Just two years ago, Jordan's career-capping jumper over Utah's Bryon Russell gave himself, Pippen and Jackson a sixth NBA championship in eight seasons. The Bulls were then stripped down like a stolen Mercedes.

So Jackson, now coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, expects his spine to tingle just a tad when he and Pippen stand on the same playoff court Saturday afternoon for the first time since their dynasty was dismantled.

They won't share the same allegiances, though, because Pippen will be wearing a Portland Trail Blazers uniform at Staples Center. But eight short months ago, Jackson tried to finagle a way for the Lakers to add Pippen to their arsenal.

His dynamic versatility and knowledge of assistant coach Tex Winter's triple-post offense made Pippen a priceless commodity. However, the numbers -- both in dollars and bodies -- couldn't be crunched to satisfy the Houston Rockets or Lakers owner Jerry Buss' accountants.

Thus, Pippen's knowledge of what Jackson likes to do, and vice versa, thickens the plot of the Western Conference finals immensely. It's the mentor vs. the protégé, or the brains vs. the brawn.

"When I saw Portland make its run for him, they had the reserves and the right things happen for them to get it done," Jackson said Wednesday. "Sometimes, it's a matter of economics. This is one of them that stands out, definitely.

"This is what it boils down to, as ironic as it is. I think it's great intrigue, and I think it's a lot of fun. When it happened, I was able to say, 'We let our biggest opponent step into the gap and supply themselves with a player who could eventually end up costing us, big-time.' And here we are."

Portland president and general manager Bob Whitsitt, with the blessing and bottomless pockets of Blazers owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, began overhauling last season's Western Conference finalists by snaking Detlef Schrempf out of Seattle.

Whitsitt booted questionable characters Jim Jackson and Isaiah Rider to Atlanta to get shooting guard Steve Smith, and on Oct. 2, 1999, Whitsitt shipped six reserves to Houston for Pippen, who turned 34 a week earlier.

The multibillionaire Allen didn't flinch at picking up the four-year, $54 million tab for Pippen, which boosted the Portland payload to more than double the league's $34 million salary cap.

The Lakers' Buss has committed about $200 million to Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Jackson, which is expected to increase another $75 million when O'Neal exercises an option this summer. So the series that begins Saturday will be the best money can buy.

"Coming here was a better situation for me," Pippen said Tuesday night. "I'm not asked to come out and make sure that the triangle offense is running fluidly. I'm not asked to come here and do a lot, just try to fit in and make sure that this team will get back, at least, to where they were last season.

"Now, we're in that position."

Pippen was the lone Blazer to start all 82 games this season, averaging 12.5 points a game. Rasheed Wallace (16.4) and Smith (14.9) were the go-to guys, and Pippen did a lot of everything.

Phil Jackson will have to think of a way to keep Scottie Pippen in check.(AP)

In the playoffs, no Blazer has taken more shots than Pippen, whose 14.8 scoring average is second only to Smith (16.2). And Pippen closed out the Utah series Tuesday -- the same night the Lakers eliminated Phoenix -- with a game-winning 3-point bomb from the left side.

"That's Scottie," Jackson said. "He gets into a corner, jumps out and plays great sometimes. He can do a lot of things to create havoc at both ends of the floor for you. I'd like to think I helped him develop that ability, as a coach, but he had that resolve."

Nobody in today's game is as playoff savvy as Pippen, whose 191 postseason games trail only Danny Ainge (by two) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (by 46). His 364 steals place him 13 away from overtaking Jordan at the top of the career playoff chart, and he pushed Jerry West to eighth place in assists with his 971st over the weekend.

In an ongoing battle with Reggie Miller, Pippen trails the league's all-time playoff 3-point ace by 27.

Jackson expects Pippen to do what he has done so far in the playoffs by operating within the bounds of what Portland needs, energizing his teammates and providing points, however and whenever he can.

"I personally think if Scottie doesn't lead this basketball club and take this team by the horns, they're not going to get by us," Jackson said. "He's going to have to be the one who gets them by us. Of course, I'm going to try to take that strength of his game away.

"Having had him on my side for so many years and knowing him as well as I do, it'll be interesting to see if we can get the type of matchup that still gives us an ability to corral Scottie or hold him in check ... he's the one who has to be attended to all the time."

Like he did when the teams split their four games during the regular season, Lakers small forward Glen Rice expects to draw the defensive assignment on Pippen. In an epic game in Portland in February that pit winners of 11 in a row against each other for the first time, Pippen led the Blazers with 19 points.

However, he only hit three of 10 attempts from 3-point range, contributing to a 4-for-17 long-range effort that led to Portland's three-point loss. In those four games against the Lakers, Pippen himself only nailed four of 17 3-point attempts.

Jackson sees no other Blazer who can lead Portland the way Pippen can. Everything most often funnels through the 6-foot-7 forward who was picked in the first round of the 1987 draft by Seattle and then promptly shipped to Chicago for Olden Polynice and draft picks.

"Ultimately," Jackson said, "he's the one."

And after this playoff series, either Jackson or Pippen will have the chance to prove he can win a title without Jordan at his side, another subplot that dawned on Jackson early Wednesday afternoon.

"That's interesting," said Jackson, smiling, "too."