In the Eastern Conference, another set of face-offs is equally spectacular. The flames of battle between Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, two members of the golden generation, have already reached Game Seven.
The Heat won two games at home, and after returning to Chicago, the Bulls, riding on their home advantage, won two consecutive games.
Jordan, scoring 44 points in one game and 41 in another, showed Drexler who is today’s NBA’s number one shooting guard.
The two sides approached the crucial Game Five, the match point.
After losing to the Bulls in Game Four, Hakeem Olajuwon said, "To achieve ultimate victory in the playoffs, you must be able to win on the road, absolutely."
This is dissatisfaction and frustration after the Heat lost two away games, as well as motivation for the team.
Olajuwon rarely did this season, unlike Charles Barkley; he talked little but did a lot.
But in the playoffs, circumstances are different, and Olajuwon knew he had to stand up and turn things around.
Returning to their home court, they seemed to be able to catch a breath, win Game Five, and get the match point.
But from 2-0 to 2-2, the advantage was already in the Bulls’ hands, with Jordan unstoppable.
In Game Five in Miami, the Bulls delivered suffocating super defense once again.
The Heat’s score was suppressed to 92 points, and the Bulls relied on crucial defensive rebounds to block Olajuwon’s layup after a series of fake moves.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Heat 96-92, winning three consecutive games and capturing the series match point.
When everyone thought the Bulls would enter the finals for the third consecutive year to meet the Trail Blazers, Olajuwon erupted in Game Six.
In the desperate situation of being down 2-3, Olajuwon broke through the Bulls’ siege in Chicago and, in scorching form, racked up 46 points.
Drexler likewise scored 23 points and had 9 assists. Together, the two secured a victory in Chicago, dragging the Eastern Conference Finals back to Miami.
After winning Game Six, Miami’s media immediately published articles claiming, "Olajuwon is more deserving of an MVP trophy than Charles Barkley."
Although the Suns were eliminated, the Phoenix media refused to be outdone, publishing commentary saying, "Because Olajuwon faced Jordan, while Barkley faced Ah Gan."
Old rivals between the Trail Blazers and Bulls have no business now; these two teams won’t meet in the finals anyway, yet they’re still against each other.
This just became a seasoning before the Game Seven battle, with the Trail Blazers already waiting in the finals.
If the Heat wins, the Trail Blazers will all head to Miami; if the Bulls win, they’ll stay in Portland to prepare.
Gan Guoyang isn’t very interested in who will win the Eastern Conference Finals to become his finals opponent, as they are all defeated opponents, and there is even a former little brother.
His focus now is more on the Trail Blazers, himself, and his family.
After exhausting Game Six, the team got a full rest. The Heat and Bulls playing Game Seven pushed the start time of the finals back.
This is good news for the injury-plagued Trail Blazers, allowing them to recuperate well and give their bodies, worn over four grueling seasons, as much recovery as possible before the final sprint.
Beelman gave the team a two-day break; he doesn’t want to torment his players like Pat Riley.
Beelman himself felt on the brink of collapse from the five consecutive years of coaching from November to June. By the time the West Finals reached Games Five and Six, he was barely coaching.
After continuous high pressure and high-intensity work, his brain has gone numb, reactions dulled, he could only rely on feeling and pre-planned executions, unable to think of ideas on the fly.
Anyway, Ah Gan would handle everything on and off the court, so Beelman just focused on rotations and pre-game tactical execution, leaving the rest to fate, and they still won.
Back in the finals, now Beelman was both happy and worried. Happy they were one step closer to legend, worried because the finals would be the ultimate torment for the head coach.
Players can rest, but the coach’s brain cannot stop; after finishing the Western Conference Finals, Beelman began worrying about the finals.
He must keep a close eye on the Bulls and Heat’s games. Ah Gan might not care whom to face in the finals, but Beelman cannot afford that luxury.
Once the opponent is confirmed, endless video watching and editing ensues, followed by continuous meetings to discuss tactics and strategies.
In playoff series, the coach’s influence is especially significant in the first two games. The coaching staff’s strategies and decision to surprise will profoundly affect the game’s results.
The further it goes, players’ performance becomes increasingly decisive. If it reaches the fifth, sixth, or even seventh game, it becomes essentially a duel between players.
Coaching strategies have been exhausted, all tricks tried, it becomes a contest of sheer willpower.
For this reason, the workload for the head coach is enormous before the series begins.
Relatively speaking, Gan Guoyang was much more relaxed; after the West Finals, he slept for a whole day without letting anyone disturb him.
On the day of the Eastern Conference Game Seven, he relaxed himself with a nice bath, went to the home theater in the basement, turned on the hundred-inch rear-projection TV, and prepared to watch the showdown between Olajuwon and Jordan.
In the 1990s, rear-projection technology was already quite mature; rear-projection TVs could be made very large, with a maximum size of up to 100 inches.
Moreover, rear-projection TVs were often equipped with excellent sound equipment, with a large rear-projection TV being a standard feature in the homes of middle-class and above families in America with home theaters.