Chapter 63: The Utah Jazz Duo, Proud of the Dark!

For this game, Jackson once again changed his starting lineup!
Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen, Jordan, and Harper took the floor together as starters!
"As we can see, the Bulls have rolled out their 9th starting lineup of the season! Facing a powerhouse like the Jazz, at the critical juncture of pursuing a 10-game winning streak, Phil Jackson actually trotted out such a brand-new lineup! This is truly unexpected!"
In the CBS broadcast studio, Marv Albert said in surprise: "Should we say Jackson is bold due to his supreme skill, or should we call him yet another 'mad scientist' in the league? By the way, speaking of 'mad scientist' Coach Don Nelson, he was just fired a few hours ago!"
"No one expected that New York, the third seed in the Eastern Conference, would suddenly experience such turmoil at this moment, but perhaps this outcome was destined the moment old Nelson arrived in New York! After all, the very first thing he did upon coming to New York was trying to trade team leader Ewing in exchange for Shaq!"
"From the moment the front office refused to trade Ewing—thereby offending the entire New York mob—Nelson's firing was just a matter of time. However, no one expected it to come so quickly, so early! The Bulls have one fewer opponent in the East this year!"
Albert's partner, Steve, laughed and said: "Then, getting back to our game tonight, the Jazz's starting lineup has also been announced. Their starters remain the exact same five-man unit they are most accustomed to: starting center Felton Sabins, team leaders Karl Malone and John Stockton."
"Coupled with the team's second-leading scorer, former All-Star guard Jeff Hornacek, and David Benoit, the Jazz have used this starting lineup for 72 consecutive games since last season! The chemistry and energy among these five individuals cannot be underestimated!"

Accompanied by the two commentators' introductions, players from both sides walked onto the court, waiting for the official start of the game!
The head referee glanced at his watch, walked to midcourt, and tossed the ball straight up!
The Bulls were now playing a small-ball lineup; no matter how elite Rodman was at rebounding, he was powerless when facing the 213-centimeter Felton Sabins on the tip-off.
Therefore, Rodman didn't jump at all, nor did he even bother to assume a jumping stance. The moment the referee tossed the ball, he turned right around and walked toward his own team's paint.
Rodman's eccentric personality was on full display at this very moment!

The Jazz's offense invariably initiated with the pick-and-roll between Stockton and Malone. As the two crossed and screened each other at the high post, Harper initially wanted to fight through the screen, but the moment he turned his head, he saw Malone's massive elbow leveled right in front of his face!
Had Harper not reacted quickly enough to brake and lean back in time, he likely would have suffered a concussion and headed straight to the locker room on the very first possession of the game!

Stockton used the screen to create space, drove two steps toward the paint, and immediately delivered the ball to Malone on the other side. Catching the ball, Malone rose up for his signature catch-and-shoot jumper!
"Swish!"
With a crisp sound, Malone drew first blood for the Jazz!
Just from a single possession, Malone's fierce style of play was evident! While he used his elbows to clear the path during screens, his scoring method had nothing to do with his bulging muscles! If someone hadn't watched Malone play and only looked at his physique, they would definitely assume he was a power-ramming interior player in the mold of Barkley or Shaq.
Only by watching Malone's games would one realize that this guy was a midrange maestro!
Merely in terms of the midrange jump shot skill, he was the most accurate and prolific interior player among all big men prior to Dirk Nowitzki!
Even extending to the entire 1990s, apart from Jordan and "The Midrange King" Allan Houston, no third person dared claim their midrange jumper was more accurate than Malone's!

The ensuing possessions of both teams exceeded many people's expectations. Neither squad chose to anchor themselves in defense; instead, they coincidentally poured their energy into offense!
The Jazz's offensive system featured endless pick-and-rolls and off-ball screens. Everyone was constantly setting screens, rolling, acting as human walls for each other, and cutting. Their offensive system was rigorous and monotonous, running almost entirely by the playbook, rarely producing those breathtaking highlights that get viewers' blood pumping!
Monotonous, but powerful!

As for the Bulls, with Kukoc promoted to the starting lineup, the team's offensive spacing became unimaginably vast! Kukoc behind the three-point line was someone no coach dared to leave unguarded! Sabins had no choice but to step out to the perimeter and match up with Kukoc.
Under these circumstances, Jordan's individual scoring threat was fully unleashed!
The Jazz's paint had completely transformed into a backyard for him. Hornacek—standing only 191 centimeters with athletic abilities so mediocre it was painful to watch—let alone defending Jordan, carried truly less deterrence standing in front of Jordan than his own grandmother!
After all, Jordan would have to worry about whether he might accidentally injure Hornacek's grandmother with a shoulder bump, forcing him to hold back and not go all out.
As for Hornacek? Jordan showed absolutely no mercy and played with effortless ease!

Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan genuinely had no solution for Jordan easily tearing Hornacek apart.
What could he do? Send the 185-centimeter Stockton to his death? Or substitute David Benoit, who was equally inept at defense, to take a beating?
Not only would Jordan undoubtedly continue to explode, but Pippen—upon seeing a 191-centimeter, chick-like Hornacek—would surely gleefully accept this generous gift and launch a personal isolation scoring practice session!
Inborn roster disadvantages were something no head coach, no matter how great, could resolve.
Sloan had no choice but to gamble. He elected to have the nearest Jazz player send double-teams whenever Jordan went into isolation, choosing to leave either Harper or Kukoc open.
Initially, the Jazz's two consecutive sudden double-teams did work.
A somewhat flustered Bulls team failed to score on both occasions.
Shortly after, Jackson swiftly adjusted his strategy. He placed Kukoc—the team's most accurate three-point shooter—on the same side as Jordan, using Kukoc's shooting range and passing ability to break the Jazz's double-team defense.
When Jordan and Kukoc stood on the same side, the Jazz's double-team defense was instantly neutralized!
Jordan's top-tier passing and defensive anticipation, combined with Kukoc's court vision and shooting range, directly pierced through the Jazz's entire defensive line!
First, Kukoc seized open-court opportunities to sink back-to-back three-pointers!
Then, he executed cut-and-pass plays with Jordan, driving into the paint for layups!
Once the Jazz's defensive focus began shifting toward Kukoc, he continuously swung the ball and completely galvanized the Bulls' entire offense!