all Barkley is crazy to say that the point guards on the current team weren't going to beat them. After our 3 spot, the point guard position is where we would give them the most trouble. Could you imagine John Stockton and a retired Magic Johnson trying to keep up with CP3, Westbrook and Deron?

READ ANOTHER DREAM TEAM VS TEAM USA ARGUMENT BY ANOTHER BALLISLIFE MEMBER HERE

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After watching Kevin Durant in the first 4 games of the Finals, you can’t help but see how great of a scorer he really is. And even though the Thunder are down 3-1 to Miami, Kevin Durant is putting up some of the most efficient numbers for the NBA Finals. He’s averaging 30.3 points per game while shooting 55% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. And he’s doing it against LeBron James, arguably the best player and defender in the League, and Shane Battier who’s also known for his extremely tough on-ball perimeter defense. And Kevin Durant is only 23 years old. Let me repeat this... He’s dropping 30 a game in his first NBA Finals against two of the best perimeter defenders in the game while shooting over 50% and he’s only 23. If all that doesn’t convince you how great of a scorer he is, here’s a few highlights to get the point across.

[jwplayer config="Click N Play" mediaid="15457"]

Scottie Pippen was probably one of the more underrated superstars in the League mainly because of that dude named Jordan. When MJ retired the first time, Scottie Pippen was third in NBA MVP voting that year, and the next year he lead his team in every major statistical category including points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks yet defense was his specialty. His 6'8, 220 lbs frame allowed him to guard every position. The combination of athleticism, tenacity, and basketball IQ made Scottie Pippen the ideal defender. He would create all types of havoc whether he was harassing the PG full court, getting weak-side blocks on driving guards, or stealing entry passes leading to easy transition buckets for the Bulls. His defense was so good, someone made him two Youtube mixes of only his defensive highlights.

So, if KD and Scottie matched up, who do you think would win the match up? Would KD score 30 or would Scottie lock him up?

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