Unlike against other teams, facing the Trail Blazers’ defense, the Bulls’ "triangle" is particularly large because the players are spread out wide.
Phil Jackson knows that he absolutely cannot fall into the Trail Blazers’ dense defense; he can’t let Ah Gan squat near the Three Second Zone to defend the hoop and must keep moving him.
Jordan ran to the left corner, where he rarely goes, a spot for a role player, while Toni Kukoc held the ball on the strong side to draw Gan Guoyang’s defense.
Breaking through, then jumping to make a long pass to the corner where Jordan is, Jordan uses a fake on his shot to easily get past Riddle, holds the ball at a 45-degree angle, makes a quick stop and jump shot, and scores!
The two biggest stars quickly score at the beginning, indicating both are in top form with high concentration.
In the following Trail Blazers’ possession, Gan Guoyang and Brellock make a pick-and-roll, Gan Guoyang moves out, catches the ball, and steps on the three-point line for a long two-pointer.
Without any hesitation or delay, shoots immediately upon receiving!
Gan Guoyang’s long-range shot has a unique power and arc beauty.
The high arc penetrates the center of the hoop like a ballistic missile, it’s in.
After scoring, Gan Guoyang points at Jordan without speaking.
But Jordan understands, their battle has already begun!
The Gan Qiao battle is always like this, the first few possessions of the first quarter are a head-to-head shootout.
If one falls behind, they’ll fall further behind; both are efficient scorers and stamina powerhouses. Once they gain the leading edge in the first quarter, if the momentum continues to snowball, the advantage will grow, making it difficult for the other side to catch up later.
So, their crucial battles are always fought from the first quarter to the last moments.
In the 1991 Finals, Jordan was ill-prepared for his first finals and was played off rhythm and pace by Gan Guoyang, exiting early in the third quarter due to exhaustion.
As a result, Gan Guoyang seized a brief gap of a few minutes and broke the Bulls, taking the first game of the series.
Now, although Jordan’s stamina isn’t what it was when he was young, with three championships under his belt, his skill and mastery outstrip the past.
Bulls quickly counterattack, Jordan uses baseline running to get to the sideline, receives Harper’s pass, catch-and-shoot, and scores again!
4:4, the two monopolize all the opening points, and this is just the beginning.
Gan Guoyang soon shows no intention of creating opportunities for his teammates, he decisively moves to the low post, singles out Kukoc.
Kukoc’s post defense against Gan Guoyang is akin to giving up in vain, Pippen immediately comes to help defend, Mu Lin has an open chance on the perimeter.
But Gan Guoyang doesn’t pass, instead, he spins inside to evade both defenders, turns and jumps to shoot, and scores!
"Give me the ball, hurry!"
Jordan shouts at Pippen, asking him to pass the ball to him.
Receiving the ball, Jordan quickly crosses half-court, using simple dribbling and change of direction to get past the defender.
Then with a change of speed, he drives into the Three Second Zone from the side, Gan Guoyang comes to help defend, their first head-to-head contest!
Jordan, mid-air, makes an evasive maneuver, side-sliding to release the shot, the ball skims past Gan Guoyang’s fingertips, bounces off the backboard and into the hoop.
Another basket! 6:6!
The two are off to a hot start with no issues of rusty or cold hands.
If it were Bulls vs. Jazz or Trail Blazers vs. Pacers in the Finals, the start would definitely not look like this.
In that case, the Bulls would calmly grind out the offense and apply pressing defense, while the Trail Blazers would use their smooth passing to bloom all over.
Bulls vs. Trail Blazers, the situation is entirely different.
Larry Bird and Phil Jackson stand by the court, both with mixed feelings.
Because when they conducted tactical planning before the game, it wasn’t planned like this at all!
Bird wanted to open from the outside first, especially for Chris Mullin and Brellock to find their shooting touch.
Gan Guoyang’s role was to attract the Bulls’ defense and, with Sabonis, disrupt the Bulls’ strong pressing defense.
Whereas Jackson’s plan was to let Pippen and Kukoc score more, with Jordan’s role also being to connect and attract defensive attention, to disrupt the Trail Blazers’ defensive formation.
Oh boy, these two didn’t listen at all, or perhaps they listened but refused to execute.
They also tacitly avoided communicating with the coaches, just took the ball and did their things, critically even made their shots!
The audience in the arena and viewers in front of televisions don’t care. Most people actually can’t understand tactics, rhythm, and strategy.
They can understand scoring, intense confrontation, exciting dunks, and accurate jump shots.
They understand even more what a hero is.
Another round of mutual slaughter between the two, which has lasted over ten years, begins again.
The score goes from 6:6 to 11:12, with the Trail Blazers leading the Bulls by 1 point.
Jordan scores 10 points, with 1 point coming from Luke Longley’s one made free throw of two.
Gan Guoyang has also scored 10 points, with 2 points coming from Sabonis’ tip-in.
Bird and Jackson haven’t called a timeout; the play is smooth, with no reason to call a timeout.
Even though both have a bellyful of anger, what can they do?
Their shooting accuracy is high, and the solo offensive efficiency is even higher than the team offense.
Let’s see how long these guys will clash alone and when they’ll remember they still have teammates, it’s not just the two of them playing the game.
Entering official timeout, the score remains 11:12, both missed a shot, and with a dead ball, the TV station is going to run commercials.
Needless to say, tonight NBC’s Finals ad golden slot charges will skyrocket.
It’s estimated that tonight’s Finals viewership might possibly break the historical record—the historical record was set by the two in the 1992 Finals.