In this respect, the Bulls perform much better than the Trail Blazers; whenever a Trail Blazers player gets close to the basket within the three-second zone with the ball, they face tremendous obstacles.
However, Van Exel, the streak shooter, immediately hits a three-pointer in an offensive play, his shot is fast and fierce, with Cole already defending to the utmost, almost fouling, yet still unable to stop him.
Van Exel’s appearance was the right decision; Steve-Kerr has no advantage facing Van Exel, not even in height, perfect for a madman to break through.
The Bulls remain stable and steady, Kobe continues to guard Pippen across the court, but Pippen easily crosses the half-court.
As he continues to organize the offense at the top of the arc, Little O’Neal suddenly comes out from the middle, teaming up with Kobe to trap Pippen.
Pippen is caught off guard by the double team, only manages to defend against the pressure, then passes to Kukoc who comes to assist.
Unexpectedly, Riddle swoops in from the sideline, stealing the ball right from Kukoc’s hands!
A foul by the Trail Blazers, Kobe and Little O’Neal dash towards the front court, the ball is passed to Van Exel.
Kobe has already reached under the basket, with Pippen closely following behind, Kobe waves to Van Exel, indicating there’s a fast break opportunity inside.
But Van Exel just made a three-point shot, and for the next ball, he’s determined to shoot a three-pointer.
Sure enough, Van Exel advances himself, takes another shot from the left at 45 degrees, and it’s in again!
Van Exel scores 8 consecutive points by himself, helping the Trail Blazers quickly close the gap.
Kobe still hasn’t had a chance for a fast-break dunk, but he immediately pours into defense, sticking tightly to Pippen.
Pippen, after being intercepted twice by Kobe, is quite annoyed; as Kobe approaches again, Pippen rolls his eyes at him, pushing Kobe away.
"Take a break, rookie, don’t get too eager." Pippen retorts, then walks off the court.
The Bulls call for a timeout, Bird’s adjustment has come into effect, the new lineup’s vitality regains control.
Especially the recent defensive collaboration between Kobe, Little O’Neal, and Riddle, caught the Bulls off guard.
After a short season’s grind, Kobe realizes defense is a team effort; when you can’t solve a problem yourself, call for support promptly.
He has communicated well with Little O’Neal, and Riddle’s steals from behind are an expression of their tacit understanding, the three exchange high-fives as they exit.
"Played very well; excellent defense, excellent threes. If Nick had passed that ball, I feel our performance would’ve been even better." Bird encourages the players while also reminding Van Exel.
Though he scored, sometimes as a point guard, he’s quite selfish.
Moreover, the habit of shooting another three-pointer following a successful one can be easily targeted in the playoffs.
Van Exel grumbles, "Three points are more than two."
Bird acts as though he hasn’t heard, making no major adjustments, instead letting the players maintain their current state and tactics.
Gan Guoyang remains seated off-court, but on the other side, Michael Jordan has already removed his warm-up jacket, ready to enter the game.
Kobe, realizing Jordan is about to play, tells Riddle: "Let’s switch, I’ll guard Jordan, you take on Pippen."
Riddle is glad not to match up against Jordan, but he still asks, "Does the coach agree?"
"That’s not important, as long as you agree, leave him to me."
Riddle nods, though arrogant off-court, he knows his limits on the court.
Guarding Jordan one-on-one is second only to guarding Ah Gan in the League—it’s bearable not to defend him, but the constant mental assault is most crushing.
Unlike Gan Guoyang’s calculated all-out mental strikes, Jordan’s attacks are pervasive and intense, without much deep meaning, just to shame you and batter you.
This is one of Jordan’s joys in playing, similar to Ah Gan, both delight in tearing opponents apart.
Kobe is unafraid, as both re-enter the court, Kobe fixes his gaze on Jordan, readying to guard this historically best shooting guard one-on-one.
Yet, before Kobe’s focus on Jordan, Jordan had fixed his own gaze on Kobe, volunteering to Jackson during the timeout to switch himself in, stating he wanted to defend Kobe.
Because of countless articles before the game claiming, "Kobe would be the next Michael Jordan," a statement Jordan disdains greatly, he wants to show Kobe a lesson, making it clear that the so-called second Jordan is pure nonsense.
The ball is in play, Jordan immediately uses agile positioning to get an outside look, receives a pass from Pippen, halts and jumps for a shot—it’s in!
Kobe tries to follow Jordan’s strides but Jordan skillfully uses tactics and teammate covers to easily shake off Kobe’s defense.
Gan Guoyang observes Kobe’s defense, scolds: "Not having gone to college doesn’t do; the defense just tails the person, like a headless fly!"
Next to him, Bird says: "I didn’t even let him guard Jordan, such a high-minded fellow."
Though Bird says this aloud, he doesn’t stop Kobe from marking Jordan.
In Bird’s view, it makes little difference who guards Jordan; apart from Ah Gan, none in the Trail Blazers could truly limit Jordan.
Given this, it might be better to let Kobe match up, temper his spirit, let him understand the gap, and be more down-to-earth.
As offense and defense follow, it’s clear Kobe is no match for Jordan; the gap is holistic, especially in experience.
Originally, Jordan intended to have a casual exchange with Kobe, just to make a point, unexpectedly, Kobe’s three sentences thoroughly provoked Jordan.