When Jordan took his talents to play baseball for the Chicago White Sox, Pippen got his chance to finally be the Batman of the team. He won MVP honors at the All-Star game. He also led his team in most of the statistical categories on the team as well as being named on the All-NBA first team for the first time, and was third in the MVP voting. During the Eastern Conference Final, the Bulls were one bad call away from making the Finals. They lost to the New York Knicks, but this showed how talented Pippen really was. However, Jordan's first three seasons without Pippen, he was swept in the first round.
Pippen did what Jordan didn't want to do or couldn't. He guarded the opposing team's best offensive player so that Jordan could roam the lanes to pick off passes. The defensive prowess of Pippen and Jordan were the catalyst to all those championships. Pippen is also widely considered the top defensive wing player of all-time. Pippen easily could have scored more, but allowed the more capable Jordan to and was a facilitator.