The Bulls were on the verge of collapsing. The conflict between Jordan and Horace Grant was deepening, and the two hadn’t spoken in a long time; they might not have exchanged many words this entire season.
Scottie Pippen, who was once close with Grant, completely sided with the leader Jordan, ending his rookie friendship with Grant, never to return to the past.
These three were undoubtedly the Bulls’ iron triangle. With cracks appearing in their relationship, there was no need to mention others, as failure to win the championship brought everyone to the brink of breaking up.
Bill Cartwright increasingly disliked Jordan’s dominance, while Jordan wanted the team to trade away Cartwright, believing this guy was no match for Ah Gan.
Twice in the Finals against the Trail Blazers, they were so suppressed by Ah Gan that they couldn’t lift their heads, practically playing like invisible men.
In the summer of 1992, Jordan threatened Jerry Krause that if the team didn’t recruit a sufficiently strong inside center, he would request a trade.
Jerry Krause recalled jokingly mentioning bringing Olajuwon to the Bulls, never expecting the Heat to actually do it.
Krause had also pursued Olajuwon vigorously, hoping to use Scottie Pippen as a bargaining chip to form an inside-outside combination with Jordan and Olajuwon to deal with Ah Gan.
However, Olajuwon preferred not to join forces with Jordan in Chicago. He was more inclined to reunite with old friend Drexler in Miami and be king in a place with little history like the Heat.
Later, Krause set his sights on Melvin Turpin, but Turpin’s uncontrollable weight made him hesitate.
In the end, Krause only managed to sign veteran McGrady from the free market, as good centers were too scarce and too expensive.
Ah Gan had single-handedly raised the value of centers in the League to a new level long ago.
Mid-season, Krause shopped Buck-Williams to multiple teams, but nothing came of it.
Buck was a veteran that only championship-contending teams would want, but what championship team would want to trade with the Bulls?
Besides being unable to compete against Ah Gan and Olajuwon, Williams was actually a very useful veteran.
He had overlapping positions and functions with Horace Grant, and seeing as Grant’s relationships with Jordan and Pippen deteriorated, Krause kept Williams to maintain balance.
In the end, as the season came to a close, the Bulls were set to face Ah Gan and Olajuwon, and Jordan’s complaints towards management naturally grew.
After being dragged into Game Seven in the Eastern Finals, Krause was already considering how to keep Jordan during the summer if they lost.
Moreover, besides Jordan and Pippen, everyone else would be subject to a massive overhaul, and not even Pippen was guaranteed to stay.
If necessary, he could also appear on the negotiation table as a trade chip.
Jerry Krause wasn’t wrong to think so; a general manager needs to be prepared and always look forward, planning for the future.
But Krause shouldn’t have been thinking about exit strategies while the series was still ongoing, with the team still playing Game Seven, and let the players catch wind of it.
Despite usually being secretive, for some reason, Krause leaked some hints, and the news always got out.
All of a sudden, the Bulls’ locker room was tense, with everyone concerned about their future rather than focusing on winning Game Seven.
Michael Jordan couldn’t change this situation and was extremely angry, having a big quarrel with Jerry Krause before Game Seven.
It was only after Phil Jackson’s persuasion that Jordan calmed down and refocused on preparing for Game Seven.
However, Phil Jackson also had an argument with Jerry Krause afterward, and the two ended on bad terms.
Jerry Krause was Jackson’s mentor, the one who introduced him to the Bulls, trusted him, and gave him the coaching reins.
Jackson respected Krause greatly, but this time, he couldn’t help standing with the players, trying to calm everyone down.
When Phil Jackson stood in front of the substitutes’ bench at Miami Arena, exhausted and waiting for the game to start, he was already filled with pessimism about the result of tonight’s game.
Now, the only thing the team could count on was Jordan. Only a major breakout from Jordan, scoring enough points, could turn the tide.
Before the game started, he specially found Jordan and told him, "Ah Gan is waiting for you in the Finals. We must defeat him, or we won’t die peacefully."
Jordan said nothing, merely chewing gum and giving Jackson a deep look, the content of which Jackson couldn’t decipher.
As the game approached, Jackson repeatedly pondered Jordan’s gaze, trying to determine whether it was confidence, optimism, determination, or a lack of confidence, pessimism, or confusion, but Jackson couldn’t figure it out.
It was this uncertainty that made Jackson waver; he lacked some confidence in tonight’s Game Seven and tried to grasp something from Jordan, but there was nothing to grab.
On the other side, Olajuwon, who had been sitting on the bench with his eyes closed, opened them and rose to the court.
Pat Riley patted his shoulder, loudly telling him to destroy the Chicago Bulls and win Game Seven.
Olajuwon shook his head, saying, "Not destruction; our victory is not based on destruction but on discovering ourselves, from within."
Riley could only nod and mumbled agreement, thinking to himself that this guy was becoming more and more mystical; where did the once-dominant Olajuwon go?
To Riley, there was always an impenetrable barrier between him and Olajuwon; they were at odds in some of the most basic values.