Stacey King said Michael Jordan didn't have to mention the Migraine Game in The Last Dance: "Scottie was treated harshly there"
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One thing that got Scottie Pippen furious about The Last Dance was the fact that the documentary had to mention his 'migraine game.' When Michael Jordan hinted he doubted whether the forward really had a migraine, Pip's other teammates were up in arms about his unfair treatment in the series.
Among those who came to Scottie's defense was ex-Bulls forward Stacey King. King was Chicago's sixth overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and was there during the team's first three-peat. He was also there when Pippen struggled while having a migraine in the franchise's biggest game before their dynasty run.
"I was there when Scottie had the migraine," said King. "When you have one of the worst migraines, you can't see, which Scottie couldn't. He was in so much pain, coming to Detroit for that Game 7. He was in tears, and he tried to play."
Pip's migraine game
It was 1990, and the young Bulls finally had an opportunity to get past their rivals, the Detroit Pistons. Detroit eliminated Chicago 4-1 in the second round of the 1988 Playoffs. In 1989, they sent the Bulls home in the Eastern Conference Finals after six games. But with the '90 ECF tied at 3-3, the Bulls were one win away from finally getting over the hump.
However, in the most important game of their season, Pippen struggled with a migraine that left him almost without vision. Despite feeling sick, Pip tried to play. He spent 42 minutes on the floor but only scored two points on 1-10 shooting.
Without Scottie's usual output, Jordan's 31 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists went for naught. The Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas' 21 points, emerged victorious 93-74 and advanced to their third straight NBA Finals appearance on their way to back-to-back titles.
The Last Dance treated Pippen harshly
Although everybody on the Bulls team knew what Scottie was going through that day, he still got a bad rap for the incident. Worse, King said MJ bringing it up in The Last Dance was unfair to his teammate.
"To have that in a documentary, bringing that back up?" added King. "I thought Scottie was treated harshly there, and I understand where he is coming from."
After that season, the Bulls won three straight championships from 1991 to 1993. Although Jordan was Chicago's leading man during that run, he couldn't have won one without Pippen. And since The Last Dance had omitted several key people and events, MJ should've done away with the migraine game, too.