Due to Pippen’s absence, the Bulls’ starting lineup was incomplete.
Facing the Portland Trail Blazers, who were on a winning streak, Phil Jackson knew the lineup on paper was no match, so he started to think creatively.
Jackson is a very smart coach, adept at using tactics, and his cunning on the court is on par with Gan Guoyang.
The difference is that Gan Guoyang can directly execute his will on the court, while Jackson has to rely on his players.
This was where the Bulls were one step behind when facing the Trail Blazers in ’91 and ’92.
By the time the Bulls and Jackson became complete, Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers could not make it to the finals for various reasons.
This season, the Bulls were once again in a bind and in trouble, and Jackson knew this would be his last season in Chicago.
But like Jordan, Jackson was committed to doing his best for the last stand, determined to lead the Bulls to a three-peat.
However, in the summer when the Portland Trail Blazers "illegally" re-signed Sabonis, Jackson knew things were going to be bad.
Among all the teams protesting, the Bulls were the loudest because they were very clear about what Sabonis’ return meant.
The completely unleashed Ah Gan would be unstoppable. Like in 1992, without Sabonis, Ah Gan wouldn’t be able to play both inside and outside effectively.
Sabonis is the key to unlocking Ah Gan’s potential, and he is also an amplifier that greatly enhances the Trail Blazers’ strength. His return would inevitably bring the Trail Blazers back to their peak.
Later, when the Trail Blazers traded for Chris Mullin and Brellock, Jackson knew the dream of a three-peat was likely to be shattered.
When the season started, looking at the Trail Blazers’ current momentum, as long as there were no major injuries, no team in the league would be their opponent.
Even so, the Bulls still had to fight and maintain their form, after all, no one knows what will happen until the end.
At the beginning of the season, with their lineup not fully assembled, Jackson put Dennis Rodman on the bench.
He started Randy Brown and Jason Caffey to enhance the bench depth, but the effect was average.
Afterward, Jackson made adjustments, Dennis Rodman returned to the starting lineup, and Toni Kukoc was promoted to the starting position.
With Jordan starting to increase his personal offensive game, the Bulls’ record improved and they began a winning streak again.
In this game, facing the strong interior of the Trail Blazers, Phil Jackson made further tweaks, allowing Dennis Rodman to play small forward to defend Chris Mullin.
The starting power forward was changed to Bill Wennington, allowing Wennington to match up against Ah Gan, forming a dual white interior with Lang Li + Wennington.
This starting lineup, after removing Toni Kukoc, essentially left only Jordan on the offensive end.
The entire frontcourt of the Bulls consisted of defensive players without any ball-handling offensive ability.
Jackson had no hope for frontcourt offense, and all frontcourt resources were invested in defense.
Putting Dennis Rodman to match up against Mullin instead of Ah Gan was the best use of Rodman.
Having him defend Ah Gan would be a waste, but Mullin was a key point, whose offensive value for the Trail Blazers was very significant, and Jackson saw through this.
Rodman started his career as a small forward, and defending Mullin at the three-position was no problem.
Bird, sitting on the sidelines, observed this rather odd starting lineup by the Bulls and thought, "Phil Jackson intends to take a fully defensive passive approach, aiming to clamp down on our offense with defense and rely on Jordan’s personal ability to slowly counter on offense."
This strategy was familiar to Bird, as many of the Trail Blazers’ games last season were played in this manner.
In a situation where their lineup was incomplete and overall passive, first shrinking back into defense and then looking for opportunities to counterattack was a good idea.
Moreover, the Bulls’ bench wasn’t without offensive resources, Kukoc and Cole had the potential to explode in the second unit.
Whether the Bulls’ turtle shell formation could withstand the Trail Blazers’ fluid offense was eagerly anticipated by the audience on the scene and those watching on TV.
The jump ball, Sabonis tips the ball to his side, and the Trail Blazers take the first offense, marking the start of the 1997 Christmas game.
Brellock dribbles to the frontcourt and smoothly passes the ball to a wing, Mullin, who is a key ball-handling hub on the Trail Blazers’ perimeter this season.
Mullin chooses to pass the ball to Sabonis, receiving it at a 45-degree angle in the low post, as Sabonis holds the ball to observe, the Bulls make no double-team strategy.
So he holds the ball himself, turns his back to strongly post-up against Lang Li, executes a slow but smooth hook shot, and the ball bounces twice on the rim before falling into the net.
Sabonis secured the first point for the Trail Blazers, whose post offense this season has been quite significant, often being the first to take a shot in the opening.
On the Bulls side, Harper holds the ball using a screen to penetrate the basket intending to lay up, but it’s disrupted by Gan Guoyang, and misses. On the return play, Gan Guoyang receives the ball in the low post, turns, and takes a jump shot scoring.
The Trail Blazers started well, quickly gaining the lead.
The Bulls’ Triangle Offense began functioning, maintaining appropriate distances among players, continuously passing the ball.
This offensive system, although not very effective in creating open shots, certainly offers plenty of opportunities for isolation shots.
In the increasingly stringent defense of the ’90s NBA, being able to create isolation opportunities was already a good tactic.
Jordan took his first shot, backing Reedle with a turnaround jump shot, but missed, Rodman secured the offensive rebound.