Chapter 905: Chapter 57 Nightmare_3
Jordan tried to pass the ball to Buck-Williams, and Williams did have several offensive opportunities, but they were limited to mid-range jump shots from both wings.
If he attempted to drive to the basket, he’d encounter Ah Gan’s block; passing to Cartwright wasn’t an option either, as Ah Gan could defend two players at once, turning around to swat away Cartwright’s shot—Ah Gan racked up 4 blocks in the first quarter alone, making the Bulls hesitant to attack inside.
As a result, the Bulls’ most effective scoring strategy became Buck-Williams’ mid-range jumpers from the wings.
He certainly made a few, but this was not a sustainable solution; Williams could not beat the Trail Blazers solely with mid-range shooting.
Jackson finally realized they were in serious trouble; the Bulls ended the first quarter trailing the Trail Blazers by as much as 24:33—a 9-point deficit!
The Bulls’ offense had become disorganized, reduced to mid-range shots under the Trail Blazers’ smothering defense, with no three-pointers or inside attacks.
Parkson and Armstrong, who came off the bench, were ice-cold from beyond the arc; the Bulls missed all three of their three-point attempts in the first quarter.
Jordan endured through the first quarter, but by the second quarter, he could bear it no longer. He knew that continuing to play like this would inevitably lead to defeat.
Thus, much like what happened in the first game, Jordan began taking matters into his own hands—though not in a ball-hogging way. Instead, he took charge of the offense entirely, holding onto the ball and playing as the central organizer.
Even though Jackson emphasized during timeouts that they needed to continue trusting their teammates and team-oriented play, Jordan had made up his mind.
In his view, the lesson from the first game had been profound, but the Bulls players hadn’t learned from it at all; Pippen even refused to attack Ah Gan’s fortress-like defense.
Phil Jackson also failed to figure out how to effectively deal with Ah Gan and what kind of approach they should take against the Trail Blazers.
To win, Jordan felt he had to use his individual energy to lift the entire team, stabilize the situation with scoring, and then seek opportunities to turn the game around later.
The game quickly escalated into a fever pitch; in the second quarter, the tempo suddenly intensified. The players were running up and down the court like madmen—because Jordan was running like a madman.
Gan Guoyang also began to sprint around the court. Tonight, he continued to dominate on both ends of the floor. After delivering 4 massive blocks in the first quarter, no Bull other than Jordan dared challenge the Three Second Zone anymore.
The game once again evolved into the fiercest one-on-one confrontation between the two, with both constantly shredding the other’s defense on offense.
But tonight, Jordan found it even harder to attack the basket. He faced Lewis, Sabonis at the midline, and Ah Gan inside—a three-layered defensive wall.
Thus, Jordan resorted to mid-range shots frequently. Tonight, his mid-range game was razor-sharp. In one-on-one isolations against Lewis, he’d switch directions multiple times before suddenly stopping on a dime for a pull-up jumper—a move Lewis found nearly impossible to contest.
However, the mid-range game is inherently inefficient and doesn’t inflict enough damage on the interior. By the end of the first half, Gan Guoyang had only committed one personal foul.
Jackson was deeply frustrated by this outcome. The team’s game plan had completely fallen apart, leaving them perpetually playing catch-up to the Trail Blazers.
At this rate, it would be extremely difficult for them to seize control of the game or achieve victory.
In the second half, Jackson’s worst fear materialized—the entire offensive system of the Bulls collapsed.
With no opportunities inside and the perimeter shooting ice-cold, they were left with only Jordan constantly taking mid-range shots.
This was the worst type of offense—worse even than relying on Jordan single-handedly attacking the rim. The Bulls’ offense was in shambles.
At this point, the best approach would have been to refocus on defense, stabilize the game, and then rebuild the offense slowly from there.
This way, they could settle down in the third quarter and still have a chance at a comeback in the fourth.
But the Bulls ultimately lacked Finals experience, and Jackson was infuriated by his inability to convince Jordan.
During a timeout, Jordan and Jackson got into a heated argument, while Pippen stood to the side, watching the drama unfold.
Frustrated, Phil Jackson shouted, "Michael, you said yourself that even if you don’t win a championship, you wouldn’t have any regrets. Fine then, go ahead and attack recklessly if that’ll leave you without regrets!"
After the first game, Wu Zhixiong’s postgame interview with Jordan dominated the headlines of major media outlets. Even though they lost, Jordan still garnered significant attention, admired for his openness and magnanimity.
But now, Jackson used this against him, having run out of options to motivate Jordan other than by provoking him.
Jordan glared at Jackson and retorted, "You’re twisting my words! I said I wouldn’t regret it, but that doesn’t mean I want to lose! As the coach, it’s your job to figure out a solution, not blame your best-performing player!"
Jordan and Jackson rarely argued. A former player himself, Jackson was adept at managing relationships with star players.
On the Bulls—from Jordan to Pippen to minor players like Armstrong and Parkson—Jackson had them all under his spell.
But tonight, he was truly desperate. Watching the game spiral out of control, this was a situation the Bulls had never faced all season.
At this moment, the Bulls couldn’t stabilize the game with defense. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers unleashed the "Ah Gan Staggered Attack Method" (Ah Gan playing nonstop). In the latter half of the third quarter, they went on a ferocious 11-1 run, pushing their lead to as much as 16 points.
Jordan returned for the fourth quarter, still fighting valiantly. But when the Trail Blazers started executing their Princeton offense—cutting behind for open layups—it signaled the collapse of the Bulls’ once-proud defense.
This collapse wasn’t due to technical or physical issues but psychological ones.
They were utterly unprepared and were mentally broken by the Trail Blazers.
After the game, when Phil Jackson was interviewed, he said, "This game felt like a nightmare—a terrifying nightmare."
However, Phil Jackson had yet to realize that the true nightmare of this Finals series was still to come.
