Li Fei Blocks Jordan's Shot, The Whole Arena Erupts!!

Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy called a timeout.

"Charles, hold your ground! Use your body to wear him down! Don't let him catch the ball easily!" Van Gundy drew forcefully on the clipboard, his tone urgent.

Li Fei, however, patted Marshall on the shoulder and said calmly, "Don't worry about it. Just do what you need to do. Leave the defense to me."

After the timeout, the Knicks' offense finally began to show some life. Allan Houston used an off-ball screen to shake free, took Li Fei's pass, and knocked down a mid-range jumper.

But on the other end, Jordan began to turn it on.

Using Luc Longley's pick-and-roll, he cleared out one side. Facing the switched Marshall, he used a simple change of direction and burst past him, driving in for an easy layup while drawing Marshall's foul.

"And one!"

Jordan walked to the free-throw line without expression and calmly sank the shot.

Throughout the entire first quarter, the Knicks played exceptionally passively.

The Chicago Bulls were like a precision machine, relentlessly attacking the Knicks' weak spots in the simplest, most effective ways.

"Beeeep—!"

The buzzer sounded to end the first quarter.

The scoreboard froze at 28:25. The home-team Knicks trailed by three.

Even the roar of Madison Square Garden seemed to have faded somewhat.

The second quarter began, and both sides sent in their bench units.

For the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy waved his hand and sent on two of the most unruly players—"Madman" Latrell Sprewell and "Martial Saint" Stephen Jackson!

One was a lunatic who had dared lay hands on his coach; the other was a hardcase always ready to throw down on the court.

Their tactical discipline might not have been great, but that fearless, bandit-like edge was exactly what the Knicks needed right now.