Jackson didn’t have time to study what exactly happened to Gan; he only knew that Gan had to be contained, that his freewheeling, anytime-anywhere offensive stance had to be controlled.
After the timeout, the Bulls’ adjustments took effect, as Jordan received the ball on the wing and hit a mid-range pull-up jumper.
Then from John Paxson to Jordan, then to Buck-Williams and Horace Grant, everyone kept their eyes on Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang temporarily halted his offensive steps and handed the ball to Reggie Lewis and Sabonis, his task was to stand on the perimeter and attract the Bulls’ defensive attention.
According to the previous strategy, Gan would go to the basket whenever possible, creating trouble for the Bulls by fighting for offensive rebounds, which is his classic style of play.
But tonight Gan didn’t do that; offensive rebounds are certainly appealing, but being obsessed with them during non-critical moments can lead to slow defensive transitions.
The Bulls’ backcourt rebounding is quite solid, and Jordan’s counters are razor-sharp, so when Gan is not leading the offense, he chooses to position himself outside, allowing for a quick defensive retreat and leaving the three-second zone for Sabonis.
Sabonis’ strong attack under the basket did not score, Jordan leapt high to snatch the defensive rebound, dribbled across the half-court with agile steps, and observed attack opportunities.
Jordan’s mind was racing, with Pippen not on the court, he needed to take on more offensive responsibility.
The Bulls set up their half-court offense on the wing, with Jordan and Cartwright repeatedly screening, cutting, and passing back.
Finally, Jordan cut inside with the ball to attract the defense, then passed it back to Cartwright, who hit a mid-range jumper.
A beautiful two-man play, the Bulls played patiently, cutting the difference back to 6 points.
Chewing gum, Jordan thought while retreating for defense, what on earth is Gan up to.
The Bulls’ defensive strategy was failing; the spot Gan used to score from, he wasn’t going there at all.
Catching the ball near the half-court again, a center receiving the ball in this position theoretically poses no offensive threat.
But now Bulls players were considering whether to double team or to go up early and contest?
A brief hesitation, and Gan Guoyang had already initiated his charge, again a powerful dribble thrust forward.
Right down the middle into the three-second zone, all the Bulls players surrounded him, Gan made a lob pass.
Sabonis easily completed the alley-oop under the basket with a powerful two-handed dunk!
With a "bang," Phil Jackson furiously smashed his tactical board onto the floor.
Jackson is known for his calm demeanor, no matter what terrible situation arises, he remains composed.
Yet before the first quarter had even ended, that kind of loss had him flustered.
He didn’t mind if the team conceded points; conceding was inevitable, but what he minded was the team’s defense being completely dismembered.
But with a center charging down the middle, and unable to strip the ball from his hands, what do you do?
Bring Cartwright out to defend Gan? Or let Paxson block him?
Collapsing the middle is the only way, but if the defensive communication is poor, leaving the basket unguarded is inevitable.
If a guard charged down the middle, a convergence could block his path and passing vision.
Or if a center caught the ball in the three-second zone to pass it inside, with the receiver a guard, like Buck, Grant could still turn around for a beautiful help defense.
But now the situation is a 6’10" powerhouse truck charging into the three-second zone head-on, then passing to a 7’4" giant tower who can dunk with a simple raise of his hand.
In the previous two games, the Trail Blazers’ Twin Towers connection was normal with Gan Guoyang in the low post, Sabonis feeding from the high post, and the Bulls could allow Sabonis to shoot to some extent.
But the situation is different in this match. Immediately, Gan Guoyang executed the same routine again.
He blocked Grant’s layup under the basket and in the counterattack charged to the basket with the ball himself.
Sabonis raced along the wing, and after Gan Guoyang attracted the defense, he turned and passed to Sabonis.
Sabonis received the ball and dodged Jordan’s attempt to cut the ball with a hand swipe, slamming it down hard with one hand!
The basket was almost torn apart, and the fast-break connection between the two big trucks left people with no intention or courage to stop them.
Jordan tried to strip the ball from Gan Guoyang from behind, and also tried to cut off Sabonis, both of which failed; this guy’s ball-handling skills really aren’t inferior to many guards.
Back in the Olympic training camp, his dribbling was already good, and now it seems to be completely activated, absolutely unstoppable.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 25:36, with the Trail Blazers leading the Bulls by 11 points.
The Bulls having scored 25 points was already good offensively; without Pippen, Jordan had managed to organize the Bulls’ offense in an orderly manner.
He absolutely isn’t just an offensive lone wolf who can’t pass or organize.
But on the other side, Gan had transformed into a mad wolf king, leading a pack of wolves charging across the Rose Garden floor.
In the North American wilderness and snowfields, wolf packs will pursue lone wild bulls over long distances, using their tireless running and biting to wear down and attack the large, strong bulls.
The problem now is, this wolf is even bigger than the bull.
During the break between quarters, Jackson was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say or how to arrange the defense.
His mind was in a mess, wondering what exactly was going on; had the Portland people completed an evolution at this moment?
Not knowing, the game continued, Jackson could only repeat his tactics, asking Pippen to single-handedly guard Gan.
Just like in last year’s Finals, he began the full-court pressure early, targeting him on both ends of the floor.