It’s like a movie, a two-hour movie, where the first 1 hour and 50 minutes of buildup often lead up to the final 10 minutes.
If the ending isn’t done well, the brilliance before can easily turn to naught, leaving the audience disappointed.
If the ending is done well, even seemingly casual and meaningless things before can become strokes of genius.
In Jackson’s view, the Bulls still hold the advantage, especially at the end of the second quarter when Jordan hit a buzzer-beater mid-range shot.
At halftime, the Bulls and Trail Blazers were tied at 57:53, leading by 4 points at the end of the half, the team still in control of the game, everything in hand.
In the third quarter, the Bulls would exert their strength, letting the Trail Blazers and the Bulls understand who the strongest team in the league is right now.
However, with Kobe’s appearance, with Van Exel’s consecutive threes, with the fierce confrontation at the end of the second quarter, and with Jordan’s few not very calm choices, Jackson felt some changes, some variables not very favorable for the Bulls.
The exciting part of a game over a movie is that, even as a role on the field, you can’t completely predict what the ending will be like.
Back in the locker room, Jordan was still furious and directly said to Phil Jackson, "If that kid in number 8 goes on again, I’ll definitely break him."
Jackson curiously asked, "What did he do to you? What did he say? Did he insult you?"
But Jordan didn’t speak up, sometimes insults don’t make people angry, the truth is what makes people defenseless.
But anyway, a feud between Jordan and Kobe had formed.
On the other side, in the Trail Blazers’ locker room, Gan Guoyang sensed something.
He asked Kobe, "Did you say something to Jordan?"
Kobe was noncommittal, shrugged, and said, "I said he’s a big bald head."
"Big bald head? How can you criticize someone for their appearance flaw?" Gan Guoyang criticized Kobe.
"You should have said, you scored 5 in the three-point contest, lost twice to Ah Gan in the finals, and didn’t win a single championship by defeating Ah Gan!" Then, Gan Guoyang gave Kobe some more suggestions.
Kobe covered his face with a towel and chuckled, while Bird chimed in, "Call him Mickey Mouse, that guy’s got a pair of big ears."
Everyone in the locker room laughed, Bird liked to see this kind of scene, the Trail Blazers were not afraid of Jordan’s team.
The fifteen-minute halftime break was over, and the real showdown between the two sides would come in the second half.
Unlike the former Trail Blazers, the current Chicago Bulls were more adept at finishing off opponents in the fourth quarter.
Whether it was the regular season or the playoffs, they had quite a few games where they were significantly behind in the third quarter but turned the tables in the fourth quarter.
In contrast, Gan Guoyang and the former Trail Blazers were better at sealing the game in the third quarter, not because Gan Guoyang played poorly in the fourth quarter, but as an insider, he preferred to establish a comfortable advantage when receiving the ball better in the third quarter.
Jordan was different, he often didn’t play as well in the third quarter as in the fourth quarter, as if he could only burst out with maximum energy when he was fully pushed to the brink.
In the past, when the Bulls were not as strong as the Trail Blazers, they often fell behind in three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, Jordan led the team with a fierce chase, but couldn’t catch up.
Jackson didn’t want the Bulls to repeat the same mistake, he knew very well how stable and despairing Ah Gan could be once in the lead.
"In the third quarter, we have to take advantage and open up the score, achieve a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter, that is our goal."
"Of course, you all understand, the most important thing is not to score yourself, but to make sure they don’t score."
"Really move, boys! Let’s see who the true king of the third quarter is!"