The New Alliance Landscape! Tony Niu, West Fire Lake!

Early in the season, head coach Phil Jackson had tried starting The Glide, Drexler, at shooting guard, but the results had been far from ideal.

The aging Glide's form was inconsistent, and injuries remained a concern.

After several games of adjustment, Phil Jackson decisively changed things up, starting Ron Harper and Sam Cassell together in a two-point-guard lineup.

That adjustment completely revitalized the Chicago Bulls' offense.

Harper was steady, Cassell was agile, and their playmaking and connection gave the team's offense clear structure and rhythm.

Jordan and Malone could focus more on scoring, while Harper and Cassell could punish opponents from open space whenever they were double-teamed.

Coming off the bench, Drexler found himself playing even more comfortably against opposing second units.

This Chicago Bulls team played in a style completely different from before—more team-oriented and far more unpredictable.

After a dominant win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls improved to 9-1.

The locker room was buzzing.

Jordan stood in the middle of the room, looking around at his teammates—resolute Malone, eccentric Cassell, composed Harper, and Drexler sitting in the corner, his eyes still burning with the desire to win.

"Listen up, guys!"

Jordan's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "I know we're a brand-new team. A lot of us come from different places and have different habits. But from the moment we put on this jersey, we have only one goal!"

He paused, the cigar burning between his fingers as his gaze sharpened like a blade.

"That's the championship! I don't care what you achieved before, or what failures you went through. Here, we're brothers. We're comrades! We have only one opponent—the New York Knicks! That number 23!"

"They're strong, damn strong! But so are we! Karl, after Scottie left, everyone said you'd never