The atmosphere on the Knicks' bench was entirely different.
Van Gundy's expression was tense, without a trace of relief.
He had expected the Lakers to play conservatively, focusing on defense and counterattacks.
Instead, the Lakers had cut loose and traded baskets with the Knicks.
"Their desire to attack is far beyond what I imagined."
Van Gundy addressed the team in a grave voice.
"Control the tempo. Don't let the Lakers' fast breaks drag us along."
"Li Fei, cut down on unnecessary physical battles. Save your energy for the second half."
"Michael, focus on cutting off Kobe's pick-and-roll routes. Don't give him easy shots."
Every Knicks player nodded, quickly refocusing as they waited for the second quarter to begin.
The brief break ended, both teams returned to the court, and the second quarter got underway.
The Lakers struck first, executing Phil Jackson's instructions to perfection.
The entire team attacked with maximum aggression, and their transition speed visibly increased.
On the opening possession of the second quarter, the Lakers got a stop and secured the rebound.
Kobe caught the ball without pausing and raced across half court at full speed.
With the Knicks scrambling back into position, he accelerated and changed direction decisively, tearing through their defense.
As Sprewell rotated over, he stopped short and buried a step-back jumper.
Those crisp two points gave the Lakers the first basket of the second quarter.
On the next possession, O'Neal aggressively established position inside, battling hard with his back to the basket.
Li Fei rotated over in time, setting up another clash between the two giants in the paint.
This time, O'Neal did not insist on forcing his way to the rim.
After drawing Li Fei's full defensive attention, he delivered a precise pass to Glen Rice cutting into space on the perimeter.
Rice